Artwork and a dieline looking aligned on screen does not prove that they use the same production reference. Different page boxes, scales or sheet orientations can create false visual centring. This check is part of the file assessment for the related production service.
Choose one production reference
Write down the sheet corner and edge used as reference. The structural file and artwork PDF must share sheet size, orientation and gripper allowance. If one file uses the product centre and the other uses the page centre, the coordinates may appear aligned yet move in production.
Keep technical lines separate
Cut, crease, perforation and glue information belongs on technical layers separate from artwork colour. A cut line should use a non-printing technical definition or dedicated layer. Flattening must not turn production geometry into visible artwork.
Read bleed and safe area from the real contour
Backgrounds and images extend beyond the cut contour. Logos, text, barcodes and thin frames remain inside a safe area. Bleed does not cure register error; it only prevents a white edge under small normal variation.
Close the revision with a clear identifier
Use a date or revision code instead of ambiguous names such as final and final2. Artwork and dieline travel as one revision set, and neither file changes alone after approval.
Application note
Send the final artwork PDF and production dieline in the same message so scale and reference can be checked together.
- Use the real production substrate and final file revision.
- Correct one variable at a time.
- Keep the approved sample with the job record.
