We recommend saving as a .PDF You may also send the file in the following types: jpg, jpeg, psd, tif, tiff, eps, ai, and png. We prefer that you send .PDF and .EPS files with outlined fonts. These files are easier to handle and will likely speed up your turn-around. Remember to add crop marks and flatten your files before uploading.

If you send us an RGB file, there is a chance that a color shift may occur and you may not be satisfied with your job.
THESE COLORS ARE IN RGB.
 

THESE COLORS ARE IN CMYK.
 
You should always start and finish your designs in CMYK color mode.

Low resolution files may be printed as is or will be placed on hold until we receive new files, slowing your turn-around.
We only accept 300 dpi files and no less.

Bleed must extend further than the cut line. Using one of our Templates can help you visualize this. Please keep all text and anything you do not want cut at least .25" away from the cut line.
When sending an .eps or .pdf, make sure you include crop marks so we can cut the job correctly.
Click here to go to our production templates

Yes, but if the border is too close to the cutline, it may be cut off-center slightly.
We cut through many sheets at a time, so watch your borders to avoid an unwanted mistake.

Yes, but if the border is too close to the cutline, it may be cut off-center slightly.
We cut through many sheets at a time, so watch your borders to avoid an unwanted mistake.

When creating a Spot UV job, You must include a Spot UV template file along with the regular full color file. The Spot UV template file is used to show where the UV will be placed.

Use 100% K to indicate where you would like the UV. White will indicate no UV. REMEMBER "IF IT'S WHITE, YOU CAN WRITE!"

Silver ink files must be sent in a vector format. You must use a vector program, like Illustrator or Indesign, to call out the object you want in silver ink.
To indicate the silver ink, you must set the object color to Pantone¨ 877 C. Any other color will not be accepted as silver. Also, labeling the layer as "silver mask" or "silver" will not qualify your file.
Remember, silver is a spot color and transparencies like drop shadows should be avoided.

When using a blue in your design, always make sure to leave at least a 30% difference in your Cyan and Magenta values.

Blue is close to purple in the CMYK spectrum. Remember, use a low amount of magenta whenever using high amounts of cyan to avoid purple.
EXAMPLE: C-100 M-70 Y-0 K-0

Rich black is an ink mixture of solid black, 100% K, with additional CMY ink values. This results in a darker tone than black ink alone. If you print black alone as 100% K, the resulting black may not be as dark as you might like.

100% K ON SCREEN

100% K AFTER PRINT

We recommend using
C 60 M 40 Y 40 K 100
This will give you a deep, dark, rich black.

Cracking of the edges of a business card sometimes occurs when the card contains high values of ink, as in dark colors.

BUSINESS CARD CLOSEUP

This usually happens on a small amount of cards in the run. To prevent this, use lighter colors or if you must use dark colors, use as little ink as possible.

Many things can cause banding. Banding can be caused by the program that it is exported from, such as Indesign or Corel. Also, too many gradient steps, for example going from a very light color to a dark color, in a small area will cause banding.

CLOSEUP OF BANDING


To prevent this, check your digital files before sending. If you use a gradient, make sure it has enough room for a smooth transition.

When a job is coated with UV then scored and folded the job may begin to crack. During use, the cracks will become bigger and the ink may start to chip off.

CLOSEUP OF SCORING

There are three different ways Pantone colors can affect the way your job prints.

The first is by object effects, such as shadows or glows, on top of your Pantone colors. Here is what the effects will look like on screen:

Here is what the effect looks like after printing:





As you can see, when a Pantone color is under these object effects, transparency issues show up during printing. To avoid this, convert all your Pantone colors into CMYK before submitting your order.

The second way Pantone colors can affect your file is when you use transparent images. Here is what a transparent image looks like on screen:

Here is what a transparent image looks like after printing:

You can see the image is no longer transparent on top of the Pantone color. These white areas will show up during printing. To fix this issue, convert all your Pantone colors into CMYK. If you need to have a Pantone color in your art, for example when doing a silver 877c job, you must create a clipping mask around the image so the white area will not show up. This must be done before submitting the order.

The last way Pantone colors can affect your order is the color conversion between a Pantone color and CMYK. All of our normal printing is done in CMYK unless you specifically order a Silver, MU, or Custom job. If you use Pantone colors in a job that will print CMYK, your job might print with undesirable colors.

Here are some examples of what the Pantone color looks like in the Pantone color book and what the CMYK print will look like:

If you send in a job with Pantone colors, the CMYK conversion will change the Pantone color. Before sending your order, make sure all Pantone colors have been converted to CMYK.

ESR quantities start from 25-250 and are printed on brand new, high tech digital equipment.

Our brand new Digital color presses are in a different class. The print quality of digital prints exceed professional standards. Here are a few facts about Digital Color Printing:

- Tests show digital quality matches offset.
- Digital printing offers larger color gamut. 
- Print buyers find digital quality interchangeable with offset quality.
- Today, many showcase applications are printed digitally.
- Digital printing is more affordable for short runs, due to very low set up cost.

When designing plastic cards, it is important to keep in mind that the frosted and clear plastic cards are transparent. Also, all plastic cards come with round corners at no extra charge!


As you can see, the difference in the transparency is shown in the image above. The clear cards (right) are completely transparent. The frosted cards (center) are semi-transparent and cannot be seen through easily. The opaque white plastic cards (left) are solid white and not transparent at all. Keep this in mind when designing your plastic cards, it will affect how your design will print.


Since there is no white ink in CMYK, it is important to keep in mind that the frosted and clear plastic cards are transparent. The three designs above are the same as in the first picture. You will notice that the white area in the clear cards (right) and the frosted cards (center) has no ink and will show the transparent material it's printed on. In this case, the clear cards and frosted cards white area show up with no ink on the printed piece. Also, keep in mind that all colors that are printed on clear cards or frosted cards will be transparent as well.

With the clear plastic cards, there might be a small percentage that may have light scratches. This issue originates from the manufacturer and is due to the material and handling. To help compensate for this, we run overs of the clear plastic cards to help meet the required quantity.

Clear plastic cards will come with a thin protective layer on one side that can be peeled off. This is to prevent the cards from scratching during packaging and shipping.

We offer 2 types of foil, Silver and Gold. Each order can only have one type of foil, Gold or Silver. You can't order a Foil Worx job with Gold foil on the front and Silver foil on the back.

Foil mask files are set up just like our Spot UV mask files. The file can only be black and white. Black in the areas you want the foil and white in the areas you do not want the foil. If you order a Foil Worx job with Spot UV, you must provide separate mask files for the Foil (foil mask) and UV (spuv mask), in that case up to 6 files will need to be provided.

However, please keep in mind that the Foil and UV can't overlap. Also please avoid using small / fine text or fonts for foil objects. For best results, please make sure that foil coverage is less than 50% of the artwork area

Also, be aware that there may be up to 1/16" shift on the placement of the foil. Keep this in mind if you are trying to align foil with other printed artwork on the card.

Please see images below to see what mask files should look like.

We offer 1/4" and 1/8" radius round corners to all of our customers. The image below shows the two different radiuses for comparison.

With Akuafoil, you can turn a wide range of CMYK colors, into multi-colored foils. Akuafoil uses a special processed foil system that is applied under 4/c process to create an array of foil colors. It's simple, affordable, and makes your prints stand out from the crowd.

For an Akuafoil job, you must include an Akuafoil/mask file along with your CMYK file. The mask file indicates where the foil will be placed. The file process is the same as spot UV—100% K where foil is placed, 0% where the foil is not placed.

With Akuafoil, you can turn a wide range of CMYK colors, into multi-colored foils. Akuafoil uses a special processed foil system that is applied under 4/c process to create an array of foil colors. It's simple, affordable, and makes your prints stand out from the crowd.

For an Akuafoil job, you must include an Akuafoil/mask file along with your CMYK file. The mask file indicates where the foil will be placed. The file process is the same as spot UV—100% K where foil is placed, 0% where the foil is not placed.

As shown above, the file on the left is the normal CMYK print file. If you want the logo to be Akuafoil, then your Akuafoil mask file should look like the file on the right. The White indicates no foil and 100% K indicates where the Akuafoil will be.

Here are some more things to keep in mind when creating your Akuafoil artwork:

• - Make sure the mask and CMYK print file are aligned and match up properly.
• - Akuafoil works best on lighter colors. The darker the CMYK color, the less the Akuafoil look.
• - White in the CMYK file that is 100% K in the Akuafoil file will appear as plain silver Akuafoil.
• - Do not use very thin or small text and artwork with Akuafoil... Use san serif fonts above 12 point for best results.

When creating knockouts in the Akuafoil mask or in the CMYK print file, beware there might be a "Halo" of white around the knockout area. Below are two examples... On the left, a file with a CMYK magenta background with a knockout for the Akuafoil text. On the right, a Akuafoil background with a knockout for the CMYK text.

4D Prints is a Lenticular product that allows you to have two or three different pictures in one. We take your images and create a swapping effect, each image vanishing and then reappearing from one to another as you move it up and down. There is a backing that can also be printed in normal 4 color process. Total thickness with both plastic 4D viewer and backing is 21pt. Only the front side will have the 4D effect.

Below is an example of the front of a 4D print. Click the Transition / Flip button to see it in action.

As you can see above, your images will transition from one to another as you move the card up and down. At the moment, only a vertical transition or flip is available for order.

The bleed must be made bigger for the 4D prints. The total bleed should be .25" added to the cut size. For example, if you are ordering a business card the final size you should upload is 3.75x2.25. The files should still be CMYK and 300dpi as normal. There are some other rules you should follow as well when setting up the front of a 4D card

• - Bleed is double our standard. 0.25". A business card should have a bleed size of 3.75"x2.25"
• - Dark solid colored and/or textured backgrounds work well.
• - White and light colored areas are transparent, other views / flips will show through white areas causing a ghosting effect. White and light colored areas only work well if each view has white/light colors in the exact same area.
• - Use bold san sarif fonts.
• - Avoid small, fine and thin type. Fonts get distorted through the lens / plastic surface, so the bolder the better.
• - Text that varies from view to view / file to file should NOT overlap, it should be in different positions on each view.
• - 4D effect works best when the variation from image to image is subtle and simple.

Another thing to keep in mind is how many files will be uploaded. It depends if you pick a two or three image transition.

Two Image Flip:

• 4/0 = Two images for the front only
• 4/4 = Two images for the front, one image for the back

Three Image Flip:

• 4/0 = Three images for the front only
• 4/4 = Three images for the front, one image for the back