Once artwork is signed off, every word on the pack is fixed for the whole print run. We check your label and pack copy against your approved claims and each market’s rules, in every language, before artwork is signed off. Anything that needs a decision goes to your regulatory team.
At a glance
Arbitr is packaging compliance software that checks label and pack copy before it goes to print. It compares claims, warnings, ingredients, net quantity and required languages against a company’s approved record and each market’s rules, in InDesign files and PDF proofs. Lines that need a decision go to the regulatory team, and every decision is recorded.
Net weight 12 oz
Clinically proven to repair dry skin
Signal word: Warning
Made with real fruit
Sets in 20 minutes
Your week
The French artwork is back from the agency, the UK pack needs the new allergen line, and the drum labels have to match the updated safety data sheet. Every change goes around regulatory, marketing and a translator by email, against a claims list and a spec sheet that may or may not be current.
The last check is someone reading a PDF proof late at night. If a line slips through, it’s on every pack in the run. The fix is a sticker, a reprint or a recall.
How it works
Your artwork process stays as it is. Arbitr sits alongside it, so the copy is right before it reaches the designer and still right when it reaches the printer.
TodayClaims lists, spec sheets and regulatory sign-offs live in separate files.
With ArbitrApproved claims, product facts, warnings and your reading of each market’s rules, held in one place.
TodayCopy is drafted in a document and adapted for each market by hand.
With ArbitrCopy is created and checked as it’s written, by your team, your agency or AI, in every language.
TodaySomeone compares the proof with the copy deck, line by line.
With ArbitrThe InDesign file or PDF proof is checked against the approved copy, so nothing changes on the way into artwork.
TodayEvery proof goes to regulatory, whatever changed.
With ArbitrOnly the lines that need a decision reach them, with the rule each was checked against.
TodayApproval lives in an email thread.
With ArbitrEvery decision is recorded: who approved what, for which market, against which rule, and when.
TodayA withdrawn claim is found when someone remembers it.
With ArbitrWe find every pack and listing that carries it, before the next print run.
What we check
We check what the words say, not the layout or the colors. Leaflets, inserts and instructions that go in the box are covered by manuals and instructions.
Nutrition, health, environmental and “free from” claims match your approved list for that market.
Allergen emphasis, hazard statements, signal words and required warnings are present and worded as approved.
Ingredients, net quantity, dimensions and performance figures match the approved product record.
Grams or ounces, date formats and decimal marks are right for the market the pack is going to.
Each language says what the approved copy says, and every language the market requires is there.
When a claim or rule changes, we find every pack and listing that carries the old wording.
Artwork compliance
Most errors get in between the approved copy and the final proof. We check the InDesign (IDML) file or PDF proof itself, so what’s checked is what gets printed. Upload one file, a folder or a .zip.
Right for each market
A pack that’s right in one market can be wrong in the next. The same granola needs ounces first in the US, metric with the ℮ mark in the EU, and English and French in Canada. We check each edition against that market’s rules, not against the original.
Before the next print run
When a claim is withdrawn or a rule changes, we find every pack, label and listing that still carries the old wording. What’s at proof is corrected. What’s already printed comes to you, so you decide on stickers, a reprint or a run-out, and the old wording is caught before the next print run.
Rules by market
You load your regulatory team’s reading of each rule, and we check every pack against it. These are some of the rules packaging teams work with most.
| Market | Rule | What it covers on the pack | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU | Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) | Harmonized sorting labels, material composition marks and limits on reusability claims | Applies from August 12, 2026; label rules follow later |
| EU | Food Information to Consumers Regulation | Mandatory food label particulars, allergen emphasis and the nutrition declaration | Since December 2014 |
| EU | CLP Regulation, as revised | Hazard label content for chemicals; new formatting and online rules | Revised formatting rules apply from January 1, 2028 |
| EU | General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) | Product, manufacturer and online listing details for consumer goods | Since December 13, 2024 |
| UK | Natasha’s Law (PPDS labeling) | Full ingredient and allergen labels on food prepacked for direct sale in England | Since October 1, 2021 |
| UK | Extended producer responsibility for packaging | Producer reporting and fees, with recyclability labeling to follow | Labeling stage to come |
| US | Fair Packaging and Labeling Act | Product identity, net quantity and maker details on consumer packages | Since 1966 |
| California | Proposition 65 | Clear warnings on products with listed chemicals, on labels and online | Short-form changes from January 2025, phased to 2028 |
| California | SB 343, truth in recyclable labeling | When recyclable claims and the chasing arrows symbol can appear | Effective October 4, 2026 |
| US | OSHA Hazard Communication Standard | GHS labels and safety data sheets for chemicals | 2024 update, phased dates |
| Canada | Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act | English and French labeling on prepackaged goods | In force |
| Quebec | Charter of the French Language (Bill 96) | French on products, with trademark changes | Trademark changes since June 1, 2025 |
Where it sits
Your label and artwork systems manage layout, versions and approval routing. We check what the words say, wherever the copy comes from and wherever it ends up.
You decide
You set what’s corrected for you, what’s held for regulatory and what goes straight to artwork. A held line arrives with the rule it was checked against and the market it’s for. Every decision is recorded: who approved it, why, for which market, and when.
Technology you can trust
FAQ
Yes. We check the text in InDesign (IDML) files and PDF proofs, as well as Word, Excel, XML and other files you upload one at a time, as a folder or as a .zip. Text that’s been converted to outlines for the printer can’t be read as text, so run the check on the proof before that step.
No. Those systems manage layout, versions and approval routing. We check what the words say against your approved claims and each market’s rules, and work alongside them.
No. You load your regulatory team’s reading of each rule, along with your approved claims and product facts. We check every pack against them and record each decision.
It can’t change a printed pack. When a claim or rule changes, it finds every pack, label and listing that carries the old wording, so you can decide what to do with stock and stop it reaching the next print run.
Yes. Product facts often sit in an ERP, a PLM, a PIM or spreadsheets. We load what you have and connect to the rest over API and MCP.
Yes. Each language is checked against the approved copy and that market’s rules, including where a market requires more than one language, such as English and French in Canada. See content localization.
As digital product passports arrive in the EU, category by category, the claims on your pack will need to match the passport data. Passport data can sit in your approved record, so the same check covers both.
Yes. Instructions, safety leaflets and inserts are checked against the approved specification, as part of the same platform.
