Packaging prepress file preparation – how to gather and verify source files for prepress

Packaging prepress file preparation involves adapting graphic digital files for packaging so they are ‘print ready’ – so ensuring the printed packaging is faithful to the approved design.

To bring a packaging concept faithfully to life, you need to start with good-quality digital files.

Gathering and verifying source files

Collecting and verifying source files is the first stage of prepress.

Prepress operators begin with a series of preliminary checks to unearth any basic errors or potential issues before adapting and enhancing the digital files. These initial checks aim to ensure that the packaging will be printed in a brand’s colours, with legible text, clean images and without any crop marks showing.

From the very beginning of the process, prepress operators aim to adapt files for the printing process and produce right-first-time printed packaging.

Stakeholder communication

Clear communication between stakeholders is crucial throughout the entire prepress process – from design to print. This involves extensive communication between stakeholders .– something that’s essential to managing packaging projects well.Without a structured process, confusion around the details of the brief, its artwork content and locating approved and final versions of a design can swiftly become time-consuming, expensive and infuriating (over and over again, for every project).

At prepress, access to the approved proof is essential, along with the following elements:

• Technical drawings showing folds, crop marks and dimensions
• Fonts
• CMYK colour mode profiles
• Brand guidelines
• Codes (e.g., EAN code, packaging code)
• Visuals of the artwork: illustrations, photos, logos, packshots etc.

Communication is optimised where these are available in a central location on a packaging project management system that third-party stakeholders can also interact with (e.g. packaging design agencies, prepress and printers).

Easy access to a project’s elements and specifications streamlines workflows and reduces the risk of misunderstandings.

File formats and resolutions

For packaging prepress, certain digital file formats are more suitable than others to secure high-quality printing. The print file formats most suitable for good-quality printing are:

• TIFF and PSD with layers for any images
• EPS and PDF for vector graphics

For print files saved as JPEG, the recommendation is to use the highest-quality setting to minimise compression of visual artifacts which can cause distortion.For printing, any images featuring on a design must have a resolution of at least 300 dpi (dots per inch) at 100%. This resolution level will make sure details are clean and crisp on the printed packaging.When resizing images, take care not to cause any quality loss. It’s always preferable to start with high-resolution images.

Organising files and assets

Here’s a prepress checklist for preparing your files:

• Organise your files in dedicated project folders
• Include an instruction file that includes the project specification
• Use file names that are simple but comprehensive for easy identification
• Keep all related resources (e.g. images and fonts) in the same folder
• Include the fonts in the files or supply them separately
• Check image resolution and replace any of a low quality
• Convert text into contours in the vector files
• Specify the design’s colour mode and profile clearly
• Include bleeds and crop marks
• Organise layers logically in any files
• Maintain open lines of communication with the prepress team

By following this advice you can ensure your files are perfectly prepared for packaging prepress, reducing the risk of error and will secure a high-quality print run.

Verifying source files – how to ensure quality

When you’re getting your files ready for prepress, it’s a good idea to run through a standard series of checks to help ensure the printed version of your design meets expectations.

Here’s a brief checklist to help you or your graphic designer prepare your source files for prepress.

Before forwarding your files, check:

• There are no grammatical or spelling mistakes (i.e. proofread everything)
• Text is well-spaced and fonts embedded or outlined
• Files are saved in a suitable high-res format – like PDF
• Image sizes and dpi are suitable (minimum 300 dots per inch)
• Bleed and crop marks
• Dimensions

Packaging prepress ‘preflight’ checks

Prepress preflight checks will ascertain whether the essential elements are in place before moving on. This stage detects basic errors to clear the way for a flawless print run.

Specialised prepress software can quickly and automatically run checks and considerably reduce the mental load for operators. This kind of automation allows projects to be processed faster without any loss of quality and frees up skilled prepress operators from manual tasks to concentrate on added-value work.

Managing packaging prepress workflows

For marketing teams responsible for packaging, assembling packaging design source files is challenging due to the number of variables and potential issues – even when working on relatively simple food packaging. This is because the packaging prepress process involves such a complex workflow.

Product Managers who handle packaging have to juggle:

• Several services and departments implicated in artwork creation (both internal and external)
• Annotations and approvals that cross-reference each other
• Brand guidelines to observe (style guide)
• Regular and restricting regulatory updates
• Diffuse sources of information

It’s multi-faceted work that requires considerable effort to co-ordinate and deliver.

Opting for a centralised packaging workflow helps facilitate the artwork lifecycle – from design to print. Implementing a specialist platform like this centralises the content creation process, reducing the stress levels of marketing teams with responsibility for packaging by:

• Giving the packaging process structure
• Optimising collaboration and transparency between stakeholders
• Ensuring that complete and correct files are submitted to prepress

Packaging project management software like Millnet allows prepress operators and printers to interact on a single platform during the prepress file preparation stage, eliminating confusion, excessive approvals and information loss.