Artwork approval form template
A free artwork approval form you fill in on this page and print or save as a PDF. It records the job, the exact proof version, the specification, any changes, the customer's decision and their signature, and it also comes as a blank fillable PDF and a Word file.
What is an artwork approval form?
An artwork approval form is the one-page record a customer signs to say a specific proof is right and the job can be produced. It names the job and the proof version, repeats the specification the customer is agreeing to, lists any changes and ends with a decision, a name, a title, a date and a signature. When a delivery is questioned weeks later, it answers the first thing everyone asks: what exactly did they approve?
The form above follows that order. Fill it in and print it, or save it as a PDF and email it; or download the blank fillable PDF or the Word file (A4; US Letter copies: PDF, Word) and put it on your own letterhead. For where the form sits in the wider job, from brief to release, see the artwork approval process.
How to use it with a proof
- 01
Fill in the job
Your company, the customer, the job number and the specification you are quoting, before the proof goes out.
- 02
Send it with the proof
Save the form as a PDF and send it with the proof, or the link to the 3D proof, in the same message.
- 03
Get it back signed
The approver lists any changes, ticks one decision, signs and dates it, and returns it before production.
- 04
File it with the proof
Note when it came back and who released the job, then keep the form with that exact proof version.
Which dispute does each field settle?
Each field answers a question that comes up when a delivered job is disputed.
| Field | What it settles |
|---|---|
| Your company and customer | Who the agreement is between, which matters when a reseller, an agency or a second supplier sits in the middle of the job. |
| Job number | Ties the signature to one order in your system, so it cannot be read as approving a reorder or a sister job. |
| Proof version and date | Usually the first question in a dispute: which proof did they approve? Version 3 of 4 November is not version 2 of 1 November. |
| Item, quantity and delivery date | What is invoiced and shipped, and the date the schedule was built on. A change after sign-off can move that date, and the form shows when it was agreed. |
| Finished size | The trim size, written in numbers. "It came out smaller than I expected" has an answer when the size is on the page they signed. |
| Stock or material | Thickness and material are where a flat proof says least. Writing "white PVC, 1.3 mm" or "350 gsm silk" on the form records the exact stock the customer agreed to. |
| Colors | CMYK or named Pantone numbers. The form records exactly which colors were specified. |
| Finishes | Foil, spot UV, lamination, a key ring or an emboss, and where each lands. Finishes are expensive to redo and easy to misremember. |
| 3D proof link | Points to the exact build the customer turned over on screen, so you can open what they saw again later. |
| Change requests | One change per line, written before the decision. "Approved with changes" then means this list and nothing else. |
| Decision | Three boxes instead of a sentence someone has to interpret later. "Looks fine, maybe a bit darker?" is neither yes nor no. |
| Approver name, title, date and signature | Shows the person had the authority to approve and when they did it. A shared mailbox or "the client" does not. |
| Shop use | When the signed form came back, who checked it and when the job was released, so the timeline is on one page if the press date is questioned. |
Before the form goes out, run the prepress side with the proof approval checklist: the form records the customer's decision, and the checklist makes sure the proof deserved one.
A worked example: 1,000 key fobs, proof version 3
Here is the form filled in for a small PVC key fob order, the way it comes back from the customer.
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Your company / customer | Example Print Co. / Example Coffee Ltd |
| Job number | 26-0418 |
| Item / quantity / delivery | PVC key fob with key ring hole / 1,000 / 2026-11-27 |
| Finished size | 50.0 x 30.0 mm, 2.0 mm corners |
| Stock / material | White PVC, 1.3 mm |
| Colors / finishes | CMYK both sides / high gloss lamination both sides, silver key ring |
| Proof | v3, 2026-11-04, yourcompany.proofscene.com/P26000418 |
| Change requests | 1. Back: "Open daily 7-6" should read "Open daily 7-7". 2. Front: move the logo 1 mm right, clear of the key ring hole. |
| Decision | Approved with the changes listed above |
| Approver / title / date | The customer's marketing manager, by name / Marketing manager / 2026-11-05 |
| Shop use | Received 2026-11-05, checked by prepress, released 2026-11-06 |
Both changes are small and fully described, so the shop can make them and release the job without a fourth proof, but only because they are written down. The second change shows why the list matters: "move the logo 1 mm right" is a layout change, and some shops send a new proof for any layout change and keep "approved with changes" for text corrections. Decide your rule once and write it into the approval wording.
The size and hole in this example are those of the free key fob template, which shows where the key ring hole sits and how far the artwork runs past the cut.
Email reply or signed form: which should you ask for?
Ask for whichever your terms of sale say counts, and make sure it carries the same facts either way.
| What the record shows | A "looks good" email | A signed approval form |
|---|---|---|
| Which proof was approved | Often "the latest one", or an attachment several replies back | Proof version and date, and the link they reviewed |
| What was agreed | Rarely restated | Size, stock, colors, finishes and quantity, on the page they sign |
| Changes | Mixed into the reply, sometimes after "go ahead" | Listed one per line, before the decision |
| The decision | A sentence to interpret | One of three ticked boxes |
| Who and when | The sender's address and the time sent | Name, title, date and signature, plus the date you received it |
A workable rule: accept an email for repeat work, and ask for the signed form on new jobs, high quantities and anything with costly finishes. Your terms and the law where you trade decide which counts as a binding approval, so name your method in your terms. For keeping the record once you have it, see how to document customer sign-off and customer artwork sign-off.
Why the form has a 3D proof link field
A flat proof asks the customer to imagine the finished piece: where the key ring sits, how foil catches the light, what the back looks like when the fob or card is turned over. Customers judge those things better when they can turn the product over themselves, and the approval on the form is only as good as what they understood when they signed it.
Proofscene turns the proof sheet PDF you already make into an interactive 3D proof on a branded link. You can see whether the link was opened, mark it Approved in your proof library when the signed form comes back, and the link keeps showing the build the customer reviewed until you publish an update, so the link written on the form keeps pointing at what they saw.
The customer signs off by replying or on this form, and you mark the 3D proof link Approved. You can start free with 5 free 3D proofs, and more every month.
Artwork approval forms, answered
Short, straight answers to the questions we are asked most. If yours is not here, ask.
Ask us anythingIs there a Word version of this artwork approval form?
Yes. Download the .docx in A4 or US Letter. It has the same fields as the PDF, and its three decision boxes are tick boxes you click in Word. Add your logo, change the approval wording to match your terms of sale and save it as your own template.
Can my customer fill in the PDF on screen?
Yes. The blank PDF has form fields, so the customer can type into it in Adobe Acrobat Reader or a browser PDF viewer, tick one decision and save it. They sign by hand after printing, or with their reader's signing tool, and send it back.
What is the difference between "approved as is" and "approved with changes"?
"Approved as is" means produce exactly the proof named on the form. "Approved with changes" means produce it once the listed changes are made, without another proof. Keep that box for small, fully described corrections such as a typo; anything that moves the layout, the size or a color is safer as "not approved: send a new proof".
Is what I type saved or sent anywhere?
Nothing you type is sent to Proofscene. With "Remember entries in this browser" ticked, the form is kept in this browser's own storage so a refresh does not lose it; untick it, or use Clear all, and it is removed.
How does Proofscene track the approval?
On a Proofscene proof link you see whether and how often the customer opened it, and you mark the link Approved in your proof library when they sign off. The customer replies, or signs a form like this one, and the form is the record you keep.
Do I need a new form for every proof round?
Yes. Fill in one form per proof version. A signature on version 2 says nothing about version 3, which is why the proof version and date sit near the top of the form.
Related: the artwork approval process, step by step, the print proof approval checklist guide, the interactive proof approval checklist, customer artwork sign-off and how to document customer sign-off.
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