Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 25, 2012	Apr. 26, 2012
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 25, 2012
Entity Registrant Name	CHECKPOINT SYSTEMS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000215419
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-30
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		40,421,056
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1