Packaging & Label Design

Packaging & Label Design — questions and answers

What's a dieline and why does it need to be separate from the artwork?

A dieline is a technical template showing where a package will be cut, folded, scored, or glued. It sits on its own layer because printers use it to set up cutting dies and folding machines, while the artwork layers contain only the graphics and text that will be printed. Merging them causes production errors.

How does the substrate affect which design choices will actually work?

Ink behaves differently on coated paper, uncoated kraft, metallised film, or moulded plastic. Fine serif fonts may fill in on absorbent stock, gradients can band on textured surfaces, and transparent substrates require opaque white underprinting for legible text. The substrate dictates ink coverage limits, varnish compatibility, and whether embossing or foil stamping will hold detail.

What information legally has to appear on packaging, and where does it go?

Requirements vary by product type and region but typically include ingredient lists, net weight, manufacturer details, barcodes, allergen warnings, and recycling symbols. Minimum type sizes apply to certain declarations. Designers must allocate space for this mandatory content early, often on secondary panels, ensuring it remains legible without overwhelming brand messaging.

Why do packaging designs need safety margins beyond the trim edge?

Manufacturing involves physical cutting and folding with tolerances measured in millimetres. Critical text or logos placed too close to edges risk being cropped if the cut shifts slightly. Safety margins, typically three to five millimetres, ensure essential elements survive normal production variance and that background colours extend past the trim line to avoid white slivers.

When does a product need a structural designer involved, not just a graphic designer?

Structural design becomes necessary when the package shape itself must be engineered: custom folding cartons, bottles, clamshells, or multi-component assemblies. If the project involves prototyping a new form, calculating material thickness, ensuring stackability, or meeting drop-test requirements, a structural specialist handles the three-dimensional engineering while the graphic designer addresses the surface graphics.

How do you prepare files for flexographic printing versus offset lithography?

Flexographic printing, common for corrugated boxes and flexible films, requires thicker line weights, higher dot gain compensation, and often spot colours rather than process builds. Offset lithography handles finer detail and smoother gradients but suits rigid substrates like folding cartons. Trap settings, ink densities, and screen rulings differ significantly between the two processes.