Written by Gouri Sasidharan
Content Specialist, Esko
You’ve probably tried them all. The sleek project management tools everyone swears by. You set up boards, timelines, and dashboards, thinking, “Finally, I’ll get packaging under control!” But somewhere between version 12 of your label and that last-minute regulatory tweak, the magic fades. Your “organized packaging workflow” now feels less like progress and more like juggling flaming bottles…blindfolded.
Packaging Workflows Are More Than Just Tasks
If you’re in packaging, you already know this: every packaging artwork approval process is its own mini project. Most project management platforms were designed for task tracking, not packaging. They’re great at organizing to-dos and deadlines, but packaging isn’t just a series of tasks where you Assign, Comment, and Mark Complete. It’s a regulated, version-driven, multi-stakeholder marathon.
A small copy change can send the artwork back to Regulatory. QA might reopen the file for a new ingredient statement. Vendors need access to updated dielines. Now, your “simple task tracker” is trying to manage a pinball machine.
So, here’s the hard truth: generic tools were never built for packaging teams.
The Packaging Problem that your Project Management Tools Can’t Fix
Sure, some teams are happy managing artworks inside a project tracker, especially when volumes are low, and task workflows are simple. But the cracks show up as brands start to grow.
Packaging workflows aren’t your typical office projects. They’re messy, multi-layered, and extremely detail sensitive. And as your SKU count rises, compliance demands pile up, and vendors multiply, generic task tools struggle to keep pace. Here’s why:
1. Packaging is File-first, Not Task-first
Task trackers are great for “Who does what by when.” But the packaging approval and review process requires file-level workflows: reviewers need to compare PDFs, track changes inside layered files, and see exactly which version went to a vendor. Without a dedicated artwork management system, teams exchange files, screenshots, and emails, and errors creep in.
2. Proofing is More Than Just Adding Comments
Comments work fine when you’re a small team. But as product lines expand, reviewers need specific tools to annotate, compare two versions side by side, run copy checks, and lock approved artwork for print. Generic comment threads can’t show color differences, layered annotations, or track copy changes across versions. So, approvals remain shallow, exposing to risky business.
3. Compliance Checks are Manual and Fragmented
For an emerging brand entering new markets, compliance gets complicated quickly. Label rules (ingredients, nutrition panels, claims, legal text, local language requirements) must be validated per market. In a project tracker, compliance checks happen as manual comments; there’s no automated validation against regulatory rules, nor structured tables to input data.
4. Versions Multiply Across Projects and Vendors
A single SKU may have multiple variants across languages, sizes, and markets. Generic project management tools don’t link file versions, leaving multiple “latest” copies floating around. So, a change in one version doesn’t automatically propagate, and there’s no single source of truth.
5. Weak Audit, Traceability, and E-signatures
Once you step into regulated categories (food, personal care, nutraceuticals), audits and signoffs become non-negotiable. Project management tools may show who moved a card, but they rarely capture file-level approval history, e-signatures, or an auditable chain of custody of label changes.
Project trackers might get you started, but growing brands inevitably outgrow them. As soon as your packaging volume, compliance needs, and vendor network expand, you need a system built specifically for the realities of packaging.
Artwork Management System: The Alternative Your Packaging Teams Need
Instead of trying to bend a generic tool into something it’s not, it’s time to consider an all-in-one artwork management system that actually works.
Here’s what you should notice in your ideal artwork management software:
1. Workflows That Understand Packaging
No more manually nudging stakeholders about tasks or chasing approvals. With a purpose-built tool, automate project handoffs, add approval gates you can’t skip, and even loop reviewers back in when the artwork gets edited mid-cycle.
You don’t have to update task lists every single time or wonder who’s next. Your workflow routes files and tasks to the right place. Once the right people have approved, the project moves ahead automatically.
b. Proofing That’s Built-In
Forget juggling attachments and downloading PDFs.
With powerful proofing tools, you can view, measure, annotate, and compare versions right in your browser.
Want to see what changed between artwork version 5 and 6? Just open both side by side, spot the one-pixel logo shift, tag Regulatory where the claim needs revising, and move on with your day.
c. Compliance That’s Automated
Your Quality team doesn’t have to keep pointers or rules in your head anymore. Leading artwork management tools like WebCenter Go add the guardrails generic project management tools don’t have.
AI-powered checks using the Comply component on WebCenter Go automatically flag missing text, inconsistent claims, or outdated information before the file even hits print. So, fewer errors mean less chances of recalls.
d. A Single Source of Truth for Every Asset
Everything including artwork files, feedback, and metadata are stored in one centralized space. This prevents you from duplicate folders, scattered attachments, and scavenger hunts through email threads.
With a single source of truth, everyone from QA to external vendors can access the latest approved artwork instantly. You spend less time searching and more time strategizing.
Generic project management tools are good for tracking tasks, but packaging is different. With so many versions, compliance checks, and external partners involved, you need a system built for artwork. An Artwork Management System keeps everything in one place, avoids costly mistakes, and gets products to market faster. While generic project management tools manage tasks, the latter ends up managing compliance, creativity, and cost – the things that truly decide whether your product makes it safely and quickly to market.
WebCenter Go: The Smarter Way to Go
If you’re an emerging brand still managing growing SKUs and tight timelines with a project management tool, WebCenter Go is the right artwork management solution for you. Think of it as your packaging workflow in a box, ready to go, with all the essentials baked in:
1. Flexible Workflows
WebCenter Go adapts to your way of working. Whether it’s a straight line from Regulatory to Packaging to QA, or a few loops in between.
- Conditional steps: Automatically skip or add reviewers based on pack type, SKU, or region.
- Automatic handoffs: Once someone signs off, the next person in the chain gets notified instantly. No manual task updates.
- Custom Regulatory & QA sign-off gates: Built-in approval gates make compliance non-negotiable, ensuring every artwork gets the right sign-offs before it moves forward.
- Analyze KPIs: Track task completion duration, project delays, and artwork revisions to improve project efficiency.
However, if you still feel that you need a bigger tool for your overflowing packaging workflows, WebCenter Enterprise is your answer. With its deeper customization, integrations, and enterprise-grade control, you can seamlessly scale further.
2. Automatic Version Management
A tool like WebCenter Go tracks every revision of your artwork automatically, so no one has to guess which file is the latest.
- Side-by-side version comparison: Spot even the tiniest visual or text differences preventing from printing the wrong version.
- Track changes: See who made what edit, when, and why with complete audit trails.
- Easy rollback: If something goes wrong, you can revert to a previous version without digging through folders.
Because no one needs another “Final_v6_Approved_ReallyThisTime.ai” nightmare!
3. Built-In Proofing Tools
Proofing shouldn’t mean downloading, annotating, and re-uploading the same PDF ten times. WebCenter Go makes it happen right inside your browser.
- Visual compare modes: Detect pixel shifts, color variations, and text changes in 2D or 3D format. Yes, even on curved packs!
- Annotation & markup tools: Highlight the wrong quantity of “Saturated Fats” in the nutrition panel, pinpoint comments on that specific part of the label design, or tag teammates accurately on the artwork asking for suggestions/edits.
- Measurement tools: Measure and verify dieline dimensions, panel width, or font sizes without external tools.
4. AI-Powered Label Compliance Checks
Don’t leave compliance for the final sprint. WebCenter Go helps you build it in from day one. With our smart compliance module, you can create rulebooks and run them against your labels to ensure 100% accuracy.
- Identify critical errors: Spot labeling mistakes such as missing allergens, inaccurate numbers, and typos that can cost you reprints.
- Barcode verification: Validate that your barcode reads the correct product details.
- FDA formatting checks: From casing to line spacing, ensure your label follows regulatory formatting rules.
It is a perfect time-saver and saves you from nasty product recalls!
5. Centralized Artwork Library
From initial drafts to final approved files, find everything in a single repository no matter how old the file is. WebCenter Go gives you a shared library that connects everyone involved in packaging.
- No more duplicate folders: Everyone accesses the same approved version.
- Smart search and filters: Find artwork by SKU, region, date, color or product line in seconds.
- External access: Share approved assets safely with vendors or partners via secure links without the cost of messy email chains.
It may appear as a storage space, but it’s your entire packaging history, organized, and audit ready.
Stop Managing Packaging Like a To-Do List
Now we can vouch that the generic project tools might help you tick off deadlines, but they don’t track accountability, compliance, or version integrity. The things that really matter in packaging.
That’s why your packaging team needs a system built for real-world applications.
WebCenter Go brings structure and automation to emerging brands while WebCenter Enterprise gives global companies the power to scale packaging management across teams, vendors, and regions.
If you’d like a demo of the product, contact our team.
