Proofreading: catching errors before they get expensive

A single spelling error in a headline can ruin an otherwise fine piece of work — and if it reaches print it can cost a full reprint. Proofreading is therefore not a tedious formality at the end but a fixed part of professional craftsmanship. It is about catching errors while they are still free to correct.

§What do you proofread?

• 01Stavning, tegnsætning og grammatik i al synlig tekst.
• 02Numbers, dates, prices, phone numbers, and web addresses — they are easy to type wrong.
• 03Names of people, companies and products that must be spelled correctly.
• 04Word division, excess spacing and text that has been cut off.
• 05The final text matching the approved text — not an old version.

§Why is it hard to see your own mistakes?

When you've written or set the text yourself, your brain reads what you meant to write—not what's actually there. That's why you easily miss your own errors. It's not a sign of sloppiness, but of how reading works. The most important countermeasure is having another person proofread, and letting the text rest before you read through it again yourself.

§Proofreading marks

To make corrections unambiguous a common set of proofreading marks is used — standardised markings in the text itself and an accompanying note in the margin. This means whoever is correcting understands precisely what should happen: delete insert swap break to new line or leave as is. A common sign language removes doubt about what a comment means.

§A fixed proofreading method

• 01Læs én ting ad gangen: først indhold, så stavning, så tal og fakta.
• 02Læs langsommere end normalt — gerne ord for ord ved kritiske steder som overskrifter.
• 03Mark corrections clearly and together so nothing is forgotten along the way.
• 04Check crane and gear for damage before work resumes

§Approval as a safety net

Proofreading ends with documented customer approval. Once the customer has approved the final text in writing, it is clear what went into production and who had responsibility for what. This protects both you and the customer if there is later doubt about an error.