HSH Design
Proof System vs Printavo

A Printavo alternative for shops that just want proofing done right.

Printavo is real shop-management software with a mature toolset behind it. The gap is where artwork approval actually sits: not on the plan most shops start on. Proof System puts it in the first paid rung — unlimited, white-labelled, from $12 a month, with a free plan to run it on real jobs first.

The comparison

Sourced, not guessed
FeatureProof SystemPrintavo
Starting price with artwork approval included$12 / month (Proofing)$244 / month (Standard — Lite has no approvals at all)
Free planYes — forever, real jobs, no cardNo — 7-day trial, no credit card needed to start it
Customer needs a login to approveNo — opens from a linkNo — opens from the public invoice link
Markup on the artwork itselfPins, drawing and notes, on the proofEnlarge and approve — no drawing tool in their own documentation
White-labelled for your shopFrom $12 / monthNot stated anywhere on their pricing page
Client portal — customer submits new jobsEvery plan, including FreeNot listed as a feature
Job board / work-in-progress trackingEvery plan, including FreeYes, from Lite ($109/mo)
Quotes and invoicingFrom $19 / monthIncluded from Lite; quote approvals still need Standard
Scroll the table sideways →

Printavo figures from printavo.com/pricing, checked 25 Aug 2026. Printavo is a trademark of its own owner; nothing here is affiliated with or endorsed by them.

The number that matters most: if what you actually want is your customer approving artwork from their phone with no login, that costs $244 a month on Printavo and $12 a month here — and ours includes it from day one, not as an upsell three tiers up.

Where Printavo genuinely wins

Phone support is on every plan, not gated behind a top tier. Their automation count climbs with the plan — up to 30 on Premium, expandable further — which is more workflow automation than Proof System offers today. And Printavo Merch, their fulfilment marketplace, is a real thing to plug into if that is part of how a shop operates; nothing here replaces it.

If a shop is already comparing pricing matrices, a sales pipeline and a product catalog against what Proof System offers, Printavo's Standard and Premium tiers are built for exactly that scope, and cost accordingly.

Why shops switch anyway

Most of what a print shop actually needs from software is the proof getting approved without a phone call, and the invoice going out without re-typing anything. Printavo makes you pay $244 a month to get both of those in one place — the artwork approval that started this comparison is not on the $109 Lite plan at all. Proof System's whole ladder tops out at $29, and the rung most shops actually run on is $19.

The other difference is what happens before day one. Printavo gives you 7 days to decide. Proof System's free plan has no clock — 20 active jobs and 5 proofed a month, for as long as it takes to know whether it fits, on your own real work rather than a trial account.

What your customer actually sees

See it on your own jobs, not a demo account.

Free plan, no card, no trial clock — start on a real job today.

Start free