Pass for press
PublishingThe formal approval given on final proofs: the text goes to print as is, under the signer's responsibility.
Example
"Passed for press, March 12" scrawled on page one: the book no longer belongs to its author but to the presses.
The pass for press (French: bon à tirer, BAT) is the formal approval — traditionally a signed mention on final proofs — by which the author or publisher authorizes printing the text as is. It's a legal act as much as a technical one: after sign-off, any remaining error is deemed accepted, and any change incurs reprinting costs.
For the author it's the psychological moment of truth: the text definitively stops being editable — the typo spotted the next morning will wait for the reprint. Hence the sign-off reading rituals: aloud, backwards, with fresh eyes. The term spread beyond publishing: designers and printers get sign-offs for any document, from invitations to packaging.
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