Packaging projects often lose a week or more between the first file and the first sample. Much of that time is the printer asking for things that could have been in the first email: the size, the board, a dieline, a vector file.
Here is the full handoff, in order, with what to include at each step and what to check when the proof comes back.
Before you start: what to have ready
- The product itself, or accurate measurements of it.
- Your brand assets as vector files: logo, typefaces, colour references.
- Any required text: product name, ingredients, warnings, barcode, contact details.
- A rough quantity and a date you need the packs by.
- A list of the suppliers you want quotes from.
Having these in one folder before you contact anyone makes every later step faster. It also means you can answer a supplier's questions the same day.
1. Agree the format and size first
Before artwork, confirm format, internal dimensions, material and print sides with the supplier. Ask for their dieline for that exact spec, or send yours and ask them to confirm it matches their board. Fold allowances change with board thickness, so a dieline drawn for one board may not fit another.
Ask the same questions of every supplier you approach: which board they recommend for your product, whether they offer the format as a stock size, what bleed and safe margin they want, and which file format they prefer. Write the answers down. Small differences between suppliers (one wants 3 mm bleed, another more) are easy to miss and cause most first-round corrections.
If you are not sure what to ask for, read what is a packaging spec sheet first.
2. Place artwork on the dieline
Work in a vector tool at 100 percent scale. Put the dieline on its own layer named Dieline, set as a spot colour that does not print. Extend backgrounds to the bleed (usually 3 mm). Keep text in the safe area and off folds and glue flaps. Convert text to outlines or embed fonts, so nothing changes when the printer opens the file.
Check panel orientation as you go. Some panels sit upside down on the flat dieline, and an upside-down front is one of the most common proof corrections.
3. Check images and colour
- Raster images at 300 dpi at final size. Scaling a small image up does not add detail.
- Colour mode CMYK, plus named Pantone references if you use spot colours.
- Rich black for large black areas (for example C60 M40 Y40 K100), not plain K, unless your printer specifies otherwise. Keep small black text as plain K so it stays sharp.
- Avoid very thin lines, roughly under 0.25 pt, as they may not print cleanly.
Ask your printer for their preferred settings. Many will send a short spec sheet of their own.
4. Export the right files
- The artwork PDF on the dieline (PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 are common choices) with the dieline layer included and bleed.
- The dieline alone, at 1:1 scale.
- A 3D render or mockup, so prepress understands the intent.
- A spec sheet listing format, dimensions, material, print sides, finish and quantity.
Name files clearly with the product, format and version, for example candle-mailer-203x152x76-v2.pdf, so nobody prints an old version by mistake.
5. Write the email
Subject: Artwork for quote, [product] [format] [dimensions].
Body: list the attached files, repeat the spec in four lines, state the quantity options, ask for a digital proof and a physical sample, and give your deadline. Suppliers can respond faster to a complete brief than to an open question.
End with two direct questions: does the dieline match your board, and is there anything in the files you need changed? That invites corrections now rather than after the proof.
A sample email you can adapt
Subject: Artwork for quote, candle gift box, mailer 203 x 152 x 76 mm
Hi,
I would like a quote for the mailer box below. Files are attached.
- Format: mailer box, roll-end tuck front
- Internal size: 203 x 152 x 76 mm
- Material: E-flute corrugated, white outer
- Print: outside only, CMYK, matte coating
Please quote 500, 1,000 and 2,500 units, including a printed sample. I need delivery to Melbourne by 15 March.
Attached: artwork PDF on the dieline, the dieline at 1:1 scale, 3D renders and a spec sheet.
Could you confirm the dieline matches your board, and let me know if anything in the files needs changing?
Thanks,
[Name]
Swap in your own details. The structure matters more than the wording: spec, quantities, deadline, files, questions.
6. Review the proof properly
Check the proof against your file for:
- panel orientation (is the front the front)
- text clipping at the safe area
- barcode placement
- colour shifts
- any element the supplier moved or resized
Print the proof at 100 percent and fold it if you can. Approve in writing with the proof version number.
Remember that a screen proof cannot show true colour. Screens are lit from behind and print is not, so a printed colour will rarely match your monitor exactly. If colour accuracy matters (a brand colour on the main panel, say), ask for a printed proof or a printed sample on the actual board before you approve.
Read every word again at this stage, even if you have read it before. Proofs are the last cheap moment to catch a typo, a wrong weight or an out-of-date address.
7. Approve the sample
A white sample (unprinted) checks fit and construction. A printed sample checks colour and finish. Put your product in it. Close it, open it, ship it to yourself if you can. Only then release the full run.
Keep the approved sample. When the production run arrives, compare a few boxes from different cartons against it. If something is off, the approved sample and your signed proof are what you and the supplier check against.
Common reasons files bounce back
- No bleed, or bleed set on the document but not on the artwork.
- Text or barcodes too close to a cut, fold or seam.
- Images below 300 dpi at final size.
- RGB images or unnamed spot colours.
- Fonts missing because they were neither outlined nor embedded.
- The dieline printing because it was not set as a non-printing spot colour.
- Artwork built on a dieline for a different size or board.
Run through this list yourself before you hit send and you will avoid most first-round corrections.
When the printer asks for changes
Prepress teams change files for good reasons: a slightly different fold allowance for their board, a colour adjustment for their press, a barcode moved off a seam. Ask them to list every change they made, check each one against your design, and update your own master file so the next order starts from the corrected version. If you are working with a client or a co-founder, get their sign-off on the changed proof, not the original.
Shortcut
Packaroo's spec pack covers steps 2 to 4 in a single download: the artwork on the dieline as a PDF, the dieline at 1:1 scale with cut and crease lines, 3D renders from four angles, a specification sheet, a prepress report, CMYK artwork files a printer can edit, and a separate plate per foil or spot gloss finish when the design uses one. You attach it to your own email and send it to whichever suppliers you choose.
For sign-off, Pro adds unlimited share links, comments and approvals. You can start on the free plan. A spec pack is A$15 one-time when you export.