Good artwork files mean faster proofs, accurate colour and no reprints. This is the checklist our pre-press team uses on every job. Follow it and your box will go from upload to approved proof in a day.
1. Start with the dieline
A dieline is the flat template of your box showing cut lines, fold lines and glue areas. Never design a box without one; panel sizes, flap shapes and glue tabs all change with the structure and board thickness.
Request a free dieline from Box Sense for any size and style. It arrives as a layered PDF or AI file with:
- Cut line (usually red): the outer edge of the blank
- Fold line (usually blue, dashed): scores
- Glue area (usually grey): keep artwork out
- Bleed line: extend background colour and images to here
- Safe area: keep text and logos inside here
Keep the dieline on its own locked layer and do not alter it.
2. Bleed and safe areas
Die-cutting has a tolerance of about 1/16 in. To avoid white slivers on the edges, extend all background colours and images 0.125 in beyond the cut line. Keep text, logos and anything critical at least 0.125 in inside the cut and fold lines. On rigid boxes with wraps, the bleed needs to be larger; your dieline will show it.
3. Colour mode
Design in CMYK, not RGB. Screens show RGB, which can produce colours that no press can reproduce, especially bright blues, oranges and greens. Convert early so surprises show up on screen, not on the box.
For exact brand colours, specify Pantone (PMS) spot colours and tell us which ones. On offset runs we can print a true spot colour; on digital we match it as closely as the process allows. Ask for a printed colour proof if the colour is critical.
Rich black for large areas: C60 M40 Y40 K100. Small text: K100 only, to avoid registration fringing.
4. Resolution
Raster images (photos, textures) must be 300 dpi at the final printed size. A 1,000-pixel-wide image prints sharply at 3.3 in wide, not 10 in. Logos and text should be vector.
5. Fonts
Convert all text to outlines before sending, or embed the fonts in the PDF. Missing fonts are the most common cause of proof delays. Minimum text size: 6 pt for positive text, 8 pt for reversed (white on dark) text.
6. Finishes on separate layers
If you are using spot UV, foil or embossing, create a separate layer for each, named clearly, with the finish area filled in 100 percent of a spot colour called, for example, SPOT UV or FOIL. Do not include these layers in the printed CMYK artwork.
7. Barcodes and legal panels
Barcodes should be at least 80 percent of nominal size, black on white, with a quiet zone, and never placed across a fold. Regulated categories (food, supplements, CBD, cosmetics) have mandatory text sizes and panel placements; check them before you send, and ask us if in doubt.
8. Export
Export a PDF/X-4 with bleed, crop marks off, layers preserved, images uncompressed or at high quality. Also send the native AI file if possible. Name files clearly: brand_product_box-style_v3.pdf.
9. Check the proof properly
When the 3D proof arrives, check: spelling, panel orientation (is the front panel the right way up when the box is closed?), inside print orientation, barcode placement, and that nothing important sits on a fold. Print the flat proof at 100 percent, fold it and look at it as a customer would.
Need help?
Our designers set up files free with every order, including two revision rounds. If you only have a logo, start a quote and tick the design box. We will lay out the whole box.