What Is a Preflight Report? How GoProof Checks a Proof Before Review

A preflight report is a record of what was checked on a proof before review, and whether each check passed or failed. In GoProof, the check runs automatically against a checklist you define, and the result can be downloaded as a PDF.

Reviewers lose patience quickly when a proof arrives with a wrong date, a missing legal line or last round's change still not applied. A preflight check catches that kind of problem first, so reviewers spend their time on the real feedback.

What a preflight check looks at

In GoProof, a preflight check evaluates a proof against a checklist of items that you set. Each item is a statement that should be true of the finished piece, such as "the offer end date is correct" or "the legal footer is present on every page".

This is a check of content and brief compliance. It is not the same as technical print preflight, which looks at things like bleed, fonts and image resolution. If you need those, keep your print preflight step as it is and use the GoProof check for the questions only a person who knows the brief would ask.

What the report contains

For every checklist item, the result records:

• whether it passed or failed;
• a short reason, with a fuller explanation if you want it;
• the evidence the check relied on;
• the pages where the evidence was found.

The check can also add comments directly onto the proof at the relevant spot, so a failure is visible in the same place reviewers will be working. You can choose whether to add comments at all, and whether to clear earlier automatic comments first.

How a preflight runs

1. Set up the checklist. An administrator adds the items, or builds a checklist by training it on past proofs.
2. Upload the proof. When a proof or a new version is uploaded into a project, the check can start automatically. You can also run it yourself with the Run Preflight Check button.
3. Choose how thorough it should be. Settings run from Quick to Exhaustive, and you can save your preferred default.
4. Read the result. You will see a step-by-step list of results as the check progresses, then a summary. The proof shows an In Preflight, Passed or Failed state, and you are notified when the run finishes.

If one item needs another look, you can run just that item again. There is also a box for a one-off custom check, for the question that is not on the checklist this time.

Downloading the preflight report

The results can be downloaded as a PDF preflight report. A copy is stored on the proof as an attachment, so anyone with access can find it later. That gives you a record of what was checked on each version, which is useful when a client asks afterwards why something went out as it did.

Finding proofs by preflight state

On the proofs dashboard you can filter by AI state, including In Preflight, Passed and Failed. A producer with a long list of proofs can look at the failed ones first and send them back before anyone else spends time on them.

Where it fits in your process

Treat the report as a first pass, not a sign-off. It tells you whether the proof meets the checks you wrote down. It does not replace a reviewer's judgement about whether the work is right, and the decision to approve still sits with the gatekeeper. If you are moving from email and PDF markup, our 30-day switching guide shows where a preflight step fits in the process.

Preflight checks use AI credits, so check your credit balance if a run stops with an out-of-credits message.

Smarter Proofing. Faster Approvals. GoProof.

FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions