Packaging Design Software: Best Tools

Package design software is a collection of computer applications used to transform packaging design concepts into final artwork, structural dielines, and realistic 3D prototypes. Effective packaging design combines accurate color reproduction, structural engineering, and production-ready layouts to create functional and visually appealing packaging.

Good packaging protects the product, strengthens brand identity, and ensures smooth printing and manufacturing without unexpected issues. This guide explores the best packaging design software while also covering the essential design principles behind creating successful packaging.

What is Packaging Design Software?

Packaging design software includes a range of tools used to create graphics, structural layouts, and realistic 3D prototypes for product packaging. Graphic design software is used to develop the visual elements, including logos, typography, colors, and artwork that appear on the outside of the package.

Structural design and CAD software create dielines and engineering drawings used for cutting, folding, and manufacturing, while 3D rendering tools generate realistic mockups for client approvals and marketing. However, software alone doesn’t create effective packaging. Understanding the key elements of packaging design, such as visual hierarchy, color, typography, materials, and functionality, is equally important to developing packaging that performs well both aesthetically and commercially.

What Software is Used for Packaging Design?

Designers use a combination of graphic design, CAD modeling, and 3D visualization programs, along with an increasing number of AI assistants. The guide below will provide a closer analysis of some of the best solutions in each area.

• Best Graphic and Artwork Design Software for Packaging Design

These program solutions are used for the basic graphic design elements of packaging design: logo design, color separations, typography, and print artwork. Packaging design studios have two or more of them working simultaneously.

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Illustrator is the software of choice in terms of creating packaging artwork because it operates in vector format. This means that labels and box graphics can be resized from business cards to pallet wraps with ease. 

Adobe Illustrator excels at working with Pantone color separations, dieline overlays, and print-ready files. The software has a steep learning curve and does not do structural and 3D design on its own.

Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop works well in packaging design projects that require photography and photo-realistic mock-ups rather than clean vector lines. It is used to put the product image onto the packaging design mock-up. This software does not create vector scalable artwork, so in most cases, the final artwork is exported to Illustrator first.

Canva Magic Studio

Magic Studio by Canva offers small companies and non-designers an easy tool to create packaging labels and mockups quickly using templates and AI-driven layouts. It is simple and quick, and no need for setup comes with professional software. It offers less customization for color separation and dielines. This makes it more suitable for initial designs.

CorelDRAW

The CorelDRAW package remains popular with sign shops and packaging printers around the world, not within North America, because of its great vector tools and efficient die-cut support. CorelDRAW manages spot colors and print production effectively. The number of packaging plugins is smaller than those for Illustrator.

Affinity Designer

Affinity Designer provides users with a license that is not subscription-based but can be purchased once. This makes it appealing to freelance designers working on packaging art. This supports vector and graphics in one document and creates print-ready PDF files. Affinity Designer has a less developed plugin ecosystem compared to Adobe Illustrator.

These software solutions are used to create the core visual elements of packaging design, including logos, typography, color separations, illustrations, and print-ready artwork. Professional packaging design studios often use multiple tools together to produce packaging that is both visually appealing and production-ready. If you’re looking for inspiration before choosing a design tool, exploring examples of great packaging design can help you understand how these visual elements come together in successful real-world packaging.

• Best Structural and Dielines Design Software

Structural design software converts the 2D concept into the folds, score lines, and cuts needed to create a box or carton.

ArtiosCAD

The ArtiosCAD package is the benchmark for structural design within the packaging industry, for designing dielines for folding cartons, shipping boxes, and boxes with trays and lids. The software creates the files ready for production that a converter can take directly to the cutting table. It is an intensely designed interface intended for structural designers only.

Impact CAD

Impact CAD is designed to support corrugated packaging structures through libraries of standard boxes that allow for quicker structural work at the early stages. Impact CAD works perfectly with standard converting machinery. It maintains a more specific scope of capabilities in comparison with ArtiosCAD.

Packmage CAD

Packmage CAD is an inexpensive solution for structural design that includes a library of ready box templates. It is suitable for small and newly established packaging companies. Packmage CAD makes the transition from initial idea to die line quicker.

EngView Package Designer

The EngView Package Designer software includes folding cartons and corrugated boxes in one package. It comes with 3D preview integrated into the flat dieline. This software is appropriate for design teams where structural and graphic designs need to be created within one document. The number of users of this software is relatively small.

• Best 3D Mockup And Rendering Design Software

The rendering tool makes it clear how the final packaging would really look after creating the flat design and structure.

Adobe Dimension

Adobe Dimension converts the flat artwork created in Illustrator or Photoshop into realistic 3D product designs without needing to be a 3D designer. This is ideal for presentations to clients and marketing pictures.

Blender

Blender is a free and open-source software that is very good for making packaging renders in great detail once a user masters modeling and lighting techniques. It performs very well on complex custom shapes.

Cinema 4D

Cinema 4D is another popular choice among users to create animation and motion graphic videos with packaging renders. It is expensive as a monthly subscription when only static mockups are needed.

Boxshot

Boxshot focuses on packaging mock-ups. This allows the designer to apply the flat artwork to premade boxes and pouches in a matter of minutes. It is efficient for common structures. Unusual or custom structures can sometimes be too complex for its template library.

Pacdora

Pacdora merges the template library with a real-time preview of the 3D model. Designers can jump directly from template to the 3D visualization in one software. It is ideal for quick concepts. 

Esko Studio

Esko Studio integrates all three aspects: structural design, artwork, and rendering into one platform meant for large enterprises that manufacture large numbers of SKUs. Professional color management and prepress functions are included. 

Which AI is Best for Packaging Design?

AI technologies assist in quick concept creation, offering design solutions and color combinations within seconds. These tools excel in creativity and productivity. They require an experienced designer who will change a raw concept into a production-ready file since all of the generated materials are not always ready for printing.

Packify.ai

Packify.ai offers design concepts based on text prompts provided by users. It helps to create the visual direction of the brand at the beginning of the process.

Pacdora

Pacdora gives AI-generated ideas for how layouts should look in addition to providing dielines and mockups. This can be beneficial when a brand team needs to go from a template to a finished design quickly.

Cubit

Cubit uses AI to assist brand teams in generating variations on packaging designs. This helps when the team is dealing with multiple SKUs.

Sourceful

Sourceful merges the two with AI-generated designs and production data instead of separating the designing process from the sourcing process.

KeyShot

KeyShot does not use artificial intelligence as its main feature, but the company’s fast and photorealistic rendering system is often used as a finishing touch after an AI-generated or CAD-based packaging concept is created.

Packaging Design Software Comparison

The table below lines up the tools covered here side by side, so you can match a platform to the stage of work you are in.

Conclusion

The selection of software for packaging design depends on how suitable it is to the phase of work. The vector graphic software such as Illustrator contains the graphics, the structural CAD such as ArtiosCAD builds the box, and the 3D rendering software makes all of it visible for the client. 

AI software helps you get faster results in the very beginning but requires an experienced eye nonetheless. Most successful packaging projects lean on two or three of these tools together rather than one program doing everything.

FAQ’S

Which Software Is Best For Packaging Design?

There is no single best option. Packages use one software that uses vectors like Adobe Illustrator for art and another structural program like ArtiosCAD for dielines, followed by 3D rendering software.

Is Canva or Adobe Illustrator Better?

Canva is better suited for faster ideas and less sophisticated users, but Illustrator is more suitable for actual production-ready packaging art with color separation and scalable vector graphics.

Which AI is Best for Packaging Design?

Both Packify.ai and Pacdora are worth trying out because of their ability to create quick visual concepts from an initial idea, but should not be relied upon to generate ready-to-print files manually.

How to Use AI in Packaging?

AIs should be used during the concept phase when the designer needs layout suggestions, direction in colors, or rough mockups for their concept. The designer will then need to finalize the concept in production software.

Is Pacdora AI Free?

Pacdora provides a partially free plan that includes basic dieline templates and mockups, while the paid plans include access to a bigger template library and extra features.

What is a CAD in Packaging?

CAD is an abbreviation for computer-aided design, which means a software program used for the creation of dielines, folds, and cuts that converters need to create boxes.

Which Software is Used for Dielines?

The software that is widely used in the packaging industry for creating dielines is ArtiosCAD. However, one may use other programs such as Impact CAD, Packmage CAD, or EngView Package Designer to create dielines depending on the type of packaging.

What is the Difference Between Graphic Design Software and Packaging CAD Software?

Graphic design software such as Illustrator deals with the branding of the packaging, whereas packaging CAD software focuses on the engineering of the structure of the package.