Custom Coffee Packaging Order Checklist: 12 Specs to Confirm Before Production
October 17, 2026
Most custom coffee bag problems - bags that will not seal, colours that drift, barcodes that fail - trace back to spec gaps, not printing errors. Twelve items decide whether your custom coffee packaging order runs smoothly; confirm every one of them before the dieline is drawn and you will rarely need more than one revision round.
The 12-Spec Order Checklist
| # | Spec item | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bag format and size | Flat bottom, side gusset, quad seal or stand-up; run a fill test with your actual roast |
| 2 | Material structure | Foil, metallized, kraft or compostable; barrier target tied to your shelf-life goal |
| 3 | Degassing valve | Needed above about 100 g fresh roast; position fixed at dieline stage |
| 4 | Closure | Press-lock zipper, slider, tin tie or heat seal only |
| 5 | Print method | Digital for small multi-SKU runs; gravure for high volume per SKU |
| 6 | Colours and finish | Pantone codes, matte or gloss, spot gloss, white ink underlay on kraft |
| 7 | Artwork file | Supplier dieline, 3 mm bleed, safe zones, CMYK, 300 DPI, outlined fonts |
| 8 | Proofing | Digital proof for content, physical proof for colour; approve in writing |
| 9 | MOQ per SKU | Confirm per design and size, and plan your reorder point |
| 10 | Lead time | Artwork approval to delivery, including shipping - build in a buffer |
| 11 | Compliance documents | Food-contact statement, ink migration report, recyclability declaration |
| 12 | Transit packaging | Carton spec and pallet plan; sea freight means temperature swings |
Artwork Items That Cause the Most Rework
• Designing without the supplier's dieline: bag sizes differ between suppliers, and another printer's template will not fit when the bag is formed.
• RGB files: screens are RGB, presses are CMYK - convert before export or colours will shift.
• Low-resolution images: anything below 300 DPI at final print size prints soft or pixelated.
• Live fonts: outline or embed fonts, or the layout breaks when the press substitutes them.
• Barcodes on creases, gussets or near seals: keep line-art barcodes with quiet space on flat film.
• Text in seal or zipper zones: heat and pressure distort artwork there - keep critical content inside the safe area.
• No roast-date panel: specialty buyers expect a visible roast date; plan the space before printing.
Proofing Workflow: Sample, Dieline, Proof, Approval
• Step 1: order physical samples of the bag first, so format, valve and zipper are settled before any design work starts.
• Step 2: request the vector dieline for that exact bag and brief your designer with the file attached.
• Step 3: ask for a low-resolution layout first to confirm structure and hierarchy.
• Step 4: batch your feedback into one list - round-by-round notes multiply revision cycles.
• Step 5: approve on a physical proof, not a screen, and confirm bleed, colour mode and file format in writing.
Documents to Ask for With the Quote
A packaging partner should supply food-contact documentation for the inner film, ink migration test reports for EU-bound orders, and a recyclability declaration if you sell into markets with extended producer responsibility rules. Our films are produced in FDA- and ISO-certified facilities and we provide these documents with every order - if a supplier is evasive about paperwork, treat that as a signal before committing. For the freshness side of the spec, see our guides to degassing valves and barrier materials.
FAQ
What information does a supplier need for an accurate coffee bag quote?
Bag format, fill weight and product type, target shelf life, material preference, features such as valve and zipper, number of SKUs and quantity per SKU, target market, and your dispatch date.
Should I approve my coffee bag design on screen?
No. Screen colour varies with monitor and lighting. Approve colour on a physical proof, and use the digital proof only to check content and layout.
What artwork file format should I send?
A print-ready PDF built on the supplier's dieline, CMYK, 300 DPI images, outlined fonts and the dieline on its own locked layer.
How early should I order custom coffee bags?
Allow time for samples, one or two revision rounds, production and shipping. Digital runs move faster; gravure needs cylinder engraving. Work backwards from your launch or re-roast date.
Starting a custom coffee packaging project? Send us your brief - we offer free dielines, samples and a documented spec sheet for every order. FOB Shantou.