Accepted files:
Designs are accepted in .ai and .pdf formats. Fonts and illustrations must be embedded when designing layouts. Set your file colour mode to CMYK unless stated otherwise.
- .ai (vector based)
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Artwork Guidelines
Artwork Guidelines
Requirements for design file preperation
Templates
The most important thing is to create your design file on the correct template. Template links can always be found in the product description of our custom printed products.
A full list of downloadable templates can be found here:
Layouts must be in 1:1 scale.
Colours
All colours will be printed CMYK unless clearly stated otherwise on specific templates or help guides. All pantones will be converted to CMYK values and matched as closely as possible. A digital proof is not a print proof. Please be aware that only professional and calibrated monitors can show a result which is close to the printed artwork. A digital proof is representative but not accurate in colour. Please note that colours printed on different materials will differ from the final products. Inks will be matched as closely as possible to the artwork provided.
Illustration and effects
Make artwork a .ai or vector .pdf, and imagery 300dpi or higher. When creating layouts, raster objects should preferably be imbedded instead of linked. Do not increase the resolution of the illustration using graphic applications. This will not increase its quality.
Responsibilities
Prepress will only make artwork suitable for printing. We won’t check and we are not responsible for: Objects mismatched at the gluing flap point. Please make sure you prepare your artwork after you read this page. Colour mismatch: If you compare CMYK printed packaging from different material and manufacturers then you will most likely see a difference. Spelling and grammatical mistakes.
Most images visible online have been heavily photoshoped and do not reflect manufactured packaging.
Text and lines
All fonts must be converted in to objects. Avoid rastered text. This can negatively affect its readability. Keep all text at 6 points or higher. Sharp lines need to be 0.5 points or thicker.
Bleed and Visable Areas
Bleed requirements indicated in the templates must be followed. There should be no objects outside the bleed zone. All important artwork should be within the visable print area.
Object matching around glue seam
Alignment is not always perfect – this is a normal and expected part of the manufacturing process. Therefore, we recommend avoiding designs that need to match up perfectly, such as horizontal lines and patterns.
