Artwork has to do more than just look good on screen. Make sure to speak to the printing company’s representative and ask questions about the durability of what is being printed, such as:

• will the design get scratched or scuffed easily?
• will the ink run or smudge under any circumstances?
• is the ink colourfast or will it fade in sunlight?
• will the artwork be able to be printed through a laser or inkjet printer?
• is the paper stock appropriate for its purpose?
• is the paper translucent or opaque? this is important when designing schoolbooks, as once pages are written on and turned over, the ink of the print or the customer’s handwriting can be seen.
• will this binding method be appropriate for it’s use? tradespeople prefer to have textbooks which are lie-flat binds, so that when they open the book for reference the pages will not move or close shut
• has a working prototype been made of the product? This is important for packaging or POS products.

There are other several practical issues which affect most cartons, envelopes or POS printed matter. A few examples are:

• can the barcode be read easily by supermarket scanners?
• will envelopes hold the matter they were designed to hold?
• will the postal service reject the envelopes because there is ink in a particular area or in a particular colour?
• does a label meet the required the appropriate labelling laws, particularly for food; censored works such as movies; or pharmaceuticals?
• will the items fit into cartons easily?