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• First, proof the main text.  Then start over and proof the headings.  Headings are missed, because they are generally relegated to something not as important as the main text.
• Triple-check unusual fonts: italic, bold or otherwise.
• Carefully proof type in very tiny font.
• Triple-check boilerplate text, such as company letterhead.  Frequently used text doesn't mean it's been carefully checked.
• Triple-check the itty-bitty words: "is," "it," "or," and "of" are often interchanged.
• Triple-check proper names.
• Whenever you're sure something is correct--double-check it; certainty is fatal.
• Carefully review page numbers and other header and footer text for accuracy and proper order.

        Content Editing or Editing for Content

• When proofing written procedures, actually do them (sometimes mentally) to be certain they are accurate, complete, and in the correct order.
• Check that illustrations, pictographs, and models are right-side up.
• Check that figure numbers match their references in the text and are sequential.

        Proofreading Preparation-H(elper)

• Reading something between edits will erase what you expect to read so that you will see what is really on the page.
• As you edit, make a list of things to watch for--a "to do" list.

        Finally, if you are working on writing that is intended for foreign distribution and translation, you might want to keep in mind that what reads well still may not translate well.  Here are some parting examples:

        Coors put its slogan, "Turn It Loose," into Spanish, where it was read as "Suffer From Diarrhea."

        The Dairy Association's huge success with the campaign "Got Milk?" prompted them to expand advertising to Mexico. It was soon brought to their attention the Spanish translation read "Are you lactating?"

        And my personal favorite:

        Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign:  "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux."