A sound artwork handoff for a glass bottle names one bottle reference, one artwork revision and one decoration route, and marks every item as approved, proposed or still open. Bottle, label and decoration each get their own approval line, so a provisional choice on one is never read as a production release for all. What changes hands is a set of decisions, with the files attached as evidence.

What the handoff record lists

Whoever receives the artwork has to be able to tell which bottle it belongs to, how it will be applied, which closure is being considered, and whether the file is final or only a direction for sampling. A long email thread with attachments nobody can tie to a sample does not tell them that. A short record does:

  • Project name or internal reference
  • Bottle reference: a model code, an approved drawing revision, or a clearly identified sample
  • Artwork file, by revision and date
  • Decoration route
  • Closure reference
  • Date, reviewer and decision
  • Open items

Where a project involves several similar bottles, state which bottle each file is for. Filenames like "final" or "latest" identify nothing.

Link or attach the files in one place; pasted copies scattered across messages drift out of control. Any change gets a new revision with a note of what moved.

Status for each component

Cap, stopper, collar, label, screen print, coating and carton rarely become final on the same day. Against each one, write whether it is an approved component, a target direction or an unanswered question.

The decoration route needs stating in plain words: labels, screen printing, coating, embossing, or something else. An artwork file is not proof that a decoration method has been approved for the product. The route also decides what the sample review must look at, which may be label placement, print registration, where a coating starts and stops, or how the finished bottle is handled. Record those findings on the checklist for approving a physical sample; a digital proof does not answer them.

Separate approval lines for bottle, label and decoration

These three decisions move at different speeds:

  • The bottle may be accepted as a physical container while the artwork is not.
  • A label file may be signed off while the bottle panel it sits on is under technical review.
  • Decoration may pass on a sample, and then a closure or carton change raises a fresh visual or handling question.

Keeping a line for each lets part of the project advance without the rest being treated as released. Purchasing and quality teams who pick the project up later can see exactly what was agreed.

Repeat the review when the bottle drawing, the closure reference or the artwork revision changes. It goes faster if the earlier record shows precisely which interface was affected.

Open items stay visible

A brief with gaps has not failed, as long as the gaps are written down. Typical entries are a technical drawing still pending, a closure reference pending, formula compatibility to be checked, input needed from the label converter, or an export packing route to be confirmed. Filling those fields with guesses to make the document look finished only hides the risk.

On a custom project the open-items list often decides the starting point: a stock reference, a drawing review or a sample route. Our overview of custom glass bottle work gives a first direction, and the brief still has to tie that direction to the actual components.

Sending a package someone can review

Test the package before it goes out. A colleague who has not seen the project should be able to identify the intended bottle and the current artwork without asking for a missing attachment.

Say what you want back. Confirming a visual direction, reviewing a panel, comparing a closure reference and preparing for a physical sample are different requests, and a specific one gets a specific reply.

For an early-stage project, send us the brief with the reference image, product direction, quantity range, destination and open questions. That is more useful than presenting unconfirmed component choices as fixed specifications.

Where the record is used later

The same record serves at the sample stage and again when a repeat order comes up. It is not a substitute for a technical drawing, an inspection plan or a component test. Its job is to keep commercial and creative decisions traceable, so that those later reviews all begin from one reference.

Frequently asked questions

Does a PDF proof approve the decoration on glass?

It approves the artwork direction. The proposed bottle and decoration route still need a sample review.

What goes in the handoff if no closure has been chosen?

Give the current closure direction or reference, flag it as open, and add whatever the next compatibility review will need.

How are changes logged?

Issue a new revision, describe which component or artwork area is affected, name the reviewer, and keep the previously approved reference on file.