Assembly Required? (PDF workflow)

"Unfortunately, most classical PDF editors are not well adapted to file and image edits for the nuances of packaging," says Stephane Georges, software product manager for German-based DALiM Software. Because of that deficiency, he continues, many package printers don't seek out all-in-one software.

The challenge of the "assembly-required" PDF workflow is management. As Rottenborn asserts, this solution may involve less initial investment, but it does require "a level of integration and internal support that may be out of reach for some companies." Georges concurs, noting that in such a workflow, "edits to a file for content require one set of add-on tools, while edits for packaging applications (distortion or trapping) require yet another set of tools."