Anatomy of a Proof

Let's take a look at a Standard proof, through the eyes of a DA who has just assigned an order from On Deck.

Front of Card (FOC)

To the left is a Minted Holiday Card, with an option for the customer to include a personal photo in the center.

Original Artwork

One of the winning community designs.
The customer chose this SKU out of hundreds of options. With this in mind, it’s important to honor the original spirit of the design. In this case, the design is mostly photo-based, with minimal centered text at the bottom.

Customer Photo

Carefully chosen by the customer.
Customers are generally very proud of and excited about their photos.
Unrequested photo edits or repositioning can cause customer frustration.

Text Customizations

Holiday greeting.
Personalized by the customer.
Customer’s family name.
The DA should always proofread for spelling and grammatical errors.

Static Elements

Some Minted designs include Static Elements, which the customer cannot customize on their end. Static Elements are outlined text, and will generally include an editable version in the Illustrator file, placed off of the artboard. Static Elements may be outlined for several reasons:

Uses complex glyphs, which our online Customizer cannot process.
1. When editing a design with complex glyphs, do your best to match the original glyph or find a suitable replacement using the "Glyphs" panel in Illustrator.
Text is on a path, which our online Customizer cannot process.
1. This is easily editable on the DA end, but cannot be edited on the customer end.

As DAs, it's important to take note of Static Elements, check if the customer has left instructions for how to customize the element, and then make the edit for the customer. If a customer has not left instructions for customizing a Static Element, the missing text should be addressed in a Note to the Customer.

Illustrator Example: Editable Text is Above Artboard

Interior Options

If a customer orders a folded card, it may include Interior (INT for short) content. Minted offers several interior layout options for customers to choose between. Below are examples of the most common interior layouts.

Blank or Text Only

Blank

No text, photo(s), or original artwork.
The customer chose a blank interior with the intention of handwriting their custom text.

Text Only

The layout includes a simple text layout, typically with stock typography.
DAs should be sure to match the stock font(s) to the front of the card.
Casing, tracking, leading, and kerning should also be consistent to the front of the card.
DAs should double-check the spelling, grammar, and alignment of all text elements.

Photo Layouts

Can include one or more photos, on one or more sides of the interior.
Can be paired with text as well (DAs should check the spelling, grammar, and alignment).
DAs should check to make sure faces are visible within the photo clipping mask.
- Any faces or important features cut off could lead to a reprint.

Back of Card Options

Solid and Patterned Backers

The customer can include Back of Card (BOC) printing for an additional fee. BOC printing is usually one of three options, or a combination of all three:

Solid Color.
Patterned Backer.
Text or Photo Backer.

For Text and Photo BOCs

Be sure to check the photo and text elements on the BOC the same as you would the text and photo elements on an interior.

Minted Logo

The Minted band logo is included by default on all standard items. The logo should be visible on the BOC, with black or white text. The band color should match the dominant color of the overall backer. Within the Minted logo, the correct Community Designer name should be visible.

For example: Art by [Community Designer name]

Page updated

Report abuse