Artwork Guidelines

For the best print quality, we recommend using bold, legible text, properly sizing line art, and working in CMYK color mode.

For complete artwork recommendations, including text and line weight guidelines, color settings, raster and vector file requirements, and other file preparation tips, see Setting up artwork for digital printing .

If you have questions about your artwork, our Customer Service team is happy to help before you place your order.

If you're designing in our 3D Design Tool, there is a live 3D preview on the screen. It will update as you make changes to the artwork.

If you are creating your artwork in professional design software rather than the online 3D Design Tool, you can reference one of our Box Models to preview how your artwork will be positioned once your box is printed, folded, and assembled. These printable miniature boxes were created to help you verify the correct orientation before submitting your design. Download the Box Model(s) you need here.

For the most accurate print results, we recommend creating and saving your artwork in CMYK color mode. For more advanced users, we recommend using Coated GRACoL 2006 color profile. This will give the closest on-screen representation of your printed artwork.

Because Packlane prints in CMYK, any artwork submitted in RGB will be converted to CMYK before printing. This may cause some colors to shift or appear less vibrant than they do on screen.

Learn more about color modes and preparing artwork for print in Using color in print: RGB vs. CMYK .

For complete artwork recommendations, including text and line weight guidelines, color settings, raster and vector file requirements, and other file preparation tips, see Setting up artwork for digital printing .

While we cannot guarantee color matches, most of our customers are pleased with their final printed results.

We accept both vector and raster artwork files. To learn more about each file type and when to use it, see our Vector image and Raster image guides.

For complete artwork recommendations, including text and line weight guidelines, color settings, raster and vector file requirements, and other file preparation tips, see Setting up artwork for digital printing .

Vector files are recommended whenever possible as the preferred format for logos, text, icons, and illustrations. Vector graphics can be resized without losing quality, resulting in crisp, sharp print.

For more information about vector images, recommended settings, and other artwork requirements, see our guidance on vector artwork files .

Raster images are made up of pixels. They are commonly used for photographs and other detailed images. For the best print quality, we recommend using high-resolution raster files (at least 300 PPI at the final print size).

Low-resolution raster images may appear blurry or pixelated when printed.

For more details about recommended image quality and other artwork requirements, see more information on raster image files .

For any printed product except Custom Tapes and Econoflex boxes, following the guidelines below will result in the best possible print results:

• Black text, linework, and scannable codes should have a CMYK value of 0c, 0m, 0y, 100k.
  Do not use a combined or "rich" black value.
• Large areas of solid gray are best built as black only (no cyan, magenta, or yellow values). Example: 0c, 0m, 0y, 20k.
• Large areas of solid black, such as a black background, are best set to Packlane's recommended rich black value: 60c, 40m, 40y, 100k.

To achieve the best print quality, we recommend using vector artwork whenever possible and following our guidelines for font size and line weight.

For complete recommendations on minimum text sizes and line weights for each product type, see Designing with text and line art .

Artwork below recommended minimums may appear blurry or difficult to read when printed.

For the best scanning performance, we recommend creating barcodes and QR codes as 100% black vector artwork whenever possible. High-resolution raster files (300 PPI at the final print size) are also acceptable.

For recommended barcode and QR code sizes, file requirements, and best practices, see Guidelines for setting up scannable codes .

Please note that Packlane cannot guarantee printed barcodes will scan and does not offer barcode testing or verification. For critical applications, we recommend using printed labels.

Before sending your proof, our Prepress team reviews your artwork for potential printing concerns such as low-resolution images, small text, thin lines, artwork orientation, and other common issues.

You can update your artwork to address these recommendations or approve your proof and print it as-is. Please note that Packlane cannot offer compensation for print quality issues if a proof is approved with unresolved artwork concerns.

For a complete explanation of each proof note, read about resolving proof concerns .

Selecting Faux Kraft material allows you to design your artwork on top of a kraft background image. You can design with white as the only color in your design, pair white elements with other full-color graphics, or use full-color artwork only. The box is printed using digital CMYK printing, so there are no added costs for any of these design options—you can let your creativity run free! More details about Faux Kraft are available on this page .

For the best print results, follow the recommendations in our Artwork Guidelines for Faux Kraft, which explain how to set up your files and avoid common design issues.

If you have questions about your artwork, our Customer Service team is happy to help before you place your order.

Econoflex is our single-color (black ink) printing option, featuring crisp lines and detailed artwork on 100% recycled and recyclable corrugated material. It offers print quality similar to traditional flexographic printing while providing an economical solution for custom packaging.

We've broken out more information about these shipping boxes on What is Econoflex?

To read complete artwork requirements for Econoflex boxes, including examples of print results and design recommendations, see Econoflex design guidelines .

If you have questions about your artwork, our Customer Service team is happy to help!

Pouches follow similar requirements as our other products that print in CMYK. To read our complete artwork recommendations, see Setting up artwork for digital printing .

Yes! White ink can be used underneath CMYK artwork on clear material or metallic material.

On clear material, it can create a clear window area. On metallic pouches, areas without white ink will reflect the material's foil-like sheen—even areas that have CMYK artwork on them.

You can learn how to achieve either effect in our article about applying white ink to Pouches.

Our 3D Design Tool lets you customize your box, upload artwork, and see pricing updates in real time as you adjust your box size, material, quantity, and design.

When your design is complete, click Save & Continue to proceed directly to checkout.

If your design is too complex for the 3D Design Tool, you can request a custom dieline and create your artwork in Adobe Illustrator or another design application.

For step-by-step instructions and video tutorials, see further guidance for placing an order using the 3D Design Tool .

For Packlane's complete artwork guidelines, see Setting up artwork for digital printing .

You can design both the inside and outside of your box using our online 3D Design Tool.

To access the inside dieline:

1. Visit the product page of your preferred box style.
2. Configure your box, selecting either Inside or Both Sides for the Printed Sides option, then click Design Now.
3. If you chose Inside, only the inside of the box will be available on-screen, and you can begin designing.
4. If you chose Both Sides, you can switch between the Outside and Inside canvases using the toggle just above the canvas.

You can download a free custom dieline instantly in three easy steps:

1. Visit the product page and configure your custom packaging product.
2. Click Upload Now to proceed to the upload page.
3. Click Download Dieline Template to download the PDF dieline.

You can use this file to create your artwork in Adobe Illustrator or another design application, then return to the Upload Now page to submit it with your order.

If you prefer to design in Adobe Illustrator or another design application, you can request a free dieline template to create your artwork. See the steps above!

For complete setup instructions, dieline requirements, and artwork tips, see our guidelines for setting up artwork on a dieline template .

Yes. If you prefer to create your artwork in Adobe Illustrator or another professional design application, you can request a free dieline template to use when designing your artwork.

If you are designing a box outside of our 3D Design Tool, you can reference one of our printable Box Models to preview how artwork will be positioned once your box is printed, folded, and assembled. These printable PDFs let you fold a paper model of your box style to verify that your artwork will appear right-side up when it's produced.

For instructions and tips for preparing artwork on a dieline, see Setting up artwork on a dieline template .