The professional behind the projects
Alexandre
Cardial
Senior Packaging Development Specialist
Projects are made by people. Learn the journey, experience and vision that shape every project developed by inPressão.
The story
Where the way of thinking comes from
I started in graphic design when the transition from analogue to digital was still happening. I learned to understand printing before mastering software — and that completely changed how I see artwork to this day.
Over time, I realized the biggest problem was not creativity. It was the gap between what was designed and what was possible to produce. Files arrived with wrong bleeds, out-of-profile colors, structures impossible to assemble. Every error had a real cost — material, time, trust.
That led me to structural packaging development: a field where engineering and communication must coexist. Where every millimeter has consequences. And where understanding production is not optional — it is the starting point.
Over more than two decades, I managed Prepress and Packaging Development departments at different printing companies. Every environment brought a new problem — and a solution that needed to be built, not just found.
When I founded inPressão, the idea was not to open another print shop. It was to create a space where printing and structural development would be treated as part of the same process — because in practice, they always were.
Today I work with clients who need someone who understands both sides. Who does not separate the file from the die. Who does not treat packaging as a design problem separate from the production line.
Journey
An evolution built step by step
Not a list of jobs. A sequence of problems that shaped a way of thinking.
Design and the fundamentals of printing
The first years were total immersion in graphic design and production. I learned that the screen lies — what matters is what comes out printed. Color, resolution, bleed, print direction: every detail has consequences when the file reaches the machine.
Prepress, colorimetry and technical workflow
Prepress taught me that every file decision has an impact on production. I developed fluency in applied colorimetry — not theory, but real calibration, ICC profiles, proof approval. The right file prevents reprints. And reprints cost more than fees.
From flat to volume — structural packaging
I entered structural development out of the need to solve problems no one was solving: packaging files sent for production without considering paper behavior, impossible manual assembly, unnecessary die costs. I learned ArtiosCad, EngView and Precision Package Designer to have the technical vocabulary the problem demanded.
Technical management and systemic vision
Managing the Packaging Development and Prepress departments at the same time was what consolidated my integrated vision. The dieline must talk to the artwork. The artwork must respect the dieline. When this flow works, the result reaches the client without surprises.
inPressão — where everything converges
I founded inPressão to work the way I believe in: with technical attention at every stage, without separating what graphic production insists on treating as different worlds. Printing and packaging development are parts of a single process. They always were.
Philosophy
How I see the work
Three questions that shape every technical decision.
"A package that cannot be produced is not a solution. It is a draft."
Packaging starts in engineering, not aesthetics. The most beautiful form that does not withstand transport, does not fit the product, or makes line assembly impossible — does not work. Beauty is a consequence of a structure that functions.
"Printing starts long before the machine. It starts in the file."
Prepress is not a bureaucratic step. It is where most errors are avoided — or ignored until they become costs. Reviewing a file before production is respecting the client's investment and the work of the printing team.
"Development ends when the supplier has no more questions."
A well-made development package is one that the supplier opens and understands without calling. Technical specification, assembly instruction, approved dieline. Ambiguity in technical documentation is a cost that appears in production, not in the budget.
"Separating structure from printing is separating the product from its identity."
When the dieline and artwork are developed in parallel, the result is better for both. The bleed respects the score. The color considers the paper. The finishing is planned from the start. That is the advantage of working with someone who masters both fields.
Competencies
Areas of mastery
Not a list of skills — but the fields where experience has accumulated over two decades.
Prepress
Technical preparation and review of files for graphic production. Color specification, ICC profiles, imposition, digital proof and output quality control.
Structural Development
Dieline design for cartons, folding boxes and special packaging. Score calculation, assembly tolerances and optimization for cutting tooling.
Colorimetry
Color management applied to production: equipment calibration, output profiles, proof approval and consistency between viewing and printing environments.
Graphic Production
Deep knowledge of offset and digital printing processes, finishing and the relationship between project specification and production feasibility.
Graphic Design
Solid foundation in visual communication applied to graphic production — not as style, but as a tool for clarity between intention and printed result.
Technical Management
Experience managing Packaging Development and Prepress departments — team leadership, workflow definition and delivery quality control.