Print Specs and Tolerances: What “Good” Means on a Press

Why tolerances exist

Packaging is printed, then cut and folded by machines with physical limits. Paper shifts, dies wear, colour drifts within a range. Print tolerances are the agreed numbers that separate “as designed” from “reject” — and knowing them before you design prevents the two classic disasters: critical content sliced by a cut, and a brand colour that only matches on your screen.

The numbers that matter

• Bleed — 3mm of artwork beyond every cut edge, so shifting never shows a white line
• Safe zone — critical content at least 3mm inside every cut and fold
• Colour — CMYK process variance runs within a few percent; exact brand colours need a Pantone spot
• Registration — the alignment limit between colour passes; hairline rules and traps are designed to survive it
• Cut and fold tolerance — typically ±1–2mm; panels must not depend on perfect alignment
• Glue tabs — never artwork-critical; they are inside the fold

How we hold the line

Every job gets a free print-check against these numbers before it runs, and a digital proof you approve before the press starts. If a design element sits outside tolerance, we flag it and fix the file — not charge you for the discovery after printing. That check is the cheapest quality process in the entire order.