ANSWER
Short answer.
Print-ready means the file is approved by your university where required, complete in its final form, and prepared to the printer’s specification. It is not simply the most recent PDF on your laptop.
01 · MANUSCRIPT APPROVAL
What to do after the manuscript is approved.
Follow your university approval process first. At UvA, no changes are allowed after the supervisor-approved final manuscript is submitted, and printing starts after approval and the plagiarism check.
Check which publication details your university still permits after approval: title page, cover, colophon, acknowledgements, ISBN, propositions and layout.
02 · PROOF CHECK
What to check in a thesis proof book.
Check a full-page image, landscape table, chapter openings, page numbers, margins, gutter, cover colours and spine. Check that the title page and colophon match the approved details.
Specialist printers commonly ask for separate PDFs for the interior and cover.
03 · FINAL FILES
Files to save after approving the proof.
Save the final version name, printer specification, copy count, delivery addresses and required deadline. Record which PDF was sent to the library, committee and printer.
Keep the print interior, cover, repository PDF, licence agreement, source files and final printer confirmation in one folder.
SOURCES
Official sources.
Your university’s current regulations, Beadle’s Office and graduate school make the final decision on requirements and ceremony details.
UvA: Completing your PhD programme ↗Ipskamp: thesis FAQ ↗Print&Bind: dissertation printing ↗