How to approve factory artwork before printing
Approve a named artwork revision against the factory's print specification, check its rendered proof and agree responsibility for errors before releasing production in writing. Use a physical proof where colour or finish matters. Cambridge China Bridge can coordinate these checks with its own staff in China.
Define the artwork approval package
Add an artwork approval record to your product specification. Identify the product, packaging variant, artwork filename and revision, factory dieline revision, print material, process and finish. Ask the factory for its file requirements before your designer prepares the production artwork.
Name who checks wording, translations and label content, who prepares the artwork, who checks print suitability and who authorises production. Record what each approval covers. Approval of layout should not silently become approval of colour, construction or unchecked wording.
Keep editable files and control fonts
Keep the editable master with linked images and live text. Supply a separate production export in the factory's requested format. Ask the factory to confirm that images are present, resolution is suitable at final size and fonts render correctly. Embed fonts or convert production text to outlines as agreed with the printer; retain editable text for corrections.
Do not accept silent font substitution or retyping. Compare the factory's rendered proof with your export, including symbols, punctuation and translated text. For UK copyright material, confirm permission or an applicable exception before reuse. Check font licence terms before sharing font files, and retain permission records for supplied images.
Check bleed, safe areas and dielines
Bleed is artwork extending beyond the intended cut edge; a safe area keeps important content away from cutting and folding. Ask the printer to specify both for the actual process. Do not assume a generic template is suitable. Extend backgrounds through the bleed and keep text, logos and barcodes clear of vulnerable edges.
Use the factory's confirmed dieline, showing cuts, folds, glue areas and panel orientation. Keep these guides separate from printable artwork and confirm they will not print. Check an assembled mock-up for upside-down panels, hidden wording and seam alignment. Handle barcode performance separately using the barcode validation guide.
Approve the proof for what it demonstrates
Review the factory's rendered proof generated from the file it intends to print, rather than another copy of your original design. Check spelling, addresses, product variants, dimensions, image cropping and placement. Ask the printer to check colour separations, overprint settings and any white ink or finishing layers. Require a corrected proof after changes.
A screen proof helps check content and layout, but does not establish final colour or finish. Where appearance matters, request a physical proof using the intended material and process, or record any differences from production. Agree a retained colour reference and check a folded or assembled sample. Record which features the proof can and cannot demonstrate.
Agree error responsibility and release production
Before approval, agree how errors will be handled: buyer-supplied wording errors, artwork preparation errors, factory alterations and production departing from the approved reference. Record who pays for replacement plates, reprinting, rework and related freight in each case. Treat this as an agreed allocation, not an assumption that proof approval settles every dispute.
Release production in writing, naming the approved file and revision, dieline, proof reference, material and finish. Resolve outstanding comments first. Require renewed approval for changes and factory acknowledgement that superseded files are withdrawn. Carry the approved references and print defect criteria into the inspection brief, so approval can be checked against actual production.
Frequently asked questions
Do factories need editable artwork files?
Ask what their workflow needs. Keep an editable master, but identify the separate production export to be printed. If the factory edits a file, require a new rendered proof before approval.
Should I outline fonts before printing?
Agree embedding or outlining with the printer. Outlining helps avoid substitution, but makes text harder to edit. Keep the live-text master and check the rendered production proof.
How much bleed should factory artwork have?
Use the printer's requirement for the material, cutting method and dieline. Ask for bleed and safe-area instructions before preparing the artwork; do not rely on a generic setting.
Who pays if approved artwork prints incorrectly?
Agree responsibility before release. Distinguish errors already present in approved content from factory changes or printing that departs from the approved reference, and record the remedies and costs.