Preparing your Files

Bleed

It is necessary to prepare your files with bleed so the color of your label will extend to the edge of your finished label. Because there can be slight shifting in the die cutting process, labels created without bleed can result in a thin strip of white on any edge of the finished label. Shifts up to 1/16” may occur and are within acceptable industry standards. Artwork that does not meet this requirement will be edited accordingly. Bleed is determined by adding 1/16” to all the sides of your label. Artwork that does not meet this requirement will be adjusted accordingly.
Safe Zone
Safe zone is also important to plan for when preparing your files. Because of shifts in the die cutting process, creating a safe zone is the only way to ensure that none of your label design will be cut off. All elements that do not meet the label's edge should be postioned within the safezone. Safe zone is determined by subtracting 1/16” from all the sides of your label. Artwork that does not meet this requirement will be adjusted accordingly.

Borders

Borders bleeding off a label must be at least .1875” in thickness and meet the bleed edge (a). This requirements is for both aesthetic purposes and quality control. Borders not bleeding off a label must be contained within the safezone (b).

Below you will see an example of (a) what the spot white layer looks like and (b) what the label design looks like.

(white background is clear on finished labels)

Spot white

Spot white is simply a layer of white that is printed first on your label material. We then print your label design on top of the white layer. It is most often used with our clear and metallic materials to prevent inks from being transparent.

To set up a file with spot white we suggest using Photoshop. Create a spot channel called “spotwhite” and fill that channel according to where you want spot white to be printed. If you are unfamiliar with creating spot channels we are more than happy to add it for you. Most of the time we provide this service at no extra cost. We just need to know where you would like the spot white to be placed.

Fonts

When submitting a file that is not flattened (files other than jpeg, tiff, bmp) it is required that you change all text to outlines or embed the fonts into the file. We prefer that you convert to outlines to ensure that there will be no delay in your order. The minimum printable font size for black text on a light background is 5-pt. The minimum font size for white text on a colored background is 7-pt bold.

Resolution

We require the resolution for images we print to be at least 300-dpi at finished label dimensions with bleed to ensure quality. We encourage our customers to submit files that have a higher resolution. This makes drastic improvements in quality especially when there is text on the label. Our maximum resolution is 800-dpi. We do accept files at higher resolutions, however, there is a 15mb maximum file size on our artwork upload page. This applies per file or design that is submitted.

File Formats

We accept many file formats, though our preferred format is PDF. When saving your file as a PDF please make sure to do the following: Use the "Press Quality" preset, convert your text to outlines, make sure there is no color conversion, and make sure that there is no down-sampling of the images (unless above 800-dpi). Please do not send compressed artwork other than Tiff using LZW compression. Please do not send security/password protected files. Other formats we accept are: .eps, .ps, .ai, .indd, .psd, .jpg, .tiff, and .bmp. All other formats may not be readable or may require graphics fees to change the file into a format that we can use.

Color

Digital printing is a 4 color process. When creating your files be sure to create them using CMYK color. All files submitted as RGB will be converted which may cause drastic color shifts. Files saved in RGB will be converted and printed without consulting the customer. If you would like to guarantee accurate color reproduction, please build your files using the CMYK values from a Pantone Process Coated color guide. Printed colors are always different from what is represented on your monitor. Even PDF proofs are not an accurate representation of color. If color is crucial please request a press printed proof or select Pantone Match option on our pricing page and specify your desired colors in the customer comments section.

Overprinting

Overprinting is used in traditional methods of printing, but is not necessary when using a digital printer. DO NOT BUILD YOUR FILES WITH OVERPRINTING ATTRIBUTES. These attributes will often change the appearance of the final product. We do our best to catch overprinting issues before printing, but they are not always detected. If you have created your file with overprinting attributes please contact us about your order. We are not responsible for incorrectly printed labels with overprinting attributes. You will be charged for the printed labels and any subsequent reprints.

Design Help

We are happy to answer questions about preparing your files for print. We do not offer assistance for learning software. If you have questions pertaining to learning software please refer to the software manufacturers website.

Helpful