True size: why the 3D can is built from the dieline, not the other way round

Plenty of mockup tools stretch artwork onto a generic cylinder. It looks fine until the printer sends back a proof where the name wraps around the side and the back story falls off the seam.

Millimeters first

Every Labelkiln format starts as a spec: a 12 oz can is 66.2 mm across and 122.2 mm tall, with a printable wrap of 208 by 104 mm. The carton is 100 by 50 by 150 mm and unfolds into four panels, 300 by 150 mm. The pouch is two 140 by 200 mm panels over a 70 mm gusset.

The 3D geometry is generated from those numbers, and the label texture is drawn at the same proportion. The front panel sits exactly where the shopper sees it; the back panel and regulated area sit at the seam, the way a printer would lay them out.

What the export contains

• Flat art at 300 DPI with 3 mm bleed painted on every side.
• A PDF with crop marks and fold ticks for cartons and pouches, outside the bleed.
• Transparent PNG mockups rendered from the same 3D scene, for decks and listings.

Your printer will still send a dieline for their press. Check ours against theirs; small differences in can height or carton glue flaps are normal and easy to adjust.