Artwork approval that actually holds up
Every sign shop has made the same sign twice. The customer approved something — in an email thread, over the phone, on a version nobody kept — and by the time the mistake surfaces, the vinyl is on the wall. Sign OS makes the approval a record instead of a memory: versioned proofs, signed off page by page, holding production shut until somebody with authority opens it.
Proofs carry versions, and versions do not leak
Every proof you send is a numbered version against the job. When you re-issue after a change, the old one stays on file and the new one starts unapproved — an approval on v1 can never quietly apply to v2. That single rule is the difference between an approval you can rely on and one you merely have.
Each page is reviewed and ticked separately, so a four-page set is four decisions rather than one blanket yes. When somebody later asks what was approved, the answer is a page, a version and a timestamp.
- Numbered proof versions, all kept
- Per-page sign-off — not one yes for the whole set
- An approval on v1 never carries to v2
- Who approved what, and when, on the job forever
The customer signs. No account, no app
Your customer gets a link. They open it on whatever they have, mark up what is wrong with a pen, and sign with a finger or a mouse. There is nothing to install, no password to reset, and no support call because they cannot log in — which is the actual reason approvals stall.
Their markup lands on the job as a version of its own, so the change request and the artwork it refers to stay attached to each other.
- Guest links — no portal login required
- Signed by finger or mouse, on a phone or a desktop
- Customer markup saved against the proof it belongs to
- Works for account customers through the VIP portal too
Approval is a production gate, not a note
An unapproved job does not release to the floor. That is enforced, not advised — the board will not take it. Approve with changes and production still does not open on its own: somebody has to read the notes and release it deliberately, and that decision is recorded with their name against it.
If an approval was given in error, it can be taken back and the job goes back to waiting. Shops need that more often than anyone likes to admit.
- Production gated on a current approval
- “Approved with changes” needs a human to release it
- An approval can be withdrawn, and the job reverts
- Preflight checks on upload, before anyone reviews it
Built for the way an Australian shop actually works
Proofs live on the same job as the quote it came from, the materials bought for it and the invoice that follows — not in a separate approval tool that knows nothing about any of it. Sign OS is built and operated in Australia, priced in AUD from $89 a month with no per-user fees, and every plan starts with a free 30-day trial and no card.
Frequently asked questions
- Does my customer need an account to approve artwork?
- No. They get a guest link that opens in any browser, mark up anything that is wrong, and sign with a finger or a mouse. Account customers can approve inside their VIP portal instead if you would rather keep it there, but nobody is forced to create a login to say yes.
- What stops an approval on one version applying to the next?
- The versions are separate records. Re-issuing a proof creates a new version that starts unapproved, and the previous approval stays attached to the version it was actually given for. There is no way for a v1 sign-off to release a v2 file.
- Can production start before the proof is approved?
- Not by accident. An unapproved job will not release to the floor board. If a proof comes back approved with changes, production still waits until a person reads the notes and releases it, and that release is recorded against their name.
- What if we approve something we should not have?
- You can take the approval back. The job returns to waiting on artwork and the withdrawal is recorded, so the trail shows what happened rather than quietly rewriting itself.