Proof approval time estimator
Approval time is mostly rounds multiplied by how long each round takes. Enter three numbers to estimate time to sign-off, then see what a single fewer round would save. Runs in your browser, nothing stored.
The fastest approval is the round that never happens
Most avoidable delay is not slow reviewers; it is extra rounds. A customer opens a flat proof, cannot tell what the back looks like or how the finish will sit, and asks. You answer. Three days pass on a job that needed one. Every one of those rounds is a question the proof failed to answer by itself.
That is why a clearer proof shortens approval: not because anyone reads faster, but because they stop needing to come back. When a customer can rotate the product, inspect every side and see the finish before they reply, the questions that generate rounds are answered before they are asked. See how long proof approval should take and the proofing workflow, or run the reprint cost calculator for the other half of the cost.
Approval time, answered
Short, straight answers to the questions we are asked most. If yours is not here, ask.
Ask us anythingHow long should proof approval take?
There is no credible universal benchmark, because approval time depends on how many rounds a job takes, how responsive the reviewers are, and how many people must sign off. The useful measure is rounds, not days: most of the calendar time is review rounds multiplied by how long each round takes to come back.
How does this estimator work?
It multiplies your expected number of review rounds by the business days each round takes, then adds a small coordination allowance for each additional approver. It then shows what removing a single round would save, because cutting rounds is the lever you actually control.
Why measure rounds instead of days?
Days are an outcome you cannot control directly; rounds are an input you can. Most avoidable delay comes from extra rounds, and most extra rounds exist because a proof could not answer a question on its own, so the customer had to ask and wait.
What is a realistic number of rounds?
In one named industry survey, 57% of teams said projects typically need three to five revision rounds before sign-off (Ziflow, State of Creative Workflow Report, 2023). If you are routinely above that, the proof itself is probably generating questions it could answer.
Does this predict my actual approval time?
No. It is a simple model to show how much calendar time each round costs, not a forecast. Your real time depends on your customers, your work and your process. The value is in seeing the cost of a round, so cutting one feels as worthwhile as it is.
Do you store the numbers I enter?
No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to ProofScene or saved.
Fewer rounds start with a proof that answers itself
ProofScene is opening early access to print shops and product suppliers. Join the list and be first to turn your proof sheets into interactive 3D approvals.
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