The 3 Most Common (and Costly) Mistakes When Ordering Custom Packaging

If you're ordering custom packaging, check your artwork resolution, confirm your color system, and verify your die-line before you submit anything. I've personally made (and documented) 47 significant mistakes over 8 years handling packaging orders for a global manufacturer. Those errors totaled roughly $28,000 in wasted budget. Now I maintain our team's checklist to prevent others from repeating my errors.

Why You Should Listen to My Mistakes

Look, I'm not a graphic designer or a press operator. My expertise is on the procurement side—getting what we need, on time, within spec, and on budget. What I can tell you from that perspective is where the process breaks down between the customer and the supplier. My experience is based on about 200 mid-range orders with suppliers like Berry Global for flexible and rigid packaging. If you're working with ultra-luxury or commodity segments, your experience might differ.

The disasters I'm about to describe aren't hypothetical. In my first year (2017), I made the classic "low-res artwork" mistake on a 50,000-piece order. Every single item had the issue. That error cost $890 in redo plus a 1-week production delay. After the third rejection in Q1 2024 for color mismatch, I finally formalized our pre-submission checklist. We've caught 61 potential errors using it in the past 18 months.

Mistake #1: Assuming Your Artwork is "Print Ready"

Here's the thing: most procurement teams focus on the per-unit price and completely miss the technical file requirements. The question everyone asks is "what's your best price?" The question they should ask is "what are your exact file specs?"

The Resolution Trap

In September 2022, I submitted a label design that looked perfect on my 4K monitor. The supplier's pre-flight check flagged it as 150 DPI. I argued—it looked fine to me! The result came back fuzzy. 50,000 labels, $1,200, straight to the trash. That's when I learned to never trust my screen.

"Standard print resolution requirements: Commercial offset printing needs 300 DPI at final size. Large format (like banners viewed from distance) can get away with 150 DPI. These are industry-standard minimums."

Real talk: Your design software might say it's 300 DPI, but if you've scaled it up, you're likely working with interpolated pixels. The maximum print size calculation is simple but critical: Print size (inches) = Pixel dimensions ÷ DPI. A 3000 × 2000 pixel image at 300 DPI gives you a 10×6.67 inch print. Any larger, and quality drops.

Bleed and Safe Zone Confusion

I once ordered 25,000 folding cartons where the critical logo was too close to the cut edge. Checked it myself, approved it, processed it. We caught the error when the first samples arrived—the logo was partially trimmed off on 30% of the batch. $2,100 wasted, credibility damaged. Lesson learned: always require and use the supplier's specific die-line template with marked bleed (typically 0.125") and safe zones.

Mistake #2: The Color Communication Breakdown

This gets into technical prepress territory, which isn't my core expertise. I'd recommend consulting your designer for specifics. But from a procurement perspective, I can tell you exactly where the handoff fails.

RGB vs. CMYK vs. Pantone

Most buyers don't know the difference. I didn't. We were using the same words but meaning different things. Discovered this when a vibrant digital blue turned into a dull purple on the first press proof. The "standard blue" in our PowerPoint was RGB, which doesn't translate directly to print.

"Pantone colors may not have exact CMYK equivalents. For example, Pantone 286 C (a common corporate blue) converts to approximately C:100 M:66 Y:0 K:2 in CMYK, but the printed result may vary by substrate and press calibration. Reference: Pantone Color Bridge guide."

Industry standard color tolerance is Delta E < 2 for brand-critical colors. Delta E of 2-4 is noticeable to trained observers; above 4 is visible to most people. If your brand color is non-negotiable, you're likely looking at a custom Pantone spot color, which adds cost.

The "Close Enough" Mindset

Saved $75 by approving a "close enough" CMYK match instead of paying for the Pantone spot color. Ended up spending $400 on customer complaints and partial reprints when the batch inconsistency was noticeable. The 'cheaper option' choice looked smart until the brand manager lined up samples from three different production runs. Net loss: $325 plus internal frustration.

Mistake #3: Overlooking the Physical Sample

This was true 10 years ago when digital proofing was limited. Today, with high-res PDFs, it's tempting to skip the physical proof. Don't.

Substrate Surprises

A glossy PDF on a white background tells you nothing about how ink behaves on kraft paper, clear plastic, or metallic stock. I'm not 100% sure about the chemistry, but I think certain inks absorb or spread differently. We ordered 10,000 pouches based on a digital proof. The print on the actual clear film was translucent and weak. Take this with a grain of salt: the supplier said it was a mismatch between the ink formula and the material. Roughly speaking, the reprint cost was in the $800-1,200 range.

Finishing and Functionality

Does the flap tear cleanly? Does the adhesive stick in high humidity? Does the window film crinkle? A PDF can't answer that. A physical sample can. The 12-point checklist I created after my third mistake has saved us an estimated $8,000 in potential rework, and half of those points involve inspecting a physical sample.

The 5-Minute Pre-Submission Checklist (That Saves Weeks)

5 minutes of verification beats 5 days of correction. This is what my team runs through before any order goes to a supplier like Berry Global or anyone else:

1. File Specs: 300 DPI at final size? CMYK/Pantone defined? Bleed and safe zones per template?
2. Color Proof: Do we have a physical, press-approved proof for color-critical items?
3. Substrate Match: Has the artwork been approved on the actual material (not just a mockup)?
4. Die-Line Verification: Has a sample been made from the exact die-line to check fit/function?
5. Copy & Codes: Read every word of copy. Verify batch codes, UPCs, and legal text. Twice.

Not ideal for every rush job, but workable. Better than nothing. A lesson learned the hard way.

When This Advice Doesn't Apply

I've only worked with commercial-scale orders (1,000+ units). For ultra-short runs or prototyping, some suppliers have different, more flexible workflows. The "always get a physical proof" rule might bend if you're using a vendor's fast-turn digital print service for 50 units—the risk and cost are lower. Also, if you have a long-standing relationship with a supplier and you're reordering an identical item, some checks can be streamlined. But for anything new or complex, that checklist is the cheapest insurance you'll buy.

Don't hold me to this, but I'd estimate 80% of the errors we see are repeats of these three categories. Most are preventable. The goal isn't perfection—it's catching the big, expensive mistakes before they leave your desk.