1.Add 3mm of bleed+

 

During the production of paper products, slight cutting imperfections are to be expected - cutting can be off by a couple of millimeters from the cutting line. To allow leeway for such imperfections, you should add 3 mm of bleed on all edges of your artwork. Make sure all colors, background pictures, and elements extend to the edge of the bleed area, to avoid the appearance of white borders on certain edges after cutting. Learn more how to set up the bleed here.

 

2.Keep your content within 3mm safety margin+

To ensure that no important elements (text, graphics, images) get cut off from your paper product, make sure to keep such elements at least 3 mm away from the edge of your finished product dimensions. Click here to know how to set up 3 mm safety margin.

3.Fit your artwork to the printable area+

Ensure that the artwork files that you upload are compatible with the printable area of the product that you wish to order. You can find details about printable area inside the product configurator by clicking on the images.

4.Use CMYK colour mode+

Except for silkscreen and pad printing, files should be prepared in CMYK colour mode. Keep in mind that if the setup is wrong, colours on the finished product may differ from the file you sent. Here is how to set your artwork to CMYK colour mode in Adobe Illustrator.

5.Use an image resolution of at least 300 DPI+

To avoid blurriness, use only images and graphics that have a resolution of 300 DPI or more at actual size. Before sending your files, make sure to embed your images into the file. Read more about how to check the resolution of your assets.

6.Use the right values of grey elements+

When setting up grey elements, set the black color (K) to a percentage between 0 and 100, and keep all other colors (C, M, and Y) equal to 0%.

7.Use the right values for black elements+

When setting up black text, thin lines and small elements, use pure black, (i.e. C = 0, M = 0, Y = 0, K = 100). Text, thin lines, and small elements in pure black color should be set to overprint to avoid white gaps around the text. It will give a solid edge to those elements.

8.Use maximum 2 colours for lines that are finer than 2pt+

If lines are 2 pt thick or less, use only 1 or 2 colours. 4 colours may be used for thicker lines.

9.Convert all fonts to outlines, or embed them in your file+

To avoid issues with fonts when submitting your file(s), make sure to convert fonts to outlines, or to embed all fonts when saving to PDF.

10. Save and upload your artwork files as PDF/X-1a+

The best format for submitting print-ready files is PDF, under the PDF/X-1a standard. Where possible, submit your files in PDF format. See why PDF/X-1a is the right format for printing.

11.Check for overprint+

Make sure that no elements are set on overprint, unless you need them to be.

12.Include a die-cut layer+

For products that include die-cutting, include a die cut layer in the artwork file.

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