Artwork approval workflow: from first proof to production

Why proof approval goes wrong

A custom order has two deliverables: the artwork the customer wants, and the physical item your workshop produces. Between the two sits an approval. When that approval is informal, a “looks good” in a text message or an email with three attachments, nobody can say later which file was approved, what size was agreed, or whether the last correction was applied.

Most production errors in embroidery, screen printing and personalised merchandise come from this gap, not from the machines: the wrong version is on the floor, or the job starts before the customer answered.

A workflow in six steps

1. Capture the order and the instructions

Start from the order itself: reference, quantities per size or variant, placement, technique, colours and dimensions. Write the instructions once, in the words the workshop will use. If one order contains several personalised items, treat each as its own job with its own instructions.

2. Prepare a proof the customer can judge

A proof is a preview the customer can understand on a phone: the artwork placed on the item, with the dimensions and the placement stated. Keep the production file separate from the preview. A vector file or an embroidery file is for the machine; the customer needs a picture.

3. Publish a numbered version

Give every proof a number, V1 then V2, and never edit a version after sending it. If something changes, publish the next number. The instructions shown with a version should be frozen with it, so that “V2” always means the same thing to the customer and to the workshop.

4. Ask for an explicit decision

Two actions, clearly named: approve, or request changes with a comment. Silence is not approval, and neither is opening the email. Record who decided, when, and on which version.

5. Handle corrections as new versions

A change request creates work for the designer and a new version for the customer. The previous version keeps its history but loses any authority to be produced. Reminders should stop as soon as a decision is made or a new version replaces the old one.

6. Start production from the approved version only

The production floor should see one thing per job: the approved version, its number and its instructions. Older versions belong in a history, not next to the machine. Starting production is a separate step from approval: approval makes a job eligible, it does not launch it.

Checklist before you send a proof

• Order reference and item quantities match the shop order.
• Placement, dimensions, technique and colours are written on the proof, not only in your notes.
• The preview is readable on a phone screen at the size the customer will see it.
• The version number is visible and unique for this job.
• The customer knows what the two possible answers are, and that a comment is needed for changes.
• You know what happens to the job while you wait: who follows up, and when.

Mistakes to avoid

• Editing a sent proof in place. The customer and the workshop end up with different files under the same name.
• Treating “no answer” as approval. It shifts the risk of a wrong production onto you.
• Mixing approval and shipping. Finishing production does not mean the order shipped; keep fulfilment in your store.
• Producing from the newest file instead of the approved one. New is not approved.
• Applying an order change silently. A quantity or product change after approval deserves a review, not an overwrite.

Where ProofLivo fits

ProofLivo applies this workflow to Shopify orders: jobs with frozen instructions, numbered proof versions, a customer review page without an account, decisions recorded per version, reminders that stop when a decision is made, and a production floor that only sees approved artwork. It does not create artwork and does not ship orders.