What is online proofing?

Online proofing is the practice of reviewing creative work in a shared digital space rather than passing files and comments back and forth over email. The work, the feedback, and the version history all sit in one place, which removes the confusion of conflicting email threads.

The defining feature of proofing is positional feedback. A reviewer drops a comment pin on the exact spot it refers to, rather than describing it in prose, so the designer knows precisely what to change. Threaded replies keep a discussion attached to each pin.

Version comparison is the other core feature. A team can place two versions side by side to see what changed, and a version can be locked once it is approved so no further edits slip in. Clear states, such as unresolved and resolved feedback, keep everyone aligned on what is left to do. This matters most on work that goes through several rounds, where it is easy to lose track of which note has been actioned and which is still open.

Cohiva Campaign provides a versioned proofing canvas for images, PDFs, video, and documents. Reviewers drop positional annotation pins with threaded replies, unresolved pins show one colour and resolved pins another, and external guests can proof through a shareable link without an account. Approved proofs feed the approval chain and the compliance gate that sits before go-live.

The quiet benefit of online proofing is the record it leaves. Every comment, every reply, and every resolution stays attached to the version it belongs to, so months later a team can see not only that a piece was approved but what was raised and how it was addressed along the way. In a regulated setting that history matters, because the question is rarely just whether the work was signed off, but whether the right concerns were surfaced and resolved before it went out.

Start a free trial of Cohiva Campaign to put a non-bypassable go-live gate behind every launch.