Platform
Artwork approval software
Send artwork for approval as an interactive 3D product, collect changes in one place, and record exactly which version the customer signed off on — before anything reaches the press.
Built around the sign-off
Approval is a decision, not an attachment
The moment a customer says yes is the most expensive moment in the job. ProofScene makes that moment specific: one version, one link, one recorded answer.
One link per approval
Every job gets its own review link. No zipped PDFs, no "which version was that again", no attachment bouncing off a mail server.
Approval on the real product
Your customer approves a 3D model of the finished item — not a flat page that hides how the artwork actually sits on the product.
Revisions in sequence
Each new round replaces the last at the same job reference, so everyone is always looking at the current artwork.
A recorded decision
Approval is captured against the version that was on screen — who approved, which round, and when.
Change requests in context
When something is wrong, the customer says so on the proof itself instead of in a reply-all thread nobody can reconstruct.
Approved from anywhere
The buyer opens the link on a phone in a warehouse aisle and signs off. No software to install, no account to create.
The approval loop
From "please review" to "approved" without the guesswork
- 01
Send the proof
Attach your usual PDF proof sheet and add the ProofScene link beside it. The customer sees both the specs and the product.
- 02
They review it properly
Rotate, zoom, check the back, look at the foil under moving light. The questions a flat proof leaves open get answered on screen.
- 03
Approve or request changes
Either the artwork is right and they approve it, or they tell you exactly what is wrong before a plate is made.
- 04
Record the sign-off
The approval is tied to the version reviewed, so the job travels into production with its decision attached.
What actually gets approved
The six things a customer should see before saying yes
Reprints rarely come from a typo nobody caught. They come from something the customer could not judge on a flat page.
Placement and proportion
How big the logo really is on the finished item, and how close it sits to a fold, seam or trim edge.
Dieline behavior
What lands on a panel, what wraps a corner, and what disappears into a glue flap.
Finishing and embellishment
Spot UV, foil, emboss, deboss and varnish shown as effects that respond to light, not as a note in the margin.
Substrate and material
Uncoated stock versus gloss laminate versus a textured board — the difference a customer cannot picture from a PDF.
Copy and version
The last read of the actual text, on the actual product, before it becomes ten thousand units.
Job specifications
Size, stock, quantity, finishing and your job number stay visible alongside the model so nothing is approved out of context.
A 3D proof represents appearance, placement, materials and finishing. It is not a calibrated contract-color proof unless your workflow includes formal color management — keep your color agreement exactly where it is today.
Why it matters commercially
A weak approval is a dispute waiting to happen
Every print shop has had the conversation: the job is delivered, the customer is unhappy, and both sides go back through an email chain trying to establish what was agreed. Usually the artwork was correct and the expectation was not. The customer imagined a heavier board, a bigger logo, a foil that read as bright silver rather than a soft brushed finish.
Documented approval closes that gap in two directions. It gives the customer a fair chance to catch a real problem while it is still free to fix, and it gives you a clear record of what was reviewed and accepted. Fewer reprints, shorter arguments, faster releases to production.
ProofScene was built inside a working print and card-manufacturing operation, at the approval step every order has to pass through. It is designed to slot into the process you already run.
Related
Approval is one word for a job that goes by several names. Start wherever your customers do.
Artwork approval, answered
What is artwork approval software?
Artwork approval software is a tool that sends artwork to a customer for review, collects their approval or change requests, and records the decision against a specific version. ProofScene adds a 3D view of the finished product to that workflow, so the customer approves what will actually be manufactured rather than a flat page.
Why do artwork approvals go wrong?
Most approval failures are not spelling mistakes — they are misunderstandings of scale, placement and finish. A flat proof asks the customer to imagine the product. An interactive 3D proof shows it, so the objection arrives before the press run instead of after delivery.
How are revisions handled?
Each revision is generated from the updated artwork and takes the place of the previous round at the same job reference. Everyone opening the link sees the current version, which removes the classic problem of a customer approving an out-of-date attachment.
Does the customer need an account to approve artwork?
No. The customer opens a link in a browser. You can optionally protect a link with a password when the artwork is confidential, but there is nothing for them to install and no account for them to create.
Can I still send my PDF proof sheet?
Yes, and you should. ProofScene is designed to sit beside the proof sheet you already produce, not to replace prepress documentation. The PDF carries the specs; the 3D proof carries the understanding.
Is an approved 3D proof a color contract?
No. A 3D proof represents appearance, placement, materials and finishing so artwork can be reviewed in context. It is not a calibrated contract-color proof unless your workflow includes formal color management, and it should not be presented to customers as one.
Can we use this for internal approvals too?
Yes. Plenty of shops want an account manager, a prepress lead or a brand owner to look before the file goes out. The same link works internally, and the same record is kept.
Early access
Make your next approval unambiguous
ProofScene is opening early access to print shops and product suppliers. Join the list and be first to turn your proof sheets into interactive 3D approvals.
No credit card · Built by print people · Launching soon