Manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers
Have your packaging and signage reviewed before they go to print
We check every panel of your packaging, the documents supplied with the product and your signs against Quebec’s Charter of the French Language. You get a clear verdict and French text ready for your printer. $850 per product line, $650 per location.
Ref. VE-0412
Warranty card
1-Year Limited Warranty
Garantie limitée d’un an
Document supplied with the product: must be in French.
Principal display panel
Cordless Drill
Perceuse sans fil
Generic term in a trademark: must appear in French.
The rules that apply
- Every inscription on a product, its container, its packaging and the documents supplied with it, including instructions and warranty certificates, must be in French. Another language may appear alongside it, but not more prominently.
- A recognized trademark, meaning one that is registered or established through use, may stay in another language unless a French version is registered. Since June 1, 2025, however, any generic or descriptive words in it (what the product is, ingredients, colour, scent, features) must appear in French on the product or on something permanently attached to it.
- A product whose trademark includes a generic or descriptive word only in another language may be sold until June 1, 2027 if it was made before June 1, 2025 and no French version of the trademark had been filed by June 26, 2024. A separate exception covers some foods and drugs made in 2025 that are subject to new federal labelling standards.
- On public signs visible from outside a premises, French must be markedly predominant whenever a trademark in another language appears: the French text must take up at least twice as much space and be just as legible and permanently visible.
Sources: Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), trademarks on products (in French), Charter of the French Language, ss. 51 and 58.
For your packaging
- A clear verdict (compliant, needs changes or non-compliant) and the deadline that applies to your product.
- The 15-point checklist completed for each product: every panel, the label, the instructions and the warranty, with the applicable rule cited for every finding.
- Corrected French text in a table your designer can use as is, with a note on the extra space French often needs.
- A re-check of your corrected proofs within 30 days, at no extra cost.
For your signage
- A verdict for every sign visible from outside: storefront, window, pylon or sign inside a shopping centre.
- The French text to add when your trademark is in another language, with the proportions French needs to be markedly predominant.
- A re-check of your corrected mock-ups, sent within 30 days and before the signs are made, at no extra cost.
Out of scope. The report covers the Charter’s language requirements. It is not legal advice and does not cover federal labelling rules (Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada).
Review fees
Every service has a published price. Scope, deliverables, timeline and price are confirmed in writing before we start. Not sure where to begin? That’s what the free 30-minute call is for.
Prices in Canadian dollars, plus applicable taxes. A 50% deposit is due when the project starts and the balance on delivery; certified translations are paid in full when ordered. Translating a full website or a set of documents is quoted at a fixed price after the review. We don’t bill by the hour.
Frequently asked questions
Our trademark is in English. Do we have to translate it?
Not necessarily. A recognized trademark can stay in another language if no French version is registered. Any generic or descriptive words it contains, however, must appear in French.
What counts as a product line?
Products that share the same packaging and differ only in size, colour, flavour or scent. The number of variants included is confirmed in your quote.
Do you also check federal labelling rules?
No. Federal requirements are outside the scope of our review, and the report says so. We’ll flag anything that seems to fall under those rules.
What should we send?
Your printer’s PDF proofs, or sharp photos of every side of the product, along with the instructions and warranty. We confirm the turnaround as soon as we receive the files.
How does the signage review work?
We work from photos of your storefront, windows and any sign visible from outside, or from your mock-ups if the signs are not up yet. For several locations, the price is confirmed in the quote.
What would you like us to review?
Tell us how many products or locations are involved, the planned print date and, for products, where they are made. We’ll confirm the price and turnaround.