SANJIESAN LICENSING / BUYING GUIDE
A digital file check and a physical proof round answer different questions
A project may need someone to inspect an export, or it may need a physical reference for a material discussion. Those are different briefs. Describe what remains unknown before comparing a digital checking service with a proof-round proposal. This guide supplies a way to frame the enquiry, not a printing specification, a supplier recommendation or a promise that either stage guarantees the final production result.
Name the unresolved observation
A missing image, an unexpected page count and a question about a physical finish belong on different lines. Identify the current file and the output or sample you would need to inspect. Include the selected manufacturer’s actual requirements when they are available instead of borrowing another company’s template. Keep a visible placeholder where the project has no confirmed specification, so the provider can explain what information is needed next.
Ask what the stage actually delivers
For a digital check, ask which file and requirement set will be reviewed and what issue record will be returned. For a physical round, ask what will be made, which version it represents and which observations the sample is intended to support. Delivery, quantity and any retained reference should be explicit in the proposal. A screen mock-up should not be compared with a tangible sample as though their evidence were interchangeable.
Choose the next useful evidence
Use a file check when the open question can genuinely be answered from the file and the stated requirements. Use an appropriate physical stage when the discussion depends on a material result, with its limitations explained by the responsible provider. If the specification is missing, the next useful purchase may be a bounded preparation task rather than another sample. Carry the resulting observations into the next brief without relabelling them as final-product approval.