A dependable plumbing shirt proof review checklist separates accuracy, layout, product, and approval into narrow passes. Every correction creates a new revision and resets the affected checks. This prevents a reviewer from approving a polished image while overlooking an old phone number, wrong role, swapped side, or mismatched logo source.
Assemble the review packet
Do not review from the proof alone. Place these sources beside it:
- approved logo asset and variant ID;
- current company-name, contact, and service-copy source;
- front/back message brief;
- role eligibility list;
- exact product, color, and variant selection;
- current customization information;
- roster summary and approval owner;
- prior revision with open comments.
Give every proof a filename, revision, date, and product reference. Screenshots from messages can support discussion but should not replace the complete source file.
Pass 1: read every character
Compare company name, punctuation, phone number, web path, location wording, service descriptor, slogan, and role label character by character with approved sources. Read numbers aloud and have a second reviewer verify them independently.
Do not rewrite copy inside review. If wording needs a business decision, return it to the content owner and mark the proof pending. Exclude unverified license, certification, emergency, timing, or outcome claims.
Pass 2: compare brand assets
Check the proof against the named logo source. Review proportions, icon relationships, spelling inside the mark, color treatment, background variant, and approved exclusions. Confirm that a compact mark has not silently replaced the primary identity.
Look for unintended tracing changes or font substitutions. A file extension does not prove the artwork is correct. If the source is weak or disputed, pause rather than approving an improvised reconstruction.
Pass 3: verify sides and orientation
Label front and back explicitly. Confirm that the identity, contact path, service line, role label, and supporting motif appear on the intended side. Check orientation and the correspondence between proof views.
Review the two sides as one version. A correct front paired with an outdated back is not an approvable set. Sleeve or panel content, when offered for the exact product, also needs a named view and source.
Pass 4: inspect message hierarchy
At full proof size, thumbnail size, and in a small crew lineup, identify the first, second, and third message. Company identity should lead unless the approved brief specifies otherwise. Decoration should not cross important lettering or make a role label appear more important than the business.
This is an internal hierarchy review, not a guaranteed reading-distance, visibility, trust, or conversion test. Record observations such as “contact line competes with company name,” not predicted customer outcomes.
Pass 5: reconcile product facts
Match the proof with the exact current product, variant, color, size range, and selected customization areas. Record the source date. A mockup does not establish material, care, price, availability, timing, order rules, durability, protection, or suitability.
If product facts change, reopen relevant artwork and roster checks. Do not assume the same proof transfers unchanged to another format.
Pass 6: check roster and role versions
Compare core, owner, lead, estimator, technician, or apprentice proofs with the approved eligibility table. Confirm that each role term is current and the parent company identity remains consistent.
A shirt title does not establish licensing, authority, qualification, or employment status. Unresolved eligibility should remain pending rather than being guessed for an order deadline.
Pass 7: test version completeness
List every file the order needs: front, back, authorized variants, size or role versions, and exact product association. Confirm that filenames and preview labels agree. Mark retired proofs inactive so they cannot be selected because they are easiest to find.
Use a comment log with issue, owner, resolution, and revision. Avoid vague notes such as “make it pop.” Name the element and requested change.
Run a source-blind comparison
After the detailed passes, ask a reviewer who was not part of the design discussion to locate each proof element in the source packet. The reviewer should be able to point from the company name to its copy source, from the logo to its asset ID, from the role label to eligibility, and from the garment view to the selected product.
Record any element that cannot be traced without an explanation from the designer. This does not make the reviewer a brand or production authority; it tests whether the approval packet can stand on its own. Resolve missing references and issue a new revision before final approval.
Also compare the proposed proof with the active prior version when one exists. Note intentional changes and confirm that unchanged information did not drift during the redesign.
Reset checks after corrections
When text changes, rerun source accuracy, hierarchy, and version completeness. When the product changes, rerun product, artwork-zone, proof-view, and roster checks. When a logo changes, rerun brand, color, hierarchy, and all affected versions.
Never approve a correction in isolation if it can alter another element. Save the prior version and create a new revision rather than overwriting the audit trail.
Approval block
The final record should include proof ID, product/variant, artwork asset IDs, business-copy source, completed pass list, resolved comment log, approver, date, and approval scope. State whether approval covers one proof or a named group.
Approval means the documented version passed this review. It does not guarantee production behavior, delivery, garment performance, or business results.
Final checklist
- All sources are current and included.
- Every character matches approved copy.
- Logo variant and colors match authorized assets.
- Front, back, and other views are correctly assigned.
- Company identity leads the intended hierarchy.
- Exact product and current facts are reconciled.
- Role versions match eligibility records.
- Corrections triggered the required rechecks.
- Retired proofs are marked inactive.
- Approval is dated and version-specific.
Use the logo preparation guide when the asset packet is incomplete. Current options can be compared in the PrintFrenz plumbing collection, with live facts verified before approval.