Packaging prepress checklist: 10 DTP mistakes that cost you a reprint

A printed pack cannot be patched with an update. If something is wrong, the whole run is wrong. Most reprints come from the same short list of mistakes, and nearly all of them can be caught in ten minutes before the files leave the studio.

1. Wrong colour mode. Artwork left in RGB shifts when it is converted for print. Work in the colour space of the printer, and define brand colours as spot or CMYK values on purpose.
2. No bleed. Without 3 mm of bleed, any trimming tolerance shows as a white edge. Extend backgrounds and images beyond the cut line.
3. Content too close to the edge. Keep text, logos and legal marks at least 3 to 5 mm inside the trim and away from folds and glue areas.
4. Low-resolution images. Pictures should have about 300 dpi at the final size. A file that looks fine on screen can look soft on a shelf.
5. Fonts not outlined or embedded. A missing font is replaced silently and the layout reflows. Outline the text or package the fonts.
6. Die-line problems. The cutting and creasing line should sit on its own layer, set to overprint and never print by accident.
7. Small text in four colours. Fine text built from all four plates misregisters. Use a single plate for small black text and a controlled rich black for large areas.
8. Barcodes that do not scan. Keep the size, contrast and the quiet zone around the code exactly as required, and test the final file.
9. Outdated content. Ingredients, legal lines, weights, languages and recycling marks change between versions. Check every text against the latest approved source.
10. Skipping the proof. Look at a hard proof or a certified soft proof, with overprint preview on, and make sure the version you approved is the version that goes to print.

A good habit is to treat this list as a gate: nothing is released until each point is ticked by a person who did not make the file.