Check a photo proof under the light where it will be used

A photo proof can look fine at a desk and become difficult to read when it is taped to a wall or slipped into a clear sleeve. Before making a full set of prints, try a small proof in the place where someone will actually use it. The useful question is whether that person can make out the detail that the photograph is meant to show.

Suppose you are preparing a reference photo of a drawer label for a workroom. The letters are small and the label sits on a dark surface. The photo will hang near the drawer, so take the proof to that spot. Look at it from the height and distance someone would normally stand at. A check made with the paper lying flat on your desk will miss any glare from a lamp above the drawer.

Make the first proof at the intended print size. If the final photograph will be six inches wide, print the test at six inches or print a portion at the same scale. A small thumbnail of the whole picture answers a different question. The label in that thumbnail may be too small even when the full print is fine. Write the intended width on the back of the proof so it is easy to compare with the next one.

Choose a detail to read before you start moving the paper. In the drawer example, that might be the final two letters of a part name or a short number next to it. Move to the usual viewing position and see whether you can identify those characters without leaning in. Ask another person to read them if you already know what they say. Write down which characters they hesitated over. That gives you something specific to check after a change.

Try the intended holder early. Put the proof behind the same clear cover or in the same sleeve if that is how it will be displayed. If a reflection crosses the label, turn the proof slightly and see whether the reflection moves off the text. A change in angle can help you locate the problem. Return the proof to its normal position before you decide whether the placement is usable.

If the detail is still hard to read, change one thing for the second proof. For example, move the print to a spot where the lamp does not reflect in the cover, then compare it at the same distance. If the light is fine and the letters are too small, try a wider print or give the label more space in the crop. Label the proof with the change you made. Comparing a darker print, a larger crop and a different location all at once leaves you guessing which change helped.

Keep the first proof beside the second during the comparison. If the second makes the part name readable but cuts away the nearby drawer handle, decide whether the handle is needed to identify the right drawer. One practical option is to use the wider image for orientation and a second close view for the label. The person using the reference should be able to see which close view goes with which drawer.

Once the proof works, record its width, where you checked it and what the reader could make out. If the reference moves to another spot or goes behind a different cover, repeat the small proof there before printing a replacement set. The note from the first check will tell you where to start and which detail to read.

Mark the approved proof on the back before it goes back in the pile. Write the digital filename there too, so you can find the right file when the print needs replacing.