Oy. On Monday I approved digital proofs of 4 Stitchling patterns sent by the printer that prints our leaflets. This is the first time I’m relying on digital proofs. In the past, I’ve gone in and looked at them, touched them, tasted them. (Okay, only 2 of those are true.) Digital proofs are necessary unless I want to buy an airline ticket to the east coast or wait for snail-mail delivery of them. I decided to go digital.

I’m scared. First of all, digital color is a crap shoot. The proofs look very different on different monitors, so I have only a vague notion what I’m getting in the way of color. Past experience with this printer has been good, though, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Then there is the issue of my errors. Anyone who publishes/prints anything knows what I’m talking about. And those of you who don’t publish or print, but notice typos and other errors in things you read should have some inkling. Stuff happens. I can proof and proof and proof and still miss things.

This morning I woke up in a panic wondering if I’d changed the heading for the one pattern that uses DMC floss instead of Presencia. I drummed my fingers and my heart thudded while I waited for the dial-up connection to my email so I could check the proofs again. Whew–the heading is right on the pattern that uses DMC.

Who knows where I’ll be when the next panic attack hits. Did I put periods at the end of each specialty stitch description? Did I type our URL right? Hey, I once printed my phone number wrong! I’m telling you, stuff happens. And even if the spelling is right and the symbols are right, there’s still the color mystery. Always the color mystery.

But it’s too late now. I approved the proofs and I’m fairly certain the work has begun. Nothing to do but worry and tremble until the package arrives, and as with my proofing, I will do that thoroughly and repeatedly.