: An error in printed book is my fault: what do I do? I designed a kids' activity book for my client. She handwrote all the text correctly and I typed a sentence out incorrectly. She approved

@Vandalay110

This depends on your contract with said client. It also somewhat depends on the situation and size of error. But in general: NO, if you provided a proof and gave a review and client says send to print then the client has signed the document off. They have approved, and that person takes responsibility.

There is a extremely high chance of error in any moderately sized document. Even professional copy editors can not guarantee error free results. Let alone spot errors incurred when the document was transcribed, it incurs doubling of chances for error.

The reviewer is responsible

The purpose of giving out a document for review is for the reviewer to check for errors. Therefore the reviewer is responsible  for their failure to review. If theres no binding consequences for reviewing then there is a chance that the reviewer lest a n error slide only to ask for a rebate later. Even in the case where its clear that its not in clients interests to cheat its still the responsibility of the reviewer.

Your contract should state this as a fact. It is sad but most people do not take this kind of responsibility seriously. Once its sent for manufacturing its done with, no editing. Bills have to be paid for etc. Be sure to remind your clients of this.

Your liability

You are responsible to a part but you should be shielded because it would make it impossible for you to operate under the assumption of perfect. However there are situations that might make you liable.

You are at fault when:


Client notified you of the problem you failed to address the problem.
For some reason versions got mixed up so that the error popped back to existence.


In other cases you should exercise your judgement.

In future

Hire a external editor to handle the checking. Personally i would never ever transcribe the text myself, i would send it out to somebody else or have the client transcribe it themselves.

Update your base contract template now if you do not have a stipulation in your contract already.

Also take the advice of @go -me: Never type stuff. People get so upset about typos and they are nearly impossible to wean out. Only very few persons can actually spot all errors, beforehand. And it is very expensive to have error free stuff.

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@Turnbaugh909

If the client was provided a proof, he/she signed off on that proof, and the error was missed by the client, it is the client's responsibility.

However, you should have written approval before anything went to production. If you have that. You need not do anything or feel any obligation to address the matter financially.

This is the cold, hard truth. It's the client's responsibility to make certain everything is correct with respect to content. If you had received the copy from a copy editor, the error existed, and the client approved the proof would you feel responsible at all? Of course not. It just so happens that in this instance you were the typist.

The reality is, as a designer, you are going to have to "type stuff" from time to time. It just can not be avoided 100% of the time. But that is what client proofs are for.

Now.... all that being written ... we are all human and errors happen. I would never pay for any form of production, be it a rerun or labels. And similarly I'd never offer a full refund. However, if I wanted to keep the client and try and make up for the error in some way, depending on my return for the job, I may offer a small discount on my services but only to try and keep the client happy, not because I felt obligated to. If I already wasn't making any money on the job, I'd not offer anything. If she wasn't happy with that, then you may just have to write off the error (and the client) as a learning experience.

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@Debbie163

It's her responsibility.

That's why you provide proofs that she can freely take as long as she wants to review. A good trick is to make them write by email that they approve the proof. You ask it this way before sending the final print-ready file: "So, is this approved or do you need any more revisions?" She'll respond a Yes, or No. You got your approval and that's enough for you.

If she's a long time client or there's potential for more projects with her, you can offer her a rebate on the next job.

Also, make sure to add a line of text on your proof: Please review this proof carefully, the designer is not responsible for any mistake or omission, etc.

But one thing I strongly suggest: Do not ever type words.

Copy and paste them. It's so easy to make a typo and not see it, and amazingly these mistakes are often made in the titles because people just don't read them at some point! If the text is handwritten, you can type it and have her review it in plain text first. In any way, whenever you add texts yourself, specify to the client she/he must review it, that it was NOT proofread... or pay someone for this and charge the client. You're a designer, not an editor.

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