Packaging artwork has two kinds of content and they have completely different resolution rules. Anything made of pixels needs enough of them at the final printed size. Anything made of paths does not need any, because it is drawn mathematically. Most artwork problems come from treating a logo as if it were a photo.
The number for raster images
300 ppi at final size is the working standard for packaging photography. The phrase at final size is the part that matters. A 3000 pixel wide image is 300 ppi when printed 10 in wide and 150 ppi when stretched to 20 in. Check the effective resolution in your layout application, not the resolution in the file properties, because scaling in the layout changes it.
Line art scanned as a bitmap is a different case and wants far more, commonly 1200 ppi, because a one bit image has no intermediate tones to hide a stair stepped edge.
What should never be raster
| Asset | Supply as | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Logo | Vector, paths outlined | Prints crisp at any size and reproduces spot colours cleanly |
| Body and display type | Vector, fonts outlined or supplied | Rasterised small type goes soft and fuzzy at the edges |
| Barcode or QR code | Vector, generated at final size | A rescaled raster barcode can fail to scan |
| Dieline | Vector, on its own named layer | The die is cut from it, so it must not be flattened into the art |
| Foil, emboss or spot varnish areas | Vector, as separate spot colour layers | Each becomes its own tool or plate |
Colour, bleed and safety
Build in CMYK unless you are specifying a spot colour, and name any spot colours explicitly rather than leaving an RGB approximation in the file. Converting RGB to CMYK late shifts colours, most noticeably in bright blues and oranges, and a proof is the place to catch that.
Extend any background that reaches the trim edge by about 1/8 in beyond it. That is the bleed, and it covers the small variation in where the die cuts. Pull important copy, logos and barcodes at least 1/8 in inside the trim, and further away from fold lines, because a panel that folds through a logo looks like a mistake even when it is within tolerance.
Things that are specific to packaging rather than print
- Keep art off the scores. Ink cracks on a fold, especially in heavy solid coverage. Break a solid at the score or accept the crack line.
- Glue areas cannot be coated. Varnish and laminate stop glue adhering, so leave the glue flap free of coating and say so on the file.
- Corrugated is not a smooth substrate. Fine detail and small reversed type behave differently on a fluted board than on a folding carton.
- Check the barcode at print size. Magnification, quiet zone and bar colour all affect whether it scans, and dark bars on a dark background will not.
The proof is the checkpoint
A digital proof is included on every iBox Factory order, and it is the moment to check resolution, colour breaks, trim, bleed and the dieline together. Read it at 100% rather than fitted to the screen, because a soft image is invisible at 25%. If anything is wrong, it is free to fix at proof stage and expensive to fix on press. Design support is included too, so if you are unsure whether a file is press ready, send it and ask before you commit.
What to send with your files
Packaged artwork with linked images and fonts included, the dieline on a named layer, a PDF export for reference, and a note naming any spot colours or special finishes. If you are planning a foil, emboss or deboss, say so in that note, because those finishes need their own artwork and the detail limits are different from print. The trade offs are covered on embossing vs debossing.
Orders start at 100 units, from about $0.48 per unit at bulk volumes, confirmed on your written quote, with the die, the plates, design support, US shipping and the digital proof included. Turnaround is stated per product across three lanes, rush (expedited production plus air freight), standard (air) and cost saver (sea), from about 7 business days of production plus 2 to 5 days for delivery. Send your files with your spec at request a quote, and if you have not written a spec yet, what is a packaging spec sheet lists the fields.
