Board certificate

Grade and liner, traceable to the delivery

Tooling drawing

The forme or mould the batch was made to

Transit test report

Drop, stacking and vibration, and the conditions they ran in

Conditioning record

That the sample was tested at a declared humidity

Print proof

Made by the process that ran the job, on the substrate used

Dimension record

Internal dimensions, across the batch

Revision statement

Which revision the batch was made to

Bundle marking

Batch identifier legible on the bundle or the case

An illustrative list for a fictional range. A real programme agrees which documents are required, in what form, and how long they are retained.

The one that is most often missing.

The conditioning record. A stacking test run on board straight from a dry store describes a strength the pack will not have after three weeks in a container.

Why the proof has to come from the process.

Because every printing process reproduces colour differently, and on kraft none of them matches a proof made on white. A proof that was not made the way the job will be made is a picture rather than a proof.