Art Guidelines & Graphics Checklist
When using the PDF file containing the dieline from RBC Custom Packaging, please follow these simple rules to get the best results for your packaging print.
Note: For outside printing only, there is only one template in the PDF file. For both outside and inside printing, there are two templates in the file. Please do not alter the file or reconfigure the layout of the templates as the layout is critical to our printing workflow.
- Do not rotate or alter the template we provide you as it is structural drawing specifically designed to flow through our print workflow. Rotating or altering the dieline may result in the file not printing correctly.
- PDF files are the only files we accept for printing. It is best to use vector-based software applications as Adobe Illustrator for building art files and saving/exporting your native file in PDF format before providing us your final file. Two- Sided Print projects must be saved as a single PDF where page 1 (the top image) is the outside print, and page 2 (the bottom image) is the inside print. The file must remain in this position to work on our automated system workflow.
- The PDF template contains a dieline layer that must remain in the file. This structural dieline included in this template is engineered to cut correctly when your box is processed for printing, so it is important that this dieline be included in the final file you send back to us. The structural drawing layer you see will contain Spot Colors for the cut and crease lines in the Swatch menu. These Spot Colors are used to tell the cutting and creasing equipment how to convert your unique art, so everything works properly. Therefore, do not change the Spot Colors to CMYK because they will print on your box.
- All artwork must be converted to CMYK. Please convert any RGB color and images to CMYK to avoid unexpected color shifting. All Pantone (PMS) colors should be converted to CMYK. Pantone and Spot Colors are not supported.
- Convert all text to outlines to ensure your custom packaging prints correctly. This is a necessary requirement.
- Add .125” of BLEED on all edges and into the glue flap for all your final artwork.
- All images must be embedded into your artwork file PDF. Make sure the placed images have the correct file extensions (ex: Image.tiff or Image.eps). Place graphics at 100%
- Rich Black settings. If your art includes black, we recommend building it as a Rich Black with 30 cyan (C), 30 magenta (M), 30 yellow (Y) and100 black (K). For best results, include a .5pt stroke of 100% black (K) to avoid print overspray.
- Image resolution should be no less than 300 dpi.
Box Dimensions:
All of dimensions are given as inside measurements, so the size you order is how much space you’ll have inside the box for your product!
When measuring your contents to determine the finished internal box size, we recommend adding at least .25 (1/4 inch) to your actual product dimensions, for ease of packing and unpacking.
The dimensions are always listed in order of Length × Width × Height for all of our box styles.
- Length is measured side-to-side.
For mailer boxes, this is the side on which the box opens and hinges. - Width is measured front to back.
- Height is measured bottom to top.
