Consumer printing laws

[remi13]

I have just taken receipt of a business card that we designed and there is a mistake on it. It turns out we had made a mistake on the disk that we gave the printers but when we asked for a proof we were told that we didn't need one as it was spot on. Now they want us to pay £400 for a reprint plus VAT even though they failed to provide us with a proof which would have meant that we would have spotted the mistake. Where do we stand legally?

[joko]

i dont think they are obliged to provide you with a proof. the onus is on you to check and double check the document before submitting

what do you you imagine you could have spotted on a proof that you couldnt see on the original disk?

the mistake is visible on both

[buildersmate]

Yes, the purpose of a proof is to check the quality of the content, not the content itself.

[ummmm]

We always had a proof....

[snags]

I'm a graphic designer and have been in this situation before. You made a mistake on the original artwork but the printer didn't provide a proof (a standard procedure) even though you asked for one. The outcome, in my experience, depends on what kind of relationship you have with the printer: are you regular clients? Can you use this fact as leverage (the promise of future work etc.) to either get a reduction on the reprint or to possibly split the cost? Either way you'll have to pay something as it isn't totally the printer's fault...