What belongs in a design handover

Agree what the package contains

Before the final invoice or approval, confirm which files the design agreement includes. A print-ready PDF and an editable layout project serve different purposes. Receiving one does not automatically mean the other is part of the delivery. Make the distinction while there is time to resolve missing items.

List the required outputs by use: interior print PDF, cover print PDF, ebook, cover images for the web and editable source files where agreed. Record dimensions or specifications for each. A file called “cover final” is difficult to interpret later if it contains a paperback wrap when you need a front-cover image.

Preserve dependencies and rights information

An editable layout may depend on linked images, fonts and other resources. Ask for a packaged project or an equivalent organised handover appropriate to the software. Confirm how fonts should be obtained and used; a designer's ability to use a font does not necessarily give every recipient a transferable licence.

Keep image permissions and any restrictions with the project records. The purpose is to make future use understandable, not merely to fill an archive folder. If an image may be used on the cover but has a different restriction for advertising, that distinction matters to the next person preparing assets.

Open the delivery before accepting it

Download the package to a location you control and inspect the files. Open representative PDFs and images, confirm that the editable project is the expected format and check for missing links or unavailable dependencies where your software allows. A successful download is not the same as a usable handover.

Ask for a brief note identifying the software version, the approved outputs and any unresolved limitations. Keep the final corrections list with that note. This makes it easier to distinguish an intentional production choice from a forgotten issue months later.

Store the accepted package alongside a separate backup. Preserve the supplied structure until you understand how the files relate, and make revisions in a copy rather than overwriting the handover. When the book needs a reprint, a new format or a corrected page, the archive should explain where to begin without reconstructing the whole project.