Things to consider while creating artwork for your custom packaging or print material.
When it comes to designing your custom packaging or print materials, it's essential to really think things through and pay attention to the little details. The way your product packaging or print materials look can have a significant effect on how well your business does. You definitely want to make sure you have eye-catching and top-notch artwork that truly reflects your brand and grabs the attention of your target customers. That's why, in this guide, we're going to go over some key things to remember when creating artwork for your custom packaging or print materials.
Use High-Quality Images
Have you thought about the quality of the images you're using for your packaging and print materials? It makes a massive difference in how your overall design looks. It's important to use high-resolution images because they'll make your artwork look super sharp and professional. Blurry or pixelated images can give a wrong impression to potential customers. So, always use high-quality images? It'll elevate the look of your artwork and leave a great impression on your brand.
Use CMYK Color Mode
When you're making art for print, it's super important to use CMYK color mode. Have you heard of it before? It stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black, which are the four primary colors used in printing. Using CMYK ensures that the colors in your art will look just like how you wanted them to when it's printed.
But here's the thing: if you use the RGB color mode (you know, Red, Green, Blue), which is excellent for digital design, it can actually mess up the colors when you print it out. So always save files in CMYK color mode before sending them to Packtodo for printing.
Pay Attention to Bleed and Dielines
When we're talking about printing materials, it's important to know about bleed and dielines. Bleed is basically the extra area around the edges of your design that helps give it a clean and polished look. You want to make sure your design goes slightly beyond the final trim size so you don't end up with any white edges or gaps. And then there are dielines, which are like the outlines that show where your artwork will be cut or folded. It's super important to use the dielines provided by Packtodo so everything lines up correctly on your packaging or print material.
Embed Fonts
Fonts are essential when it comes to the overall look of your artwork. Especially when you're making something for print, it's essential to embed the fonts in your design. That means including the original font files in your artwork. It's really crucial because it guarantees that the correct fonts will be used when it gets printed. That way, you won't have to worry about any weird font substitutions messing up your design. The bottom line is that embedding fonts is critical to making sure your artwork looks precisely how you want it to.
Use Vector Graphics
Vector graphics are made using math equations and can be resized without losing any quality. That means you can make them as big or as small as you want, and they'll still look clear and sharp. It's excellent for making your designs look professional, especially when you're printing them in a larger size. We always use vector graphics for things like logos and icons that need to look really crisp and clear on packaging or print materials.
Check for Any Broken or Missing Links
If you've used any outside images or graphics in your artwork, it's super important to check for any broken or missing links before sending it off to be printed. It would be a real bummer if your art ended up looking incomplete or wrong because of a broken link. Make sure you use high-quality images that are okay for commercial use, so you don't run into any copyright problems.
Proofread Your Text
Along with the visuals, it's essential to also focus on the text. You'll want to go through it carefully and catch any spelling or grammar mistakes. It's so crucial to have error-free text because it can affect how people see your brand. Remember to double-check essential details like your contact info or product descriptions. We don't want any mistakes there, either!
Additional Printing
Sometimes, consider using extra printing techniques like spot UV, foil stamping, or embossing to really make your packaging or prints pop. They can give your artwork this fancy, high-end vibe. When you're designing your artwork, remember to plan for these techniques and leave some space in your layout for them to be incorporated.
File Formats
One important thing to note is to provide the files in the correct format. We have specific requirements, so it's best to double-check with them beforehand. We prefer AI, PSD, and PDF format because it guarantees that all the elements in your design are correctly embedded and will print accurately.