In this article, we\u2019ll take you through the steps of correctly making dielines for prepress, but before we jump into our step-by-step guide, let\u2019s take a moment to understand the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
What is a Dieline?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Dielines can be created by graphic designers, die cutters, or a printer and are abundantly used to produce many types of packaging. They are vector files<\/a> and essentially the blueprint of your finished packaging. They act as a guide when making cuts, scores, and indentations in the die-cutting process<\/a> to construct your packaging. Dielines include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing that dielines are the blueprint for your final package is enough to understand their importance, but if you would like to learn more about what a dieline is in packaging, we have an in-depth explanation here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Source: PakFactory<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n But now that you better understand what a dieline is let\u2019s dive into the step-by-step guide to preparing your dielines for prepress and print!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Before creating packaging dielines, there are a few essential things for you to consider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n The first thing you need to determine is how big you need the packaging for your product. Ideally, your packaging should be the minimum size your product needs to sit comfortably inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dielines are usually printed on sheets that fit industry standards, so make sure you are not opting for astronomically large packaging sizes, as printers may not accommodate the larger sheets required for the die-cutting process on oversized projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n The weight of your product also needs to be considered. Heavier products may require thicker stock like corrugated cardboard<\/a> to hold and protect products adequately, which affects the type of dieline you require.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Finally, the purpose of your packaging needs consideration as it will affect how your box dieline will look. Are you an e-commerce business that relies on shipping your products? Or are you a retail business that needs to create a strong shelf impact in-store?<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, e-commerce businesses will likely choose thicker card stock like corrugated paperboard<\/a> to protect products in transit. As an e-commerce business, It\u2019s important to consider how your packaging will arrive at your customers\u2019 locations, so its dielines may include some additional flaps or tabs to account for extra cushioning when constructed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Source: PakFactory<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n On the other hand, retail businesses are likely to choose folding cartons<\/a> or rigid boxes<\/a> for packaging lighter-weight products, meaning the dieline may feature fewer flaps and tabs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Understanding how your packaging will serve your industry gives you a better idea of what to expect when making your dielines. But now that you have the details set, it\u2019s time to translate that into a blueprint the printer and die-cutting machine can understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n When creating a box dieline, many technical details must be kept in mind, making it challenging to understand. Custom packaging companies or manufacturers usually provide their own dieline templates to ensure the structural design of your packaging works. This way, all you have to do is position your artwork and logos to ensure the colors match<\/a> for printing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To better understand how to do this, we\u2019ve provided a free dieline template for your usage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n To place your artwork design onto the dieline, you\u2019ll need Adobe Illustrator <\/a>to open the file, which, as mentioned earlier, should be a vector file. The dieline will also feature several differently colored lines correlating to instructions for the die-cutting machine. Marked in black<\/strong>, cut lines are probably the most crucial part of your dieline. They communicate where to cut your dieline to construct your final packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Crease or fold lines are usually marked in red<\/strong> and communicate where to fold your packaging. The red dotted lines ensure ease of construction for your packaging once complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Bleed lines are marked in green<\/strong>, separating excess space from the space that will ultimately feature your artwork design. Bleed lines help prevent any obscuring of your artwork and ensure your packaging design remains how you planned it on your vector file!<\/p>\n\n\n\n All artwork should \u2018bleed\u2019 over into the next panel or onto the excess space beyond the cutting lines to prevent a white border from forming around the design\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n The safe zone is marked as a green dotted line<\/strong> and indicates to the printer which areas are guaranteed to be seen on your custom-printed boxes. Safe zones help printers align, ensure printed artwork is placed correctly on the finished project, and account for any stock movement during printing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Your glue tabs will be shown as green crisscrosses<\/strong> to indicate where glue needs to be placed in the construction of your packaging. Do note that some packaging structures, like auto-lock bottom boxes<\/a>, do not require a glue tab as they are designed to work without glue or tape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n We mentioned the prepress printing process before, but what exactly is prepress?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prepress involves all the printing processes and procedures between designing the print layout and the final print. <\/strong>Follow the below prepress workflow to ensure the best accuracy and quality of your dieline designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n When submitting designs to PakFactory<\/a>, we have provided a simple checklist to follow that will help you. But now that you\u2019ve finished your dieline, it\u2019s time to consider the printing method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Read more on how to prepare your artwork on Adobe Illustrator.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n As previously discussed, dielines are printed on large sheets of the material of your choice before being cut out and constructed. Linking back to the size of your packaging, opting for bigger sizes of your dieline may not be effective, as it may not hold its shape after construction, and printing may not be possible on sheets as large as you would need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, once again, it\u2019s essential to consider the minimal size your product needs to comfortably sit inside the packaging so your dieline is at a reasonable size for printing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Source: PakFactory<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Other things to consider are the vibrancy and complexity of your artwork designs. If your artwork designs are vibrant and complex, you\u2019ll likely opt for offset printing to ensure the highest quality results. This is also important for designs that feature a lot of text, as it needs to be easily legible for customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternatively, for designs that are more minimalistic or don\u2019t require exceptional clarity to be impactful, digital printing may be more suitable for your packaging design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Once you finalize your dieline design and choose your printing method, it\u2019s pretty easy to feel 100% confident in your project and send it off for mass production. However, it\u2019s essential to put your packaging through quality control checks to ensure it can withstand any conditions it may face before mass production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: PakFactory<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Work with your manufacturer to prototype your final design before mass production. This way, your packaging designer or manufacturer can alter your box dieline depending on any structural issues it may have faced during the quality control process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ordering a sample of your finished design will allow you to physically interact with your packaging and reposition and fix any errors in artwork design or text that may appear on your final package. Read more on why ordering samples is important for your packaging<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But once you have approved your prototype samples and made any necessary changes, that\u2019s it! Your packaging dieline is ready for mass printing and production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Creating packaging dielines can be daunting, which is why packaging design<\/a> and structural engineering<\/a> services are helpful! PakFactory<\/a> has a lot of experience working with different businesses across industries on their packaging designs, and dielines are no exception. Hopefully, we\u2019ve made preparing a packaging dieline for your project more manageable with the above information and checklist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Retail](\"https:\/\/pakfactory-blog-media.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/uncategorized\/2023_08_cosmetic-counter-top-display-with-dieline-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Stickers")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\nConsiderations Before Preparing a Dieline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Size<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Weight<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Purpose<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Close](\"https:\/\/pakfactory-blog-media.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/uncategorized\/2023_08_semaine-health-corrugated-box-side-flaps.jpg\" "\\"Stickers")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\nCreating A Dieline Template<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n
When placing and positioning your artwork designs, it\u2019s essential to understand what these lines mean. Please remember that each company will have its standard for the colors mentioned, but the ones outlined are related to PakFactory\u2019s<\/a> standard for dielines. With that in mind, let\u2019s look at what each color and line means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n![\"Blank](\"https:\/\/pakfactory-blog-media.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/uncategorized\/2023_08_straight-tuck-end-dieline.jpg\" "\\"Dieline")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\nCutting Lines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Crease Lines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Bleed Lines<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Safe Zone<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Glue Tabs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Get](\"https:\/\/pakfactory-blog-media.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/uncategorized\/2023_07_General-Free-Consultation-Pre-press.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\nPrepress Workflow and Proper Artwork Design<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n
![\"artwork](\"https:\/\/pakfactory-blog-media.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/uncategorized\/2023_08_diagram-prepress-workflow-artwork-guideline.jpg\" "\\"Stickers")
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<\/li>\n\n\n\n![\"Pakfactory](\"https:\/\/pakfactory-blog-media.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/uncategorized\/2023_08_pakfactory-prepress-checklist.jpg\" "\\"Stickers")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\nChoosing the Right Printing Method<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Vibrant](\"https:\/\/pakfactory-blog-media.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/uncategorized\/2023_08_st-lucille-packaging-set-boxes.jpg\" "\\"Stickers")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\nGetting Ready for Manufacturing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n
![\"plain](\"https:\/\/pakfactory-blog-media.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/uncategorized\/2023_08_cosmetic-plain-sample.jpg\" "\\"Stickers")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFinal Dieline and Prepress Checklist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Pakfactory](\"https:\/\/pakfactory-blog-media.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/blog1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/uncategorized\/2023_08_pakfactory-prepress-and-dieline-checklist-scaled.jpg\" "\\"Dieline")
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