✔ Available (with limits) on all per-user subscriptions

What
Manage items (client work or internal) through the review and approval process, with collaborative feedback and annotation.
Why
  • Contribute to the proofing process by leaving feedback and reviewing or approving files when invited.
  • Take a collaborative approach to document approval with inline communication and annotation.
Who
Invited participants with either of the following permissions:
  • Can review (allows the person to view the proof & associated versions and leave comments)
  • Can approve (allows the person to view the proof & associated versions, leave comments, and approve the proof)
📝 Internal reviewers and approvers (aka Teamwork.com users) can see all internal and external reviewer & approver comments as well as approvers' decisions (pending, needs changes, or approved).
When
As an invited reviewer, you want to review a proof file.
  • Accept your invite to view the proof, then leave feedback comments on the file where necessary. Depending on your invite level, you may also be able to request changes and approve the proof.
As a project manager, you need to interact with and gather feedback from clients or internal stakeholders.
  • Use comments to communicate with them throughout the approval process.
What
Manage items (client work or internal) through the review and approval process, with collaborative feedback and annotation.
Why
  • Contribute to the proofing process by leaving feedback and reviewing or approving files when invited.
  • Take a collaborative approach to document approval with inline communication and annotation.
Who
Invited participants with either of the following permissions:
  • Can review (allows the person to view the proof & associated versions and leave comments)
  • Can approve (allows the person to view the proof & associated versions and leave comments, and approve the proof)
📝 Internal reviewers and approvers (aka Teamwork.com users) can see all internal and external reviewer & approver comments as well as approvers' decisions (pending, needs changes, or approved).
When
An invited reviewer, you want to review a proof file.
  • Accept your invite to view the proof, then leave feedback comments on the file where necessary. Depending on your invite level, you may also be able to request changes and approve the proof.
As a project manager, you need to interact with and gather feedback from clients or internal stakeholders.
  • Use comments to communicate with them throughout the approval process.
🎓 Learn in-app
Have a Teamwork.com user license? See how proofs work directly in the product.

Proofs explained

At its core, Proofs allows users to manage a proof's entire lifecycle from creation to revision to final client approval.

Proofs are created in Teamwork.com and key stakeholders (internal team members or external clients) are invited to review or approve. 

The review and approval process takes place in the dedicated proofing tool.
  • Invited reviewers and approvers (both internal people and external clients) do not need a Teamwork.com user account to participate in the proof review and approval process. You'll receive an invite email with direct access to the proofing tool.

View a proof

Teamwork.com sends you an email when someone invites you to review or approve a proof. Clicking the View proof link grants you direct access to the dedicated proofing tool.

  1. Click View proof in the email invite to open the proofing tool.
    • Teamwork.com users (admins and standard users) can also access proofs from the Proofs area in Teamwork.com.
  2. Explore the proof's details and proofing options:
    Proof details
    Proof name, creator, creation date & time.
    • File: Associated file's name and size.
    • Link: Visit the linked file (Image Placeholder).
    Proof
    Preview area displaying the file.
    Version history
    		Displays the proof's current version number, along with the total number of versions. Click the version count to switch between them.
    Toolbar
    Image Placeholder
    • Comment
    • Annotations (shape or draw)
    • Zoom
    • Actual size (toggle to fit the proof within the window)
    • Hide annotations
    • Download
    📝 Fit to screen & download are not available for link proofs.
    Feedback panel
    Shows any comments added to the proof version being viewed.
    Proof details
    Proof name, creator, creation date & time.
    • File: Associated file's name and size.
    • Link: Visit the linked file (Image Placeholder).
    Proof
    Preview area displaying the file.
    Version history
    		Displays the proof's current version number, along with the total number of versions. Click the version count to switch between them.
    Toolbar
    Image Placeholder
    • Comment
    • Annotations (shape or draw)
    • Zoom
    • Actual size (toggle to fit the proof within the window)
    • Hide annotations
    • Download
    📝 Fit to screen & download are not available for link proofs.
    Feedback panel
    Shows any comments added to the proof version being viewed.


Review a proof

Teamwork.com sends you an email when someone invites you to review a proof. Clicking the View proof link grants you direct access to the proofing tool where you can add feedback through annotation and comments.
 

Annotate a proof

Add annotations to file proofs using the floating toolbar (options outlined below).




Annotation

Description
Shape
Image Placeholder
Add a shape directly on the proof.
  1. Select the shape icon.
  2. Choose a shape (ellipse, rectangle, arrow, line).
  3. Pick a color.
  4. Set the shape's opacity.
  5. Set the shape's weight.
  6. Click and drag your cursor on the area of the proof you want to annotate.
  7. Add a corresponding comment and click Save.
Draw
Image Placeholder
Draw freehand on the proof.
  1. Select the brush icon.
  2. Pick a color.
  3. Set the brush's opacity.
  4. Set the brush's weight.
  5. Click and drag your cursor on the area of the proof you want to annotate.
  6. Add a corresponding comment and click Save.

The annotation and corresponding comment are added to the proof and a notification is sent to the proof's creator.

💡 Hide a proof's existing annotations by clicking the hide annotations (Image Placeholder) button. 

Add a comment (without annotation)

  1. Open the proof invitation email and click View proof.
    • Teamwork.com users (admins and standard users) can also access proofs by clicking the proof's name in the Proofs area in Teamwork.com.
  2. For a File proof: Select the comment icon in the floating toolbar.
    1. Click your cursor on a specific area of the proof to add a contextual comment.
    2. Type your comment and click Comment.
  3. For a Link proof: Type your comment in the comment box in the proof window's bottom right, then click Save.

The comment is added to the proof and a notification is sent to the proof's creator.
 

Reply to existing comments

  1. Click an existing comment in the feedback panel.
  2. Type your reply.
  3. Click Reply.

The comment reply is added to the proof and a notification is sent to the person you replied to and to the proof's creator.
💡 File proofs display numbers directly on the file preview associated with contextual comments and drawings.


Request changes to a proof

Teamwork.com sends you an email when someone invites you to approve a proof (or a new proof version).

Clicking the View proof link grants you direct access to the dedicated proofing tool where you can review the proof (discussed in the previous section) and request changes to it.

  1. Open the proof invitation email and click View proof.
    • Teamwork.com users (admins and standard users) can also access proofs from the Proofs area in Teamwork.com.
  2. Click Needs changes in the proof's top right.

    Image Placeholder

  3. Add your comment detailing what needs to be changed.
  4. Click Submit request.

    Image Placeholder

The Approve and Needs changes buttons in the proofing tool are disabled until the requested changes are implemented (i.e. the proof creator uploads a new version of the proof).

The proof status updates to Needs changes and a notification is sent to the proof's creator. The creator can action your changes and upload a new proof version for your subsequent review and approval.

Approve a proof

Teamwork.com sends you an email when someone invites you to approve a proof (or a new proof version).

Clicking the View proof link grants you direct access to the dedicated proofing tool where you can review the proof and request changes to it (discussed in the previous sections) and give your final approval.
⚠️ A proof is not considered approved until all invited approvers have signed off.

  1. Open the proof invitation email and click View proof.
    • Teamwork.com users (admins and standard users) can also access proofs from the Proofs area in Teamwork.com.
  2. Click Approve in the proof's top right.


     
  3. Add any final feedback comments.

    Image Placeholder
     
  4. Click Submit approval.

The proof creator receives a notification confirming an approver's approval. The proof's status updates to Approved once all invited approvers have signed off on it. At that point, the creator receives an additional "final approval" notification.

Teamwork.com users can also check a proof's approval decisions from the proofing tool. We'll discuss that in the next section.
 

View a proof's approval decisions

Internal reviewers and approvers (aka Teamwork.com users) can view a proof's approval decisions directly in the proofing tool.

An Approvers section is displayed at the top of the comments panel with the proof's approval due date. Each approver is listed with their current approval status: Pending, Needs changes, or Approved.
  • Approvers' comments included with their requests for changes or final approval are also shown.
📝 A proof's approval status only changes to Approved once all its approvers give their individual approval.

Image Placeholder
 
💡 Proof notifications are sent to a proof's creator when each individual approver approves or requests changes. A final approval notification is sent to the creator once all approvers have approved.


Best practices

  • Keep it contextual: Use annotation to add contextual feedback to specific aspects of an file asset. Reminder: Annotations are supported only in file proofs, not link proofs.
  • Collaborate and iterate: As an approver, request specific changes where necessary so that the proof's creator can iterate and provide additional versions.
  • Iterate through versioning: As the proof creator, action approvers' requested changes then upload a new version of the proof for subsequent review.