How to Prepare Artwork for Custom Food Packaging: A Step-by-Step Guide for Restaurant Owners
You’ve decided to order custom printed packaging — cups with your logo, bags with your brand colors, boxes with your menu printed inside. You contact a manufacturer, and they ask you to “send your artwork files.” But what exactly do they need? What format? What resolution? What’s a bleed area? If you’re a restaurant owner and not a graphic designer, this process can feel completely opaque.
This guide explains exactly what artwork files you need, how to prepare them, and how to avoid the most common mistakes that delay orders and result in poor print quality.
What Manufacturers Need from You
At minimum, a packaging manufacturer needs three things to print your custom packaging:
1. Your logo in vector format. Vector files (AI, EPS, SVG, or PDF) can be scaled to any size without losing quality. If you only have a JPEG or PNG logo, it may work for small prints but will look pixelated when enlarged for a paper bag or box. If your logo was designed by a professional designer, ask them for the original vector file. If you designed it yourself in Canva or similar tools, export it as SVG or PDF.
2. Your brand colors specified as Pantone, CMYK, or RGB. “Blue” isn’t specific enough — there are thousands of blues. Specify your colors as Pantone numbers (most precise for printing, e.g., Pantone 349 C for a specific green), CMYK values (e.g., C:85 M:0 Y:90 K:30), or at minimum, hex codes (e.g., #1a6b3c). Your manufacturer can convert between these, but the more specific you are, the more accurate the color match.
3. A description of what you want printed and where. Which sides of the container should have printing? Full coverage or just a logo? Do you want printing on the lid too? What about the bottom? A simple sketch or annotated photo showing print placement is more useful than a paragraph of description.
Understanding the Dieline
For boxes, bags, and any folded packaging, the manufacturer will provide a “dieline” — a flat template showing the packaging shape when unfolded, with fold lines, cut lines, and glue areas marked. Your artwork needs to be placed within this template so that when the packaging is folded and assembled, the design appears correctly on all visible surfaces.
Most manufacturers will send you the dieline as an AI or PDF file. You or your designer place your artwork onto the dieline, making sure text and important design elements are at least 3mm inside the cut line (the “safe zone”) and background colors extend 3mm outside the cut line (the “bleed area”) to prevent white edges if cutting is slightly off.
Printing Methods Explained
| Method | MOQ | Colors | Best For | Setup Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flexographic (flexo) | 5,000–10,000 | 1–6 spot colors | Cups, bags, wraps — high volume | $200–$800 per plate |
| Offset lithography | 3,000–5,000 | Full color (CMYK) | Boxes, cartons — photo-quality | $500–$1,500 |
| Digital printing | 100–500 | Full color (CMYK) | Small runs, testing, variable data | $0 (no plates) |
| Screen printing | 500–2,000 | 1–3 spot colors | Cups, tubs — bold simple designs | $100–$300 per screen |
For most restaurants starting with custom packaging, flexo printing at 5,000+ MOQ is the sweet spot — the plates are a one-time cost, and per-unit printing adds only $0.01–$0.03 per item at volume. If you need fewer than 5,000 pieces, digital printing or the sticker-on-generic approach is more economical.
The 7 Most Common Artwork Mistakes
1. Low-resolution logo. Images below 300 DPI print blurry. A logo that looks fine on your phone screen (72 DPI) will look terrible printed on a paper bag. Always use vector files or high-resolution images (300+ DPI at print size).
2. No bleed. If your design has a colored background that goes to the edge of the packaging, you need 3mm bleed beyond the trim line. Without bleed, slight cutting variations leave white edges.
3. Text too close to the edge. Keep all text and important elements at least 5mm from any fold or cut line. Text that runs into the fold or gets trimmed looks unprofessional.
4. Using RGB instead of CMYK. RGB colors (designed for screens) look different when printed in CMYK (designed for print). Convert your files to CMYK before sending. Colors typically appear slightly darker and less saturated in CMYK — your manufacturer can provide a printed proof so you can approve the actual color before full production.
5. Not accounting for the curved surface. Artwork for cups needs to account for the tapered cup shape — a rectangular design placed on a dieline for a tapered cup will appear slightly distorted on the curved surface. Your manufacturer’s dieline template handles this, but make sure to use it.
6. Forgetting about food contact regulations. Inks used on the food-contact side of packaging must be food-safe. Make sure your manufacturer uses food-grade inks, especially if your design includes printing on the interior of bowls, trays, or wrapping paper that directly touches food.
7. Not requesting a proof. Always ask for a digital proof (free) and ideally a physical proof ($50–$100) before approving full production. Fixing a design error after 10,000 pieces are printed costs far more than a proof sample.
What If You Don’t Have a Designer?
Many packaging manufacturers — including us — offer basic design services. If you have a logo and know your brand colors, a manufacturer’s design team can create a packaging layout for you, usually at no additional cost for simple designs (logo + text + solid colors) or a small fee ($50–$200) for more complex designs. Alternatively, platforms like Canva and Figma can create print-ready packaging artwork using the manufacturer’s dieline template.
Ready to design your custom packaging? GQ TH Pack provides free dieline templates for every product, accepts artwork in any format (we’ll convert it), and offers basic design services at no extra charge. Send us your logo and we’ll create a mockup of your custom packaging.