Introduction:
Ever noticed how sharp freshly printed labels look? It’s truly impressive! Label printing is an art that demands precise preparation. Before you can enjoy your labels at their best, you need to pay attention to a critical step: prepress for label printing.
Skipping this phase can lead to expensive errors that might waste entire batches. It’s crucial, even though it’s less exciting than seeing your designs come alive. Prepress for label printing is the foundation of a successful print job. It’s important to carefully check and tweak your label designs before they hit the printer.
In this blog, we’ll go through the essential prepress checklist to make sure your labels are perfect for printing.
Prepress Checklist for Label Printing
Thoroughly Proofread the Content
Mistakes are part of life – we’ve all experienced our fair share! But when it comes to product labels, even the smallest typos can make a big difference. Imagine seeing a misspelled ingredient or a messed-up slogan on something you’re about to buy– not exactly reassuring, right?
That’s why proofreading is crucial—and not just once, but multiple times by different people. From checking complex ingredient names to ensuring the barcode, website address, and price are correct, every detail matters. Because, let’s face it, discovering a typo after your product is on the shelves is a nightmare scenario that can seriously damage your reputation.
Proofreading isn’t just about catching typos either. It’s about graphic proofreading too, making sure your design fits perfectly on the label, with straight lines, well-spaced text, and properly aligned images. Paying attention to these details is key – because even the smallest oversight can harm your brand’s image.
Check Image Size, File Formats and Resolution
When prepping a file for print, artwork size matters. Your label won’t look its best if the resolution or image size isn’t right. Fixing a resolution mistake can be a costly hassle. Whether you’re talking to your designer or doing it yourself, keep your final label size in mind.
For label design, aim for at least 300 DPI for sharp printing. Avoid using low-resolution images, as they may appear pixelated or blurry when printed.
Moreover, always save your label design files in the right format, like PDF or high-resolution image files such as JPEG or PNG. This format is most suitable for printing logos, booklets, brochures, or any other marketing material. Overall, files saved as .AI, .PDF, or .EPS from Adobe Illustrator are perfect to submit for print.
Don’t stress about this technical stuff if you’re partnering with a professional prepress services provider as they can cover all these technical issues skilfully.
Review Color Modes
The digital file and the printed result can differ in resolution and color. The pre-press stage helps spot these differences and make necessary adjustments. Checking the color mode ensures your logo looks as great on your product as you imagined. Set your color mode to CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) for printing, not RGB (Red, Green, Blue) used for screens. If you have specific brand colors, use the Pantone Matching System (PMS) for consistency across prints.
We always print labels in CMYK, so design in CMYK from the start to avoid surprises. Moreover, if you opt to print on clear or metallic materials, remember to add a spot white layer to your label file. This layer tells us which parts you want opaque or white and which parts you want transparent or metallic.
Don’t let subpar labels undermine your brand’s impact.
Reach out to Alpha BPO today to ensure your label printing meets the highest standards.
Design with Bleed and Crop Marks in Mind
Before sending your label to the printers, it’s crucial to ensure that your file includes crop marks, color bleed, and cut marks. Crop marks indicate where the label will be trimmed, while bleed is the area beyond the trim edge, usually 0.0625” on each side. It ensures that the background is fully printed and not cut off during label cutting.
Printers typically require a bleed of 1/8 inch (3mm) to accommodate trimming variations. Thus, extend design elements, colors, and images into the bleed area to prevent white space.
All these details elevate your logo’s professionalism, conveying the effort put into designing and printing your label.
Convert Text to Outlines
To avoid font compatibility issues, convert all text elements in your design to outlines. This converts the text into vector shapes, ensuring that the text will appear correctly even if the recipient doesn’t have the specific fonts you used.
Test Print
Before completing your custom file, print your design on an office printer to ensure all text is readable (5pt font is the minimum size recommended for legibility). Check for issues like split words due to line breaks, text spacing, and paragraph size.
Ensure there aren’t any isolated words hanging alone on a line, disrupting the overall design. Address these finer details before sending files to the printer.
Get Flawless Label Files with Professional Prepress Experts
Preparing a custom file for label printing requires meticulous attention to detail and strict adherence to printing standards. By diligently following a comprehensive prepress checklist, you ensure that your labels are printed accurately and effectively, enhancing the presentation of your products.
Understanding the role of prepress in label printing is crucial—it helps avoid the pitfalls of cutting corners or skipping essential steps. For optimal outcomes and a streamlined printing experience, consider outsourcing your prepress service needs to Alpha BPO.
As experts in prepress for label printing, we specialize in preparing print-ready files. This partnership allows you to concentrate on your core business activities while we ensure the production of high-quality labels.
Partner with us to boost your operational efficiency and elevate the quality of your final products, ensuring that every label reflects your brand’s commitment to excellence.