What to check before printing your labels

By Inside Your Peptides revised 2026-09-17 · 3 minute read

A proof is a preview of artwork for review. This guide helps you check it without confusing a good-looking design with legal approval.

Give the designer the right files

Supply the original logo file, the correct brand name and text approved for this project. Do not ask the designer to redraw a logo from a screenshot or guess missing details.

Confirm the intended label size and the area that can safely be printed. Ask how the label will look on its packaging. A large screen preview can hide text that is difficult to read at the actual size.

Read the words before judging the design

Compare every line with your approved text. Check spelling, contact details, handling wording and research-use statements. Flag uncertain facts before the proof moves to production.

• Is the approved logo used without unwanted changes?
• Can the important text be read at the planned size?
• Do links and codes open the intended page?
• Does the outer packaging match the label's message?
• Do symbols or badges suggest an approval you cannot support?

The FTC reviews words, pictures and context together. That is why a badge can matter as much as a sentence. Read the advertising guidance.

Say exactly what is approved

Separate the wording check, the design check and the print-production check. One person may do several jobs, but the record should say which checks were completed. Arrange qualified legal review when your project requires it.

A useful approval names the file, version, size, approver and next step. If the text is still being reviewed, mark the design as not approved for printing.

Keep one current print file

Give any later change a new version number. Store older versions separately and tell the people handling print and packing which file is current. Do not rely on whichever attachment happens to be newest in a message thread.

Label review checklist

File name and version: [confirm]
Intended label size: [confirm]
Original logo source: [confirm]
Approved wording source: [confirm]
Text checked line by line: [done / open]
Readability checked at print size: [done / open]
Links and codes checked: [done / open]
Packaging context checked: [done / open]
Wording reviewer: [confirm]
Design reviewer: [confirm]
Print reviewer: [confirm]
Further review needed: [list]
Approved next step: [confirm]
Current print-file location: [confirm]

Changes need a new version and the relevant checks again.

For qualified research businesses only. Research-use only [RUO]: not for human consumption or clinical use. Sterility is not tested. This checklist does not certify label compliance.

Open the free label review checklist · More business guides