What is ProofSlip?
ProofSlip is a Windows app that checks a PDF for print on your PC and gives a one-page PASS or FAIL report on its embedded fonts, page size, trim and bleed boxes, color spaces, and effective image resolution. It never writes to the original, and nothing uploads.
What makes a file FAIL?
Four things: a font that paints visible text is not embedded, a color or grayscale image is placed below 150 ppi, a 1-bit image is below 300 ppi, or content on a page cannot be read. Everything else is a WARN or an INFO note, and warnings never fail the file.
Does a PASS mean the file will print as intended?
No. A PASS means no failing finding. RGB color and thin or missing bleed are warnings, so a typical office export can pass; read them. ProofSlip does not render pages, so it cannot see artwork that stops short of the bleed or text too close to the trim. Your printer’s spec sheet has the final word.
Can I change the limits, such as requiring 300 ppi?
Not in this version. The limits are fixed: 150 and 300 ppi for color and grayscale images, 300 and 600 ppi for 1-bit images, and 3 mm of bleed. Compare them with your printer’s spec sheet, and where it is stricter, treat the matching warnings as failures for that job.
Will it fix or convert my file?
No. ProofSlip is a check, not a fix. It does not embed fonts, convert color, resample images, add bleed or flatten anything. Make changes in the app that made the PDF, export again, and open the new file in ProofSlip to check it.
Does it check PDF/X?
It shows the PDF/X version the file declares and any output intent, with the statement that it reports the declaration and does not validate it. ProofSlip does not test PDF/X conformance.
What does the report look like?
Two formats, both saved as new files. The PDF report is one page, Letter or A4 to match the file, with the verdict, findings, pages, fonts, images and color; long lists end with a line pointing to the HTML report. The HTML report is one self-contained file with the full lists, no scripts and no external links.
Will it change my original PDF?
No. The PDF is opened read-only and never written. Reports are new files with suggested names such as brochure-proofslip.pdf, and ProofSlip refuses to save a report over the PDF being checked.
Does anything leave my PC?
No. ProofSlip runs in a Windows app container that declares no network capability. There is no account and no telemetry. It reads only the PDF you pick and writes only the report you save.
Can it open password-protected PDFs?
A file that needs a password to open is refused with a message naming the file. A file protected only against editing opens read-only, and the report notes that it is encrypted.
Can it check several files at once?
No. ProofSlip checks one PDF at a time. The Recent list keeps the last 20 files you opened, so you can go back to one without searching for it again.
What does it cost, and is there a trial?
ProofSlip is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store, and the listing shows the current price in your currency. The Store gives you a 15-day free trial of the full app, so you can check your own files before you buy. There is no subscription.
What Windows version do I need?
Windows 10 version 2004 or later, or Windows 11, on an x64 or ARM64 PC. The Microsoft Store installs everything it needs, and the app and its reports are in English.
