PrePress Workflow for Package Printing

What happens once a brand finishes the artwork for their packaging? You might think it’s off to the printers, but not so fast! Before a package is ready for printing, the artwork must go through a prepress process. Packaging design is often a balancing act between a brand’s desired graphics and a printer’s requirements. Understanding press specifications is crucial. This video lesson walks through the workflow to prepare a file for printing and highlights common issues and how to resolve (or hopefully, altogether avoid) them to ensure an efficient prepress workflow and a successfully printed finished package. Common issues covered include dot gain, registration, small print, text and color build, color names, trapping, bleed and barcodes.

[@graphics1graphics125]

Really helpful.

[@Packagingschool]

Thanks!

[@zdenkokvartuc1078]

Well done!

[@greatbaracuda6164]

how is dot gain corrected ? is it in photoshop or illustrator? is dot gain dictated by the printers?

[@ArturoIbarra]

Hi Rey. As a matter of fact, the proper term is compensation instead of correction. To know how much to compensate, you need to know how much does the dot grows once is printed. For example, if the printed dot gains 20%, you will need to reduce that amount to the "digital dot" on files, so you will digitally end up with a 80% dot in size that printed will grow the remaining 20% and will. Tried to explain it as simple as I could. Every commercial printing system such as offset, flexo and gravure have dot gains, although it varies from machine capability, substrate, speed, ink formulation, drying method, etc.
Printers do need to know their own Dot Gain, as well other critical data such as TAC, Tonal Range, Min positive and negative line, etc.
It is recommended to have printer run what is called Fingerprint which gives verdy nerdy data on how their own printing devices is behaving and what is the real deal with dot gain and other of the above specs.
Cheers.

[@nagarajusingothu4497]

sir,i want full course of prepress designing

[@Packagingschool]

Check this out: packagingschool.com/package-printing/
Could be helpful!
Thanks for reaching out!

[@-horapolice4309]

Are there any courses with certificate ?

[@Packagingschool]

Hello! Yes, we have a wide selection of courses that provide you with a certificate upon completion packagingschool.com/all_courses/

[@rayan69pl]

05:03 Gentlemen, you are confusing concepts and misleading people. The size of the codes and their level of readability on the VERIFIER (not the barcode reader) depend on many factors. The 62.5% factor you provide is a recommendation from the GS1 organization that deals with barcode standardization. And these 62.5% refer specifically to ITF14 codes, and not the UPC code as shown by you

[@stratmancruthers]

Prepress is a vanishing occupation. Was a prepress tech for 40 years. Pay has decreased considerably, jobs are scarce. Go into a different trade.