How to get packaging printed exactly as designed
The most expensive packaging mistakes happen between the approved design and the printing press. Here is the checklist we use with every producer.
- Design for the material and the press from day one.
- Approve colour on a physical proof, not on a screen.
- Be at the press check for the first run.
Know the material before the first sketch
Carton, film, glass and metal take ink differently. Kraft paper darkens colours, metallic film changes whites. We choose the material and the print method together with the producer before design starts.
Define colour in numbers
Every brand colour needs CMYK and Pantone values and a target on the actual substrate. "The red from our logo" is not a specification.
Prepare files the printer can trust
Correct dieline, bleed, overprint, white underprint, barcode size and minimum text size for legal information. Most delays come from files that look fine on screen and fail at prepress.
- Dieline from the converter, not from a template
- 3 mm bleed and safe zone on every panel
- White underprint and varnish on separate layers
- Barcode at 100% size, tested with a scanner
- Legal text at the minimum size your market requires
Approve on a physical proof
A calibrated proof or a press proof on the real material is the only safe approval. Screens and office printers lie about colour.
Screens and office printers lie about colour. Paper does not.
Be there for the first run
A press check on the first run costs a morning and can save the whole print run. We stay with the printer until colour, register and finishes match the approved proof.
Questions
Do you work with our printer?
Yes. We prepare files to your printer’s specification or recommend printers we trust.