Impact CAD vs Packaging Dieline

Impact CAD is Arden Software’s packaging design system for structural work, proofing and manufacturing workflows. It covers 2D drafting through 3D visualisation and animation, with interactive drawing, reusable parametric and resizable packaging designs, drag-and-drop components, layout and nesting, graphics handling, dieline editing and import, and preflight checks. Designers can create virtual 3D samples and animated prototypes for customer review, then produce physical samples through compatible plotters and sample makers. The software imports and exports formats including PDF, Adobe Illustrator, DWG and DXF. Impact 2026 adds machine-learning Design Similarity for ranking related designs and manufacturing layouts, native Python scripting, and 629 standards plus more than 1,000 combinations in its V120 Standards Library. It supports SQL Server and Oracle for 2026; MySQL is no longer supported. Windows 11 is recommended. Pricing is on request, and Arden offers a free demo request.

Packaging Dieline is a browser-based editor for creating parametric packaging dielines and exporting print-ready artwork. It provides 18 box templates spanning cartons, mailers, trays, bottle carriers, bags and displays. You set length, width, height, board caliper and safe area, then choose internal, external or die-cut dimensions. Exports are vector PDF, AI, SVG or DXF at true size in millimetres, with cut, fold and safe-area geometry separated into layers. Drawing works without installation or an account, and exports are unlimited, unmetered, uncapped, unwatermarked and not downsampled on any tier. The free plan includes four styles; Studio adds all styles, batch runs, saved presets and a caliper library. Team adds shared libraries, SSO, central billing, a JSON API and custom structure addition. There is no 3D preview.