The jacket you see on your book will not look quite the same as the proof you have received from your publisher, designer or printer.

It is most likely that your proof will have been generated using a laser printer, whereas your book jacket will have been produced on a litho press.

While the data used to generate the output - your pdf or artwork file - are identical, the paper and inks used in each process are completely different, and the chances of a perfect match between the two are slim.

If colour accuracy is important to you, where skin tones are an important ingredient of the image for example, we strongly recommend allocating some of your budget to paying for the production of a wet proof, which is made with the same materials used to produce the finished job.

Any varnish or lamination applied to the jacket after printing will also alter the look of the result, with glossy finishes tending to intensify colours and increase contrast, and matt finishes having the opposite effect.