Document And Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 23, 2012	Oct. 29, 2012
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 23, 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		40,594,789
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3