Print & Color Tolerances

Custom labels are manufactured products. Even with calibrated equipment and quality controls, printing and converting involve small production tolerances. This guide explains what that means before you approve artwork.

Screen color vs. printed color

Monitors, phones, and tablets emit RGB light; printing uses inks or toners on a physical material. A screen preview is therefore not a guaranteed color match. For print-focused artwork, CMYK files and defined production color references are preferred where supported.

Material affects appearance

The same artwork can look different on white film, clear film, paper, metallic material, gloss finish, or matte finish. Clear and metallic substrates can interact with transparent or unprinted areas in ways that do not occur on white stock.

Cut and registration tolerance

Die-cutting, digital cutting, laminating, and roll converting can introduce small positional variation. Important text, borders, and logos should remain safely inside the cut line rather than relying on perfect edge alignment.

Bleed

Artwork that reaches the edge of the finished label should include sufficient bleed for the selected production method. Follow the dimensions requested by the Artwork Guide or the specific proof for your order.

Reorders

Separate production runs can show slight differences in color or material appearance. If matching a previous run is especially important, tell us before production and provide the previous order reference when available.

When a variation is a problem

Minor commercial tolerances are normal; material deviations from the accepted specification are not. If you believe an order is materially outside reasonable production tolerance, contact us under the Refund, Reprint & Cancellation Policy.