Preparing Print-Ready Packaging Artwork (Checklist)

Print-ready packaging artwork is a file that can go straight to production without anyone having to correct it. It is built on the dieline we supply at full size, set up in CMYK with any Pantone colours named, with fonts outlined, images at 300 dpi at print size, bleed beyond every cut line and each finish on its own layer.

This guide explains each requirement and why it matters, then brings them together in a checklist you can run before sending files. For the bigger picture, from brief to proof, see our packaging artwork guide.

What print-ready means, and why it matters

A file that is almost ready is not ready. Missing bleed, a low-resolution photograph or an RGB logo each mean the file goes back for correction, and every round of correction and re-proofing adds time before production can start. If you are working to a launch or event date, getting the file right first time is the easiest way to protect it.

Print-ready does not mean the design is finished in a creative sense; it means the file is technically sound. We check files for technical suitability, such as resolution, bleed, colour mode and fit to the dieline, and flag anything that needs attention before the proof.

File formats to send

Packaging artwork should be supplied as vector files. Print-ready PDF is preferred because it locks everything in place, but native design files are also suitable.

If all you have is a logo, that is fine. Our team helps prepare print-ready files from it; see the section on this at the end of the guide.

Build it on the right dieline

Every packaging file starts with the dieline for your job. It shows the cut lines, crease lines, glue areas and panels for your exact box, drawn for the board and construction agreed on your quotation. Our guide to what a dieline is explains how to read it.

• Open the dieline at 100% scale and keep it that way.
• Put it on its own top layer, locked, and leave it as a named spot colour that does not print.
• Do not move, resize or redraw any line.
• If something structural needs to change, ask us to update the dieline.

Colour set-up

Set the document to CMYK. Any colours that must be printed as Pantone spot inks should be defined as spot colours and named with their exact Pantone reference, including the C or U suffix. Remove any unused colours from the swatch panel so there is no doubt about what should print.

Key points to get right:

• No RGB. RGB is the colour mode of screens. Convert images and colours to CMYK yourself and check the result, because bright colours can shift. Our guide to why screen colours differ from printed colours explains why.
• Pantone or CMYK, deliberately. Decide which brand colours need spot inks and which can be built from CMYK. See CMYK vs Pantone.
• Black text in 100% black only. Small text built from all four colours can look fuzzy if the colours are fractionally out of register.
• Rich black for large solids. A large area of 100% black alone can look slightly grey. A rich black adds cyan, magenta and yellow for depth. Ask us for the recommended build, and keep the total ink coverage within the limit we advise, commonly around 300%.
• Kraft and white. On kraft board, anything you leave white will show brown. If you need white, it must be specified as a white ink, which may not be available on every process.

Images and resolution

Photographs and other raster images should be 300 dpi at the size they will print. An image that is 300 dpi at 50 mm wide drops to 150 dpi if you enlarge it to 100 mm, and it will print soft. Check the effective resolution in your layout software, not just the original file.

• Use original photographs, not images saved from websites or social media.
• Convert images to CMYK and check them before placing.
• Embed images in PDF and EPS files, or include them with AI files.
• Do not upscale a small image to reach 300 dpi; it adds pixels, not detail.

Logos, text and line work should be vector, not pixels. Our guide to vector vs raster files explains the difference and how to check what you have.

Type and fine detail

Outline all fonts before exporting. It removes the risk of a missing or substituted font changing your layout. Keep an editable master file with live text so you can make changes later.

Sizes that print reliably depend on the board and the process, but typical minimums are:

Go larger on kraft, uncoated and corrugated board, where ink spreads more and texture breaks up fine detail. Thin serifs and hairline rules are the first things to disappear.

Bleed, safe area and glue areas

Extend background colours and images beyond every cut line into the bleed, typically 3 mm on folding cartons. Keep text, logos and barcodes inside the safe area, typically 3–5 mm inside cut and crease lines. The exact values for your box are confirmed on the dieline. Our guide to bleed, trim and safe areas covers typical values by box type.

Leave glue areas clear of ink and lamination where the dieline marks them, and remember that internal cut-outs such as windows need bleed into the aperture as well.

Finish layers

Foil blocking, spot UV and embossing each need their own artwork, because they are applied separately from the ink.

• Put each finish on its own layer, named clearly, for example "Foil gold" or "Spot UV".
• Draw finish artwork as solid vector shapes in a named spot colour at 100%.
• Use no tints, gradients, drop shadows or transparency effects.
• Position each finish exactly over the printed element it relates to.
• Respect the minimum sizes above; fine detail can fill in.

See our pages on foil blocking, spot UV and embossing and debossing for what each finish can and cannot do.

Exporting the file

• Export a print-quality PDF, keeping spot colours as spot colours.
• Do not downsample images below 300 dpi.
• Leave the dieline visible on its own layer so position can be checked.
• Do not add crop marks inside the artwork area; the dieline does that job.
• Name the file clearly with the product, box type and version, for example "Lavender-carton-v3".
• Open the exported PDF and check it at 100% and zoomed in before sending.

Print-ready checklist

What we check, and what you check

When your files arrive, we check them against the dieline for technical suitability: resolution, bleed, colour mode and fit. If something needs fixing, we tell you before the proof. You then receive a digital proof showing the artwork on the dieline, and production does not start until you approve it.

If you only have a logo, send it with your brand colours, the text for each panel and any reference images, and our team helps prepare print-ready files on the dieline. You can include files with your quote request or email them to quotes@customboxez.co.uk.

Common mistakes

Sending RGB files. The conversion to CMYK happens anyway, and bright colours can dull. Convert and check them yourself first.

Images taken from a website. They are made for screens, usually at low resolution, and print soft or pixelated.

No bleed, or bleed only on some edges. Every cut line needs bleed, including windows, notches and handle holes.

Live fonts. A missing font can be substituted without anyone noticing until the proof. Outline everything.

Finishes built as tints or effects. Foil and spot UV need solid shapes at 100% of a named spot colour.

Crop marks inside the artwork. On packaging they are not needed and can end up in the wrong place.

An old dieline. If the size or style changed, the artwork must move to the new dieline.