Printing Questions
What printing methods do you offer for custom packaging?
We offer a range of high-quality printing methods to bring your packaging designs to life:
Offset Printing (Lithography): Ideal for large print runs, offering vibrant, consistent colors and sharp details. It's excellent for complex graphics and provides the highest print quality.
Digital Printing: Perfect for smaller runs, prototypes, and designs requiring variable data (e.g., unique QR codes, serial numbers). It offers quick turnaround times and flexibility.
Flexographic Printing (Flexo): Commonly used for corrugated materials, it's efficient for large volumes and provides good quality for designs that don't require extremely fine detail.
Silk Screen Printing: Often chosen for specialty applications, like printing on fabric or specific rigid materials, offering thick ink deposition and vibrant results, especially for spot colors.
What color options do you support (CMYK, Pantone, etc.)?
We support a comprehensive range of color options to ensure your brand's colors are accurately reproduced:
CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black): This is the standard four-color process used for full-color printing, ideal for photographs and complex graphics.
Pantone Matching System (PMS): We highly recommend using Pantone colors for specific brand colors that need to be precise and consistent across all your packaging and branding materials. Pantone provides a universal color language, ensuring exact color matching.
Spot Colors: We can also use custom mixed spot colors for specific brand requirements or metallic/fluorescent effects.
What file formats do you need for my artwork?
To ensure the best print quality and avoid delays, please provide your artwork in vector-based formats whenever possible. Our preferred file formats include:
.AI (Adobe Illustrator)
.EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)
.PDF (Portable Document Format) - Ensure fonts are outlined and images are embedded.
If vector files are not available, we can work with high-resolution raster files like .PSD (Adobe Photoshop) or .TIFF with a minimum resolution of 300 DPI (dots per inch) at the actual print size. Please ensure all fonts are outlined to prevent font substitution issues.
Can you help with graphic design or artwork adjustments?
Yes, absolutely! Our in-house design team is here to assist you. Whether you have a fully developed design, a rough sketch, or just an idea, we can help with:
Layout and Structural Design: Ensuring your artwork fits the packaging dimensions and style perfectly.
Graphic Design: Creating new designs from scratch based on your vision.
Artwork Adjustments: Making necessary modifications to your existing files (e.g., color corrections, resolution adjustments, adding dielines).
3D Mock-ups: Providing realistic digital renderings of your packaging before production begins.
What are your typical lead times for printing and production?
Lead times vary depending on the complexity of your design, the chosen printing method, material selection, and order quantity. Generally:
Digital Printing: Faster, often 2-3 weeks after final artwork approval.
Offset/Flexographic Printing: Typically 3-5 weeks after final artwork approval due to plate creation and setup.
These times do not include shipping. We'll provide you with a precise estimated timeline when you receive your detailed quote.
Do you provide proofs before mass production?
Yes, providing proofs is a standard part of our process to ensure your complete satisfaction. We typically offer:
Digital Proofs (PDF): For final artwork and layout approval, showing placement, text, and colors (color representation on screen may vary slightly from print).
Physical Samples/Prototypes: For critical projects, especially those with complex structures or specific color matching requirements, we highly recommend a physical sample. This allows you to inspect the material, print quality, and overall look and feel before mass production. There may be a cost associated with physical samples.
General Questions
What shipping options do you offer?
For stock bag purchases we offer free shipping, as well as expedited. We ship with USPS, and Fedex. For custom orders shipping can be on your account, FedEx, or LTL freight. Once we have the final size and weight of your custom order, we can request a number of LTL quotes for you to pick between.