The most important thing to do to familiaize yourself with our guidelines is to read the FILE SPECS page. Please do this to avoid delays after the upload.

 

IMPORTANT: Please refer to our business card printer'stemplate before ordering. This will avoid unnecessary delays.

We have prepared the following guide to assist you with your electronic file preparation and submission. If you have a specific problem that is not covered in this guide, or have other questions, please feel free to contact us. Improperly prepared files can cause delays in manufacturing.

 

Quick Checklist

 

if you are uploading a design

 

Summary

Please make sure:

►Type is legible and crisp. Avoid small text below 8pt. Your design should be 300dpi-350dpi.

►Page layout is correct. 3.625" x 2.125" is the correct full bleed design size.

►Margins are set. Keep text and non-bleed images at least 1/4 inch in from the trim line.

►Fonts and images are outlined or embedded.

►Colors in CMYK mode.

 


Detailed requirements

We accept Adobe Illustrator (please downsave to CS3), PDF, JPEG, Tiff and EPS formats. PDF is preferred.

Illustrator Format: Make sure to flatten all transparencies in your document (See Transparencies for more information). All text must be converted to outline before submitting your artwork.

EPS Format: Make sure to flatten all transparencies in your document (See Transparencies for more information). All text must be converted to outline before submitting your artwork.

Adobe Photoshop Format: Please flatten all files before submitting at a minimum of 300 DPI and maximum of 1200 DPI with line art. (Except for banners which are all at 100 DPI. See Banner Requirement for more information.)

PDF Format: This method is preferred since its the industry standard to work with. Acrobat 4 or version 1.3 is recommended since it works to prevent transparency issues. All transparencies should be flattened before hand to further prevent any errors during printing (See Transparencies for more information). Also set your the quality to press quality. Certain fonts may not work card card-body with PDF formats such as CID fonts so we do require all fonts to be outlined or the file flattened before you convert to a PDF.

JPEG: Make sure that you have a minimum of 300 DPI and a maximum of 1200 DPI with line art (Except for banners which are all at 100 DPI. See Banner Requirement for more information.)When using a jpeg format please be aware that a slight quality difference may occur due to the compression it uses.

TIFF: Make sure that you have a minimum of 300 and a maximum of 1200 DPI with line art. (Except for banners which are all at 100 DPI. See Banner Requirement for more information.)

 

Bleeds

 

 

A 1/8" must be added to each dimension (length and width). Do not leave a white border or margin; take full bleed borderless images right to the edge of the design. So the submitted esign should be 3.625" x 2.125" (standard size business card). It is also important to keep text and non-bleed items at least  1/4" away from the trim line to prevent accidental cropping and maintain proper symmetry.
 
 

Color Specifications

 

 

Print previews are not a safe and sure measuring tool for color accuracy. Colors on the file might be affected by monitor calibration, screen resolution and lighting, just to name a few. Many Pantone colors show a noticeable color shift when converted to the four color process. Likewise for converting from RGB color design to CMYK. Please convert and examine before sending your file.
 
To achieve the desired color on press, digital files must reflect accurate color models and percentage. Please make sure all colors are in CMYK mode for color accuracy and a better quality output. Color hue may shift on the final product due to CMYK printing which cannot be viewed on any monitor or home printer.
 
 

Image Resolutions


 

►All images and pictures should be 300 dpi.

►Rasterized text or logos should be 1200 dpi.

►Screen values should be between 133 lpi and 150 lpi.

 

Guidelines by Application


 

The following outlines the specific file requirements by application. If you have any questions, please contact our graphics department.
 
 
 

Adobe Photoshop

 

►Files should be 300 dpi at 100% of actual size for quality offset reproduction.
►Files should be saved in PDF format (embed all fonts and set the screen value to 133 lpi.)
 
 

Digital Proofs

 


We provide by request PDF files as electronic soft proofs. These digital proofs intend to show you the layout and design elements of your job, but cannot be a guarantee of color accuracy. We provide reasonable and pleasing color within the guidelines of CMYK process color.
We do not guarantee a color match of your monitor image or a previous print job.