One of my publishing clients had a giant poster in their office with the bold words, "Did you Pruf your work?" plastered across it. A bit cheeky, sure—but it was a constant reminder that the written word is like a minefield of typos, and proofreading is the armor we wear to navigate it safely. However, there's one catch: proofreading your own work is about as effective as trying to give yourself a surprise party. Spoiler alert—you'll miss something!
A One-Digit Disaster
Let me take you back a few years to a client of mine who was hosting a financial seminar. They were so excited, they mailed out 100,000 brochures. Ten days passed... crickets. Not a single response. Then, bam, they received a certified letter from a very angry individual. Turns out, this poor person had been getting flooded with phone calls from people trying to sign up for the seminar! The horror? My client had printed the wrong phone number on every single brochure.
Cue the sinking heart moment as my client realized 100,000 pieces had the wrong digits. The lesson? Always—and I mean always—call the number on your proof before hitting print. And in 2024, that goes for everything! Test the website link, email address, Twitter handle (or should we say X now?), Instagram, TikTok... the whole digital gang. One wrong character can lead your audience down a rabbit hole of frustration, or in this case, a very confused person answering seminar calls.
Welcome to the Age of Electronic Proofreading
In today's world of text messages, DMs, and Tweets (sorry, X-posts?), our grammar has taken a bit of a beating. We're in the land of abbreviations, emojis, and auto-correct slip-ups. And while cutting corners in casual texts is fine, that mindset can sneak into more formal writing—yikes. You’d be surprised how much harder it gets to proofread when “u” becomes “you” and “gr8” turns into "great." Even our beloved spell-check isn’t foolproof. It's useful for typos, but it won't catch everything—especially those sneaky homophones.
Proofreading Pro Tips from Kevin, the Sherlock Holmes of Typos
Huge shoutout to my former co-worker, Kevin Tangney, a proofreading wizard with some top-notch advice:
“Proofreading 101: Always have a fresh pair of eyes on the project—someone with the superpower of catching tiny mistakes. Reading your own work? It’s like trying to find Waldo when you already know where he is. Sure, Word’s spell-check can help, but it won’t save you from mix-ups like ‘boot’ when you meant ‘boat.’ Only a human can catch that!”
Kevin’s right! Writers and designers often see what they expect—and that’s where mistakes slip through. It’s like staring at a patch of clover, and somehow missing the four-leaf one right in front of you. But give it to a seasoned proofreader? They'll find it every time.
Need More Proofing Hacks?
If you want a full toolbox of proofreading tips, check out this helpful collection of ideas: Proofreading Tips for the Eagle-Eyed.
Oh, and back to the story about my client with the wrong phone number: They ended up having to buy the incorrect phone number, notify everyone about the change, pay for a second mailing (ouch), and—needless to say—the designer was fired.
Moral of the story? Proofing isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a must-have. In 2024, it’s the difference between smooth sailing and a one-digit disaster.
Let’s keep things typo-free, shall we?
Original blog post by Bob Carr. You can find the original post here: Did You Pruf Your Work
Are you in need of a print consultant? Bob Carr is available to assist you with all your printing requirements. You can reach him at Bobc96680@gmail.com