For checking client files before printing, ProofSlip is a one-time-purchase local alternative to Acrobat Pro’s Preflight. On Windows it checks PDFs against a job preset (fonts, image resolution, color spaces and plates, ink limit, rich black, hairlines, overprint, transparency, bleed and safe area), shows each problem boxed on its page, and also checks EPUBs and Word manuscripts. It never fixes files and does not claim PDF/X validation, so shops that need fixups need Acrobat.
Most small print, copy, and sign shops do not need a full prepress suite at the counter. They need to know, before a job goes into the queue, whether the file fits the job: fonts embedded, photos sharp enough, the right colors, enough bleed, and nothing too close to the trim. They also need something to send back to the client when the answer is no.
Check a client file against the job on your PC and send a branded report.
Get it from Microsoft
What is the short answer?
If you need to fix files, convert color, flatten transparency, build custom profiles, or validate PDF/X, Acrobat Pro’s Preflight is the better tool, and ProofSlip will not replace it. If you need a fast, plain-language answer to “does this file fit this job?”, with the problem shown on the page and a report to send back, ProofSlip does that on your PC for a one-time price.
What is each tool for?
Acrobat Pro Preflight is a prepress tool inside Adobe Acrobat Pro. According to Adobe’s documentation, it analyzes fonts, colors, transparency, image resolution, and ink coverage against profiles, and its fixups can correct problems, for example converting color, flattening transparency, and preparing or converting files to PDF/X, PDF/A, or PDF/E. You can create and edit your own profiles. Acrobat is sold as a subscription, and Adobe also sells Acrobat Pro 2024 as a one-time purchase with three years of access.
ProofSlip is a Windows app that checks print PDFs, EPUBs and Word manuscripts on your PC and says, in plain language, what to fix before you send them. You pick a job preset, from business cards to book interiors and paperback covers, and the verdict means the file fits that job. It is a check, not a fix. There is no account and no upload, and files never leave the PC and are never changed.
How do ProofSlip and Acrobat Pro Preflight compare?
| ProofSlip | Acrobat Pro Preflight | |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | One-time purchase in the Microsoft Store, 15-day free trial | Acrobat subscription, or Acrobat Pro 2024 as a one-time purchase with 3 years of access |
| Where it runs | On your PC; no account, no upload | Desktop app |
| Platform | Windows 10 version 2004 or later, Windows 11, x64 and ARM64 | Windows and macOS |
| Fonts, image resolution, color spaces | Yes, plus the plates the file needs | Yes |
| Ink limit, rich black, overprint, transparency, hairlines | Yes | Transparency and ink coverage named by Adobe; other checks through profiles |
| Bleed, safe area, gutter, spine, barcode area | Checked against a job preset | Through profiles and checks you set up |
| Problem shown on the page | Yes, boxed, with trim and safe area drawn in | Yes, Preflight highlights problem objects on the page |
| Fixes files | No, files are never changed | Yes, with fixups |
| PDF/X validation | Not claimed | Yes, and can convert to PDF/X |
| Custom profiles | Job presets; custom profile editing not claimed | Yes, create and edit profiles |
| Batch | Drop several files and export every report at once | Yes, with Action Wizard |
| Report branding | Your name and logo on reports | Not compared here |
| EPUB and Word (.docx) | Yes | Not a Preflight feature |
Sources: Adobe Help on analyzing documents with Preflight, correcting problem areas, Preflight reports, Preflight profiles, Acrobat pricing, and technical requirements, checked 17 October 2026.
The honest summary: Acrobat Pro does far more to a PDF, because it can fix it. ProofSlip answers whether the file fits the job, shows where it does not, covers EPUB and Word files as well, and leaves every file untouched, without a subscription.
What other low-cost preflight options do print shops consider?
| Tool | Price model | Local or upload | Platform | Fixes files | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crosscheck (Prepress OS) | Free for 10 preflights a month; Solo $9 a month or $84 a year; Team $19 a month or $180 a year | Local, no upload | Windows desktop | Not compared here | Custom thresholds come with Solo; checks spot colors; 30-day trial |
| Preflighter | Free beta | Uploads the file to its server, deleted within 24 hours | Browser | No | Shows separations, overprint, and total area coverage |
| ProofSlip | One-time purchase, 15-day free trial | Local, no upload | Windows 10 and 11 | No | Job presets; problems boxed on the page; EPUB and Word checks; branded batch reports |
Sources: Crosscheck, Preflighter vs Acrobat, and the ProofSlip Microsoft Store listing, checked 17 October 2026.
Crosscheck deserves real credit. It is a local Windows app with a free tier of 10 preflights a month, and its paid plans add custom thresholds. If you check only a handful of files a month, the free tier may be all you need. If you need to set your own exact limits rather than pick a job preset, Crosscheck’s custom thresholds are the closer fit. ProofSlip’s case is that it is bought once rather than paid monthly, and that it checks EPUB and Word files too.
Preflighter shows separations, overprint, and total area coverage in the browser, with no install. It uploads the file to its server, where Preflighter says it is deleted within 24 hours. For shops that will not upload client artwork, that rules it out.
Open the last file that caused a reprint and see what the report says.
Get it from Microsoft
What does ProofSlip check?
| In a | ProofSlip checks |
|---|---|
| Any job | Size, bleed, spine, safe area, gutter, page count and color against the job preset |
| Fonts, image resolution, color spaces and plates; text near the trim or gutter, spine text, the barcode area; small text, rich black, hairlines, ink limit, white overprint, transparency, printable comments | |
| EPUB | Package and navigation, broken links, missing alt text, cover and accessibility details |
| Word (.docx) | Page size and margins against your trim, tracked changes, comments, low-resolution images |
| Book details | ISBN check digits, categories and keywords, and the title and ISBN compared with your EPUB |
Source: the ProofSlip Microsoft Store listing, checked 17 October 2026. For background on the PDF checks, see our guides to checking whether fonts are embedded, checking image resolution, checking bleed and trim boxes, RGB vs CMYK in a PDF, and what effective ppi means.
When is ProofSlip the wrong pick?
Choose Acrobat Pro, Crosscheck, or another prepress tool if you need any of these:
- Fixes. ProofSlip never changes a file. It does not embed fonts, convert color, resample images, add bleed, or flatten anything.
- PDF/X validation. ProofSlip does not claim to test PDF/X conformance. Acrobat Pro can validate and convert.
- Your own profiles. ProofSlip works from job presets. If you need to build and edit custom preflight profiles, Acrobat Pro does that, and Crosscheck offers custom thresholds.
- Mac. ProofSlip runs on Windows only.
How do I check a file in ProofSlip?
- Pick the job preset. Business cards, book interiors, paperback covers and so on. The verdict means “fits this job”.
- Drop the files on the window. PDFs, EPUBs or Word manuscripts, one or several.
- Read the findings. Each says in plain language what to fix.
- Select a finding. ProofSlip shows its page with the problem boxed and the trim and safe area drawn in.
- Export the reports. Export every report at once, with your shop’s name and logo. The HTML report shows the boxed pages too. Your original files are never changed.
For the full counter checklist, see our print-ready PDF checklist and how to preflight a PDF without expensive software.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a lower-cost alternative to Acrobat Pro for PDF preflight?
Yes, for checking rather than fixing. ProofSlip is a one-time purchase that checks print PDFs against a job preset on Windows, and checks EPUB and Word files too. Crosscheck has a free tier of 10 preflights a month and paid monthly plans. Neither replaces Acrobat Pro’s fixups.
How do I check if fonts are embedded in a PDF without Acrobat?
Drop the PDF on ProofSlip. Fonts are one of its PDF checks, and a missing font is reported in plain language.
Can I preflight a PDF without uploading it online?
Yes. ProofSlip and Crosscheck both run on your PC. ProofSlip has no account and no upload.
Does a clean result in ProofSlip mean the file will print correctly?
It means the file fits the job preset you picked. Your printer’s spec sheet and a proof have the final word.
Can ProofSlip fix fonts, convert RGB to CMYK, or add bleed?
No. Make changes in the app that made the file, export again, and check the new file. Acrobat Pro’s fixups can convert color.
Can it check rich black, overprint and total ink?
Yes. In a PDF it checks rich black, hairlines, ink limit, white overprint and transparency, along with small text and printable comments.
Does ProofSlip check PDF/X compliance?
It does not claim to validate PDF/X conformance. Use Acrobat Pro or another full preflight tool for that.
Try ProofSlip
ProofSlip is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store, and the Store gives you a 15-day free trial of the full app. Pick a job preset, drop the last file that caused trouble on the window, and click through the findings. See our PDF preflight check for Windows page, or go to the ProofSlip product page.
Try it on a client file during the 15-day free trial.
Get it from Microsoft
Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Inc. Microsoft, Windows and Word are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. Other product names are trademarks of their owners. ProofSlip is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
Last updated 17 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.