Short answer: send a 1:1 vector file, in layers, with the dieline on its own non-printing layer, 3β5 mm bleed beyond every cut edge, all text as outlines, and nothing β no text, no logo, no background colour change β inside the seal areas. Those five rules prevent most of the artwork round-trips that push a production date back by a week.
What a pouch dieline actually contains
A dieline is the flat drawing of a bag before it becomes a bag. It is not decoration; it defines where the film is cut, folded and sealed. On a stand-up pouch it includes:
- Front and back panels β the printable faces.
- Bottom gusset β folds open to form the base; printed on the outside, sometimes also inside.
- Top and bottom seal areas β typically 8β10 mm bands where two sealant layers are heat-bonded. Nothing printed here is visible, and ink in a seal area weakens the seal.
- Side seal / fin β where the tube is joined; on a back-seal bag this is a visible strip.
- Zipper zone β the position of the press-to-close strip, usually 15β25 mm below the top edge.
- Valve patch β a circle of defined diameter on a flat panel, clear of folds and seals.
- Tear notch and hang hole β mechanical features that must stay clear.
- Barcode zone β a flat area with a quiet margin; barcodes do not scan reliably across a curve or a gusset fold.
Your supplier should issue the dieline for the exact size, format and features of your bag. Never draw your own β a dieline that does not match the tooling produces a bag that does not seal.
The file setup that avoids rework
1. Scale
1:1, in millimetres. Never send a scaled-down file "to be enlarged" β rounding at the wrong stage changes seal widths.
2. Layers
At minimum: Dieline (non-printing), Artwork, White (if the structure needs a white underprint), and Notes. The dieline layer must be set to non-printing, and it must be a separate spot colour β not CMYK black β so the prepress operator can strip it automatically.
3. Bleed and safe area
Extend background colours 3β5 mm beyond every cut edge. Keep text and logos at least 3 mm inside the trim and at least 5 mm away from any seal line. On a gusset bag, remember the gusset is a fold: artwork crosses it with a visible crease, and registration drifts slightly at the fold.
4. Fonts
Convert all text to outlines. If the printer has to substitute a font, your kerning and line breaks change and the proof you approved is not the one that prints.
5. Images
300 dpi at final print size, CMYK. An image that looks sharp on screen at 72 dpi is 4Γ too soft for print. Avoid RGB β the conversion is not neutral, especially for saturated greens and oranges.
Film-specific rules that catch first-timers
- White underprint. Film is not paper. On clear, metallized or foil structures, colours are printed over a white layer or they turn muddy and transparent. Your artwork must include a white layer wherever you want opaque colour β and usually not where you want the metallic or clear effect to show through.
- Colour count equals cost. Every spot colour is a print station and, on gravure, a cylinder. Going from 6 to 8 colours is a real cost step, not a rounding error.
- Line weights. Very fine reverse-out text (white text on a dark background) fills in on film. Below roughly 6 pt, expect trouble; below 4 pt, expect a defect.
- Barcodes. Print them at the correct magnification with a quiet zone, on a flat panel, in a single solid colour. A barcode across a gusset or over a zipper will fail retail scanning.
- Metallic and matte effects. Spot varnish, matte lacquer and soft-touch finishes change how colours read. Approve them on a physical proof, not on screen.
The nine-point pre-flight checklist
- 1:1 PDF/AI with fonts outlined
- Dieline on a separate, non-printing spot layer
- 3β5 mm bleed on every cut edge
- No ink in seal areas, zipper zone or valve patch
- Text β₯ 3 mm inside trim, β₯ 5 mm from seals
- White underprint layer defined where opacity is needed
- All images 300 dpi CMYK at final size
- Barcode at correct magnification with quiet zone
- Colour list written on the artwork or in the email β number of spots, Pantone references, any varnish
What "approval" should mean
Approve a physical proof, not a PDF. Screens cannot show you how a metallic film shifts a Pantone, how matte lacquer kills a gradient, or how a 6 pt reverse line fills in. If a press proof is not economical for the format, ask for a printed sample of the actual structure with your artwork β and check it under both daylight and shop lighting.
Once artwork is approved and cylinders or plates are made, changes are charged again. This is why the nine checks above are worth 20 minutes.
What we do
We issue the dieline for your exact bag β size, format, zipper, valve and tear notch β and run a prepress check before anything goes to plate. If something in your file will not reproduce on film, you hear it before the plates are cut, not after the bags arrive. Minimum order is 10,000 pieces for multi-layer barrier pouches, 5,000 for simpler printed bags, and plain stock bags start at 1,000.
Dielines are issued with the quotation. Proofs take about two weeks from artwork approval, and production three weeks after the proof is signed.
Next step: send your current artwork file and the bag size; we will run the nine checks and tell you exactly what needs changing before it reaches the plate room. Send artwork for a free pre-flight check Β· See the full product range
Frequently asked questions
Can you supply the dieline, or do I need a designer?
We supply the dieline. A designer works on top of it, keeping the print areas, seal areas and mechanical features where the dieline places them.
What if my designer works in Canva or another template tool?
Export a print-ready PDF at 1:1 with bleed and send it. If the export flattens text or drops the bleed, we will tell you what is missing rather than guess.
Do I need to pay for plates before seeing a proof?
That depends on the print method. Digital proofs are inexpensive and quick; gravure cylinders are a real, one-off cost. Ask for the structure of the charges before approving.
How long does artwork approval take?
The review itself is usually days, not weeks. The delay almost always comes from rework β which the checklist above is designed to prevent.