Rapido is one of the few printers to offer its customers a printed and bound test copy (or proof). We’re the only printers to do it within 48 hours, with the paper and cover finish of your choice. Here are the main advantages for you.
Ultra fast service
Are you eager to see the results of your work and to hold your book in your hands? Do you want to double check every detail before production starts? Or do you need to show the book to a media reporter before its release? Rapido produces all test copies within 48 hours if the files are validated before 10 a.m. Hardcover books require 3 additional days.A guarantee of consistency
With your test copy, you will be able to make sure that your choices correspond to what you wanted, that the layout of the cover and each page is correct. If there’s anything you don’t like or wish to change, you can send us a new file (at no additional cost) to start production or order another test copy from us if needed.This is the best way for you to make sure that the result will match your expectations. This will save you a lot of frustration if you discover a layout issue or a typo on the back cover.
At Rapido Books, a printed and bound test copy isn’t just a loose-leaf proof – it’s a real book, on real paper, with the same finish you will get for your order of 100, 200 or 500 copies.
The cover
We advise you to carefully review all of these points pertaining to your book’s cover when you receive your test copy:- The readability of the text on the back cover. Your choice of colours may affect readability more than you think;
- The correct positioning of the title on the cover. With the bleeds, it’s not always clear on the screen whether it is a little too close to the cut or not. Make sure the graphic elements are correctly centered;
- Your back cover text shouldn’t be too close to the trim line. We advise you to always leave at least one centimeter of space between the text and trim line;
- The spine should be readable and pleasing to the eye. The positioning and orientation of the text on the spine is important because the title and author should be readable from the side when the book is lying face up on a desk or table;
- Check carefully that nothing has disappeared when you exported your file to PDF, such as an icon or a logo. This sometimes happens when overprinting effects are used and layers are not flattened when exporting the file to PDF;
- That the color rendering meets your expectations (read our article on the correct use of colors for solids);
- That the inside cover (C2 and C3) is printed, if you have chosen this option;
- And finally that the book is in the correct dimensions.
The interior
When reviewing your book’s inside pages, we advise you to check the following:- The placement of page numbers. The rule is that odd page numbers appear on right-hand pages, while even page numbers appear on left-hand pages;
- That page numbers not appear on the first page of each chapters, or that the page numbers have a different placement on these pages (this is a rule that varies among publishers);
- That there are no missing pages;
- That the ISBN displayed on the copyright page is identical to the number in the barcode;
- That the running heads are not too close to the upper trim line. Likewise, the text should not be too close to the bottom trim line. The bottom margin (white space) is always larger than the top margin because readers will hold your book from below and their thumbs should not hide the text at the bottom of the page. To avoid this sort of thing, we recommend a minimum margin of 13 mm at the top and 20 mm at the bottom of your pages. If you have footnotes, the size of the bottom margin should remain the same;
- That the inside and outside margins be formatted so that the inside margin be smaller than the outside margin (our next blog post will discuss this in more detail);
- That there be neither widow nor orphan at the bottom and at the top of your pages;
In typography, a widowed line is when the last line of a paragraph appears alone at the top of a page, and an orphaned line is when the first line of a paragraph appears alone at the bottom of a page.
Source: Wikipedia
- If your pages have bleed, check that all elements touching the trim line (images, background colors, lines and design features, etc.) are extended at least 3mm, or 1/8 “, beyond the trim line to allow for proper bleed.
Additional recommendations
If you would like us to do a printer’s proof, be sure to ask us for two test copies instead of one and we will keep one of the copies at our offices. Alternately, you can return the copy you received after having reviewed it so that we can use it as a reference when printing your order. If you would like us to send a test copy to your graphic designer or to one of your collaborators wherever they are located, please ask us. We will be happy to send a copy to them. In order to validate your test copy, all you have to do is log in to your Rapido client portal and press the button:
If you are in a rush, we can send you a PDF proof on the same day we receive your files.