Terms of Business
Terms of Business
Our Small Print
Our terms of business have been compiled based on the recommended terms offered by the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. These terms help to ensure that our clients have a full and clear understanding of the process involved in employing Ultimate Proof Ltd’s services.
We particularly draw your attention to our Service Standards (below), as it is important to us that our clients have a realistic understanding of what to expect from using a professional proofreader in terms of quality assurance and liability. Please contact us to discuss any queries you might have about these terms or standards.
SERVICE STANDARDS
(also see Section 9 of our terms)
Quality assurance
Each editor/proofreader working for Ultimate Proof Ltd aims to achieve perfection for every client, no matter how small or large the project; however, there are some limitations to this which the client should be aware of, such as the complexity of the project, the number of tasks required, the number of proof passes allowed, the schedule available, and the client’s budget. Please read 'Standards in Proofreading' on the Chartered Institute for Editing and Proofreading website for more about this.
It is the client’s responsibility to check and approve their project prior to it going to print (the print proofs) – to put it into context, a self-employed proofreader, being paid, for example, £100 to proofread a £10,000 project that has involved various writers, managers, designers and printers, cannot accept any financial liability for the client’s project. We urge clients who are working on high-profile or large print-run projects to allow for sufficient (and numerous) editing and proofreading passes before going to print.
As a small business, we always strive to do the right thing; each client and each job is important to us. But, as we are human,
it is inevitable there will be times – we aim few and far between – when we fall short of our own high standards. When this happens, it is important that we learn from this and recognise where we can do things better. This attitude has enabled Ultimate Proof to become a leading provider of editing and proofreading services, where clients can rely on us to deliver to the highest possible standards.
Liability
Final responsibility for proofreading errors in completed work lies with the client in every case. While we put every measure in place to avoid error, it is conceivable that on occasion we might miss something.
We will do our utmost to pick up every error in a document, but ultimately your text will be read by a human, not a spell checker, who will be using their expertise to check numerous aspects of your text. While we can guarantee that we will add value to your project by eliminating the majority of errors (at least 90%), it is sadly impossible to guarantee we will pick up 100% of errors.
Some jobs, such as well-written and well-edited texts, can be confidently worked on by one proofreader who will pick up 99% of errors. For more complex, time-pressured projects the risk of errors in the copy can be greatly reduced by: using more than one proofreader (tandem proofreading); allowing time and budget for two or more proofreading passes; or giving the proofreader longer to return the work, so enabling them to read the copy several times before returning it. We would also expect to see the copy at least twice, or have time to do two passes if we were asked to copy-edit and proofread the text. Ultimate Proof Ltd and the client should discuss and agree the scope of the contract in this regard prior to starting work.
Should errors be found in the files after we have completed the work, we will respond quickly to our client’s concerns and reproof the text free of charge, but no further liability is acknowledged or accepted. Ultimate Proof Ltd will not be liable to the client for any loss of profits, loss of business or depletion of goodwill which arises out of or in connection with the commissioned work. Please read Our terms of business for more information about this.