Proofing Tips

The Knitty Gritty: Proofing your Yearbook

Creating a beautiful and stylish yearbook is an art, though creating a polished and error free book is a science. Here are a few tips to help ensure your yearbook is a timeless piece of polished perfection:

1. Start and finish your yearbook early
Get your yearbook started as early in the year as possible and try to complete all the pages at least 1 month before your Editor’s Deadline. This will enable ample time for you and your school community to proof your yearbook.

2. The Moral Police
When reading through your yearbook it is important to read through your yearbook like you are the Moral Police. Ensure all comments about students and staff are positive. For Graduation Books, pay special attention to the Year 12 Awards, awards that ‘dis’ another student or staff members may seem funny at the time, though when your yearbook is being scrutinised by everyone, including parents and your principal(!) it is often a very different story. So keep it positive.

3. Spell-check every word on every page
Get as many people to check the spelling and grammar as possible. Students, teachers, parents... anyone and everyone.

4. Cross-Check
Cross-check all names included in your yearbook against your school’s official class list.

5. Hold an Error Spotting Competition
Invite as many people as possible to find errors in your yearbook before production. Offering rewards, even small ones (ie. canteen vouchers) can be a great incentive.

6. Let Everyone Proof
Send your PDF Proof to every staff member at least two weeks prior to your Editor’s Deadline and invite all staff to make corrections.

7. Sign Off 
Your Yearbook Coordinator is required to officially sign off prior to production. However, sign-off should not be left to your Yearbook Coordinator alone. Once your yearbook is complete and prior to official sign-off (1) Get each person who has contributed to your yearbook to sign off on their individual page. (2) Get class teachers to sign off on their students’ names. (3) If you have student profiles, get students to sign off on their profile and check the student profiles against your class list.

8. Principal’s Approval
If possible you should consult with your principal throughout yearbook creation. Yearbooks and Graduation Books are often an important Public Relations activity for your school and it is important you are projecting an appropriate image. Regardless, once all other proofing and sign-off is complete, give your principal the opportunity to read through your complete yearbook before if goes to print.

9. Print your PDF Proof
Fusion Books provides a PDF proof to all clients prior to commencing production. You may like to print a copy on your school printer, as you may notice errors in the printed form that you didn’t notice on your screen. Your yearbook will be printed exactly as you see your PDF Proof- so again, cross-check all names, student profiles, pages, spelling etc etc. You can never be too careful!

10. Pedantic...?
Okay, so we may sound a little pedantic, but after helping schools throughout Australia create their yearbook, we have never seen a yearbook coordinator regret the amount of time spent proofing their yearbook...