What is the artwork approval process?

The artwork approval process is how packaging artwork is reviewed, corrected and signed off before it goes to print. Brand, marketing, regulatory and quality teams check that the artwork is accurate, on brand and legally compliant, and the designer updates it until every approver signs off. In Cway, the orderer turns all reviewers' feedback into one clear answer for the designer, so conflicting comments never reach them. When a new revision comes in, only the approvers it affects need to look again, and every approval is tied to the exact revision that was signed off.

Who has the final say when reviewers disagree?

The orderer does. Reviewers add comments, and the orderer decides which feedback goes to the designer, so the designer works from one clear answer instead of conflicting requests.

Do all approvers need to re-approve after a small change?

No. With selective re-approval, you send a new revision only to the approvers it affects. Legal doesn't need to approve a colour tweak again.

Can agencies and printers work in Cway without an account?

Yes. Suppliers can view, download and upload revisions through a secure link, without creating an account.

How do I prove which version of the artwork was approved?

Every approval in Cway is tied to the exact revision, with who approved it and when, so you can always show which file was signed off.

Can Cway handle approvals for many SKUs at once?

Yes. Bulk actions let you approve, reject, bundle and deliver hundreds of SKUs in one go, and each approver has one live inbox with everything waiting on them.

Artwork Approvals & Proofing

Review, mark up and approve packaging artwork with one clear decision-maker. Reviewers comment, the orderer decides, and your designer gets one answer instead of conflicting feedback.

Brand, regulatory, agencies and printers work in one secure space, and every approval is tied to the exact revision that was signed off.

Clear approvals. One answer. The right revision.

Book a Demo

Artwork approval software interface showing lime mayo packaging review with comments and image markup tools

Artwork approval software that gets it right the first time.

Packaging artwork goes wrong when feedback is scattered, approvers disagree and nobody is sure which file was signed off. Cway gives every review a clear owner, keeps markup on the artwork itself and records exactly which revision each person approved.

Reduce your approvals from weeks to days.

Trusted by product and packaging teams

“When you’ve made a change to a tortilla artwork — something that used to take at least 10 minutes to review, plus a headache — it now takes ten seconds, because you can clearly see the change and that only the change has been made. No downloading or coordination needed either. We save hours during a single project.”

Susanna Gustafsson
Portfolio assistant, Paulig Group

ONE DECISION-MAKER, NO CONFLICTING FEEDBACK

Approvals without chaos

Reviewers from brand, marketing, regulatory and quality comment. The orderer decides what goes to the designer.

Conflicting feedback is resolved before the designer sees it
Team approvals: everyone approves, or one person decides for the team
Every new revision answers one clear brief

No more guessing whose comment wins.

Artwork approval software automation showing task assignment, drag-and-drop reviewer setup, and automatic email notifications for artwork review workflows

Artwork approval control in Cway: reviewer roles, approve and reject status per person, and an automatic email reminder

ELIMINATE MANUAL WORK

Maintain artwork approval control with audit trails

Every approval and rejection is tied to the exact revision it applies to.

Know exactly which revision was approved, by whom and when
Every change to projects, artwork, files and products is kept as a permanent event
Clear evidence for internal audits, retail partners and recall checks

Built for accountability from first review to final release. Audit trails for compliance →

FEEDBACK MADE SIMPLE

Precise artwork annotations

Pin comments, draw shapes and measure directly on the artwork, exactly where the change is needed.

Markup stays in place, even when the proof is re-rendered
Invalidate a wrong comment without deleting it, and restore it later
Every comment stays linked to the right revision

Clear feedback the designer can act on, every time.

Precise annotations in Cway: pinned comments and shape markup placed directly on packaging artwork

Revision comparison in Cway highlighting changes between two versions of packaging artwork

SPOT EVERY CHANGE

Reduce approval errors with version comparison

Compare previous and new versions to ensure every requested update has been made—correctly.

Instantly highlight changes between versions
Verify corrections before approval
Reduce costly errors and last-minute rework

Confidence comes from knowing exactly what changed.

PRINT-READY CHECKS

Proofing tools built for print

Check what matters for print before the artwork is approved.

Inspect each process and spot ink on its own with colour separations
Measure ink coverage against a target and approve it as a tracked step
See real size in mm and inches and DPI on every page, with low resolution flagged

Print-ready checks inside the approval, not after it.

Colour separation view in Cway showing a single spot ink isolated on packaging artwork

EXTERNAL SUPPLIERS

Agencies and printers join without a login

External suppliers work on the artwork through a secure link, with no Cway account.

View and download artwork straight from the link
Upload new revisions without email attachments
No accounts to create and no passwords to manage

Your suppliers in the loop, without the admin.

PROOF OF DELIVERY

Approved means delivered, not just sent

The approval chain doesn't stop at sign-off. It ends when the printer has the file.

The printer fills in their own print spec sheet from an emailed link
No account needed on the printer's side
Artwork is marked Delivered only when the printer has actually downloaded it

Know the printer has the approved file.

Packaging artwork marked Delivered in Cway after the printer downloaded the approved file

Rapid approvals

Cut approval cycles from weeks to days. Real-time collaboration, instant feedback and structured workflows eliminate delays.

Version control

No more confusion over the latest version. All versions are tracked, and previous versions are available for comparison.

Selective re-approval

One clean feedback round. The orderer has the final say, and only the approvers a change affects need to look again.

Auto notifications

Never miss a deadline. You get auto reminders and updates when action is required.

Tech for speed

Experience next-level technology delivering one of the market’s quickest preview renderings, and visual clarity.

Any file format

Whether it's a PDF, PNG, or other formats, upload and review files in the format that works best for your team.

Faster approvals, fewer mistakes, total control

Don’t let slow approvals delay your production. With the Cway® Viewer, you can reduce approval cycles, improve accuracy, ensure packaging compliance, and bring products to market faster.

Book a strategy call

build escalation paths in your approval workflow

FAQ

What is the artwork approval process?

The artwork approval process is how packaging artwork is reviewed, corrected and signed off before it goes to print. Brand, marketing, regulatory and quality teams check that the artwork is accurate, on brand and legally compliant, and the designer updates it until every approver signs off.

In Cway, the orderer turns all reviewers' feedback into one clear answer for the designer, so conflicting comments never reach them. When a new revision comes in, only the approvers it affects need to look again, and every approval is tied to the exact revision that was signed off.
Who has the final say when reviewers disagree?
Do all approvers need to re-approve after a small change?
Can agencies and printers work in Cway without an account?
How do I prove which version of the artwork was approved?
Can Cway handle approvals for many SKUs at once?

Artwork Approval Workflows: The Complete Guide

Learn how leading packaging teams reduce errors, speed up approvals, and stay compliant.

Read the guide

DISCOVER THE POWER OF AN ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION

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Artwork Approvals & Proofing

Artwork approval software that gets it right the first time.