The final stage of proofing is a set of the new issues which are otherwise identical to the end product, but unbound. Seeing this picture, you can really appreciate how much the binding process compresses the contents!
Left - A finished copy of issue 7. Right - An unbound copy of issue 8.
Speaking of the contents, below is a direct comparison between our white paper & font so far (top) and our new font and more textured, lightly golden paper (below).
This year the final, unbound proofs included a copy of the double-sided poster all physical tier backers are receiving, so I was able to put both sides BEside each other:
A proper frame will eventually happen but for now, scotch tape.
Only at this stage do the covers have a gloss applied, and boy do we love how they make the colors pop!
This lightning bolt through our logo on the cover of issue 10 is quite pleasing.
Blessedly everything looks okay! I say "blessedly" because by this point the printing process has BEGUN and so asking for any changes is very disruptive and costly.
This update is being kept brief because, well, I GOT MARRIED THIS WEEK and am leaving for our honeymoon on Sunday night. AHHHH, so much to do before we leave...
So updates might be slow for a bit, but honestly we're at the point now where I've signed off on everything and can only pray the shipping gods smile down on us. I'll provide an update if there are any significant delays, however for now it looks like we should be able to begin fulfillment some in late November.
