Packaging Artwork Approval in Food OEM: Preflight, Colour Proofing and Version Control
Packaging artwork is the stage in a contract manufacturing project that most often looks finished while still being slightly wrong. A design reads perfectly on screen, then prints with a word too small, a colour off target, a barcode that will not scan, or a mandatory element missing. The cost is usually high: an entire print run scrapped, production rescheduled, sometimes finished goods relabelled. In health food contract manufacturing, artwork approval is a process with fixed steps, defined sign-off points and an audit trail - not a designer sending a file and a client replying that it looks fine. This article covers what a complete artwork contains, preflight checking, colour proofing, versioning and sign-off, change control and superseded stock, and the errors that recur.
What a complete artwork contains
Artwork carries four categories of information. Mandatory content: product name, ingredient list, net content, nutrition declaration, producer name and address, production date and shelf life, storage conditions, the standard code and the production licence number, plus category-specific additions. Design and brand content: key visual, colours, typefaces, brand marks and claims. Functional content: barcodes, QR codes, traceability codes, opening or usage instructions and any warnings. Production content: number of print colours, spot colour references, material structure, surface finish, die-cut and bleed dimensions. All four have to be checked against the same document, because anything missing gets amplified downstream. Before a version is locked, put the four categories on a single checklist and tick them off.
Preflight checks
Preflight is about whether the file can actually be printed and whether it prints correctly. Check that all type is outlined or fonts embedded, so the printer cannot substitute a missing face. Confirm minimum type size and thinnest line weight against process limits - below them, ink spreads and detail fills in. Verify spot versus process colour settings and unintended overprints. Confirm image resolution is at least 300 dpi with no compression artefacts. Check that bleed is sufficient and that die lines and fold lines avoid critical information. Validate barcode magnification, quiet zone and colour combination against scanning requirements, and QR code error correction level and size against the scanning context. Finally confirm print sequence and front-to-back registration, especially for shaped packs. Once checked, have design, marketing and quality confirm separately, so each area owns its own concern.
Colour proofing and sign-off
Screen colour and printed colour differ systematically, so a proof is mandatory. Two kinds are used: digital proofs are fast and cheap and suit layout and preliminary colour, while press proofs come closest to production and suit final approval. Four points matter at sign-off. First, viewing conditions: compare under a standard light booth; judging colour under ordinary office lighting is meaningless. Second, quantify the difference - read L, a and b values and a total colour difference with a spectrophotometer and agree an acceptable limit, rather than arguing about slightly darker or lighter. Third, substrate effect: the same spot colour looks very different on white carton board, metallised film and clear film, so the proof must use the production material structure. Fourth, batch tolerance: printing varies run to run, so agree an acceptable range rather than demanding every run match the proof exactly.
Versioning and sign-off records
The goal of version control is that at any moment you can say exactly which version is in use. Practices: name files with product code, pack component, version number and date; issue a new version number for every revision instead of overwriting; keep an artwork register recording version, change description, author, approver and effective date; obtain approval in writing or in a system, never relying on chat messages; and make locked versions read-only and store them separately. Files released to the printer should carry explicit version identification and a lock confirmation so an early file is never used by mistake. The value shows up when something goes wrong: you can determine quickly whether the fault was the artwork, the printer's execution, or the wrong version being used.
Change control and superseded packaging
Artwork changes are almost inevitable - a formulation adjustment alters the ingredient list, or regulations update, or the brand refreshes. Three things matter. First, impact assessment: work out the effect on printed packaging, finished stock, goods in transit and product already on shelf, and let that decide the switch method and timing. Second, the switch method itself: natural run-out of old packaging is lower cost but demands tighter traceability, while a hard cut-off date is cleaner but produces scrap. Third, disposal of superseded stock, with defined segregation, labelling and destruction, and absolutely no mixing of old and new - especially where the ingredient list or nutrition declaration has changed. Record the assessment, decision and execution, and notify channels and customers where needed.
Common errors and who owns what
Six errors recur. Incomplete artwork missing a mandatory element. Digital proof only, with no press confirmation, so colour drifts in production. Confusing file naming that lets the printer use an old version. Barcodes or QR codes never actually scanned in test. Superseded packaging not segregated after a change, so old and new get mixed. And verbal-only approval, leaving responsibility undecidable when something fails. On responsibility, settle it at the start: the brand owns formulation and compliance content and its accuracy; the designer owns layout and preflight technical issues; the printer owns print quality and colour; and the contract manufacturer owns verification and execution. Writing that into a document is far more effective than arguing about it afterwards.
Artwork approval looks like process administration and is really risk management. Check information against a list, run the preflight items, confirm colour under standard light with measured differences, keep versions in a register, execute changes with assessment and segregation, and allocate responsibility in writing. Fix those steps and packaging stops being the most controllable source of cost overrun in a contract manufacturing project.
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About Guangzhou Mesen Health Biotechnology Co., Ltd
Guangzhou Mesen Health Biotechnology Co., Ltd is located in the Huashan Science and Technology Park, Huadu District, Guangzhou. The company has focused on OEM and ODM services for the big health industry for nearly 20 years, operating dedicated research, production, sales and management centres, and maintaining long-term strategic partnerships with well-known Chinese medicine colleges and research institutions. Capabilities span pressed candy, gummies, capsules, solid beverages, herbal teas, plant beverages, protein powders, dietary supplements and enzyme jelly - from formulation development through contract manufacturing. For details on minimum order quantities, sampling lead times and quotations, see our manufacturing advantages and product range, or contact us for a tailored proposal.
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