Direct answer
Approval starts the clock
Everything before approval is preparation. A first file, a question about a dieline, and a round of comments do not start PCI's 3 to 4 week window. The window starts when the artwork is approved.
Name one approver. Comments from a group, sent on different days, are how a file gets approved and then reopened. The lead-time guide is the calendar around that event.
Files, fonts, bleeds, and dielines
Ask which file types the plant accepts before you send a package of mystery formats. A workable file usually has fonts outlined or supplied, images included, and the dieline on its own layer. Confirm the request with the plant. Do not assume one file type is universal.
The dieline shows cuts, seals, gussets, zippers, eye marks, and the live art area. Bleed is art that runs past a trim so a small shift does not leave a gap. Both come from the approved drawing, not from a screenshot.
Spot color and process color
Say whether a brand color is a spot ink or a process build. A photograph is usually process. A logo is often a spot. Mixing them without a plan is how a brand color shifts. PCI prints on two Uteco 10 color presses, so the count can go up to ten inks, including white.
Name the color standard you want matched, and send it. “Match the brand” is not a standard. The color-count guide is the place to decide how many inks the file should use.
Proofs
A PDF or a screen proof shows content, spelling, and whether the art sits in the dieline. It does not show how ink will look on the film. A press proof is printed on a press. Ask which proof you are signing.
Sign the proof that matches the decision. Content errors should die on the PDF. Color and print questions that need ink on film should wait for the proof that can show them. Do not treat a screen view as a press approval.
Repeat, seals, and clearances
On roll stock, the art has to fit the repeat and clear the seals and the eye mark. On a pouch or a bag, the art has to clear the seals, the zipper, the gusset, and any tear. The drawing is the authority. If the email size and the dieline disagree, stop and fix the drawing.
Reverse print is prepared as a mirror on the inside of a clear web. Surface print is prepared to read on the outside. Tell the separator which one the structure uses.
Small type, white, and gradients
Small type in more than one ink can misregister and fill in. Very small type is often kept in a single ink. White under the art on clear film has to be in the file and in the color count. A smooth gradient is a plate and a press question. Ask for a proof rather than assuming the screen gradient will hold.
Trapping, the slight overlap between colors, is a prepress decision. You do not have to build it in the design file. You do have to leave time for the separator to do it before approval.
Checklist for the designer
Hand this list over with the brief.
- Dieline is current, and the size in the file matches it
- Fonts are outlined or supplied, and images are included
- Spot and process colors are named, and white is included if needed
- Seals, zippers, gussets, and eye marks are kept clear
- Barcode and legal type are large enough and in one ink where required
- Surface or reverse is stated
- One approver is named
Between approval and press
After you approve, plates are made, the job is scheduled, and the film is printed. Questions that reopen the file reopen the clock. PCI's standard lead time is 3 to 4 weeks after artwork approval. Send the files with the quote request so review can happen before anything is called approved.
| Proof | What it can show | What it cannot show |
|---|---|---|
| PDF or screen | Content, spelling, placement on the dieline | Ink on the real film |
| Press proof | Ink, substrate, and press conditions of that proof | Every later reorder by itself |
| Approved file | The start of PCI's 3 to 4 week window | A first draft sent for a look |
Questions buyers ask
What file format does a packaging printer need?
Ask the plant. A common request is a packaged layout with fonts outlined or supplied, images included, and a dieline on its own layer. Confirm the request rather than assuming a single format fits every job.
What is a press proof?
A proof printed on a press, used to judge ink on film. A PDF or screen proof shows content and placement. They are not the same approval.
Why does artwork approval start the lead time?
Plates, scheduling, and print follow the approved file. PCI's standard lead time is 3 to 4 weeks after artwork approval. A file that is still changing has not started that window.
How do I match brand colors in flexo?
Name the standard, say whether it is a spot ink or a process build, and approve it on the proof that can show ink. “Match the brand” is not a standard.
What artwork mistakes delay production?
A file that does not match the dieline, a color count that changes after plates are imaged, missing white, type in the seal, and comments from more than one approver.
See something that needs correcting? Tell Matt.