Hot Foil Business Cards

Bleed 0.1'' (1/10'')

This margin is essential to compensate trimming tolerances. The bleed will usually be trimmed off completely. Please ensure that background images and any bleed objects, which are supposed to reach to the edge of your page, extend into this margin to avoid thin white edges after trimming.

Safety Area 0.08'' (1/12'')

Additionally, please ensure that text and other important graphic elements are positioned at least 0.08'' away from the bleed to the inside. In most cases it doesn't look aesthetically if text stucks too closed to the edge.

Resolution

We print with a 177lpi screen, which provides a resolution of 354 dpi. In order to obtain best results, your file should have a resolution of at least 300 dpi (dots per inch). Files for large formats, like for instance posters, may go below this threshold, however, in no case your resolution should be less than 150 dpi.

Color settings

CMYK is the standard color mode for full color offset printing. Thus, please use the CMYK color mode when creating your file. If, however, we receive files with any different color setting, our system will automatically convert them to CMYK. This may result in slight color deviations which will not be accepted as complaints since we cannot know the original color you had in mind. To avoid color issues, please use our color profile available further down this page.

Inking

The total of the percent values of the four color channels Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black must not exceed 300%. If it does, it will cause an above-average ink application and may not dry properly. As a consequence your printed products may stick together and tear on separation.
For black or gray color please only use the K channel (K = key = black). If your fonts are using three or more color channels, shadows may appear on the prints making the text difficult to read.
To obtain a deep saturated black of strokes and fillings, 40% Cyan and 100% Black are adequate (40/0/0/100). Alternatively you may also use the values 30/30/30/100.

Fonts

For offset printing, please always use Postscript fonts. In rare cases TrueType fonts may cause issues with many professional printing workflows. If TrueType fonts are unavoidable they should be converted to outlines, paths or curves (this function may have different names according to the used software).

File Formats

We prefer multipage PDF files, alternatively you may send us EPS, JPEG or TIFF files. Adobe Photoshop users should always save their files as JPEG or TIFF. If a Photoshop PDF is required, please use Acrobat Distiller to create the PDF (you may download our Acrobat JobOptions further down this page). Please never save a PDF directly from Photoshop.

Page Order

In your PDF file, the first page should be the front and the second page the back. Important for folded double sided products: The first page of your PDF must always include the front panel of your folded product (means the page which is supposed to be the front page after folding)