Premium 18 pt Business Cards with either matte or smooth lamination in quantities from 100 to 5,000 cards. A great networking tool for any professional.
Black and White or Color Printing, 16 pt Stock, 18 pt with double sided lamination, for a thicker feeling business card. Raised Silver or Gold Metallic Foil. Rounded Corners optional (1/4" radius).
General File Prep Guidelines:
Download the guides in this folder to ensure a more optimal print result.
Be sure to DELETE any hidden layers that are not intended to print (ie: setup guide layers or other hidden artwork layers) to ensure no risk of them appearing on the final print.
Each job (including multiple paged projects) must be submitted as a single PDF file. Ensure that all pages are the same size.
Files must be submitted with proper orientation to ensure proper back up. Please review the File Orientation Guides carefully in the images for your particular product.
It is best to try to avoid using borders in your design. If a border is too close to the trim, the trim may be slightly off-center.
File must consist of 1/8" bleed and all important art and text must be within the safety margin. The more safety margin the better (to avoid awkwardly close trims or having critical elements from getting cut off).
Ensure that your PDF is high res and that all images are CMYK at 300 DPI.
Black text/type should have the following values: C0, M0, Y0, K100. Larger areas of black coverage should be C:30/M:20/Y:20/K:100 to get a deep richer black. (To achieve a rich black for larger black coverage areas, we recommend the values C30 M20 Y20 K100. A black value of just K100 alone can sometimes appear as a darker grey and may not be as deep/rich compared to adding the supporting C30 M20 Y20 K100. A rich black also helps avoid potential overprint issues. For smaller black type, we recommend one color black at K100 to avoid potential registration issues.)
Embed or outline all fonts.
For best color results, supply a CMYK only file (unless your product type specifically requires RGB color mode or specifically requires you to supply PMS colors).
File Prep for Foil:
For best results, we strongly recommend you ensure the following to avoid delays and/or unexpected print results.
Supply fonts larger than 8pt
Use sans serif fonts
Avoid having artwork underneath the foil areas (i.e. using a mask instead)
Avoid areas of heavy foil coverage with small/fine (non-foil) text or linework knocked out, as there is a tendency for these to fill in.
CAUTION:Our foil machine manufacturer does not recommend extending the foil design to the trimmed edge of the card, as there would be a high possibility of the foil peeling off along the trimmed edges. There should be at least a 5mm foil-free area around the edges. If you supply foil files with full bleed, please note our automation will automatically apply a 5 mm gap (from the trim edge) on your foil files to prevent the risks of the trimmed edges lifting/peeling. The non-foiled gap area may be visible along the edges as a result. It is best to avoid full bleed on your foil files for the above reasons.
6. Add More Space Between Letters
Metallic foil needs extra room to apply properly.
Increase letter spacing (tracking) slightly
For small text, a tracking of+20 to +50works well
Watch out for letters that sit very close together and space them out a bit
7. Choose the Right Font Size and Weight
Very thick or tiny text can cause problems with foil.
Avoid ultra-bold or heavy fonts
Useregular or mediumfont weights instead
Keep foil text atleast 7–8 ptfor best results
8. Reduce Thick Letter Shapes
If your text looks tight or heavy:
Add a very thin outline (stroke) inside each letter
Set the outline color to match the background
This slightly reduces the thickness of the letters, creating more space between them
Why this helps: Metallic foil can spread during production. Thinning the letters prevents them from touching or filling in once foiled.
9. Allow for Foil Spread
Foil can spread slightly during production.
Very small gaps may disappear
Keep visible spaces between letters and shapesno thinner than 0.3–0.5 pt
Thin White Text on Rich Black Backgrounds:
While we maintain strict quality standards, minor shifts in printing are possible. Thin or small white text knocked out from a rich black background is prone to printing issues, such as color bleeding, filling in, and poor readability due to slight misregistration. We recommend preparing files with the following tips in mind.
UseC30 M20 Y20 K100for Rich Black
Use this recommended rich black formula to minimize oversaturation and registration problems. Avoid heavier CMYK builds likeC60 M60 Y60 K100, which can increase color shift risks.
Thicken White Knockout Text
Increase the thickness of white text knockouts to prevent them from filling in or becoming unreadable.
Recommended minimum line weight:0.75pt
Recommended minimum font size:8pt
Apply Swelling
Swelling (slightly enlarging knockout areas) compensates for minor ink spread on the press. Slightly increasing the size of the white knockout text can help maintain crispness after printing.
Turnaround Time:
100 to 5,000 Business Cards: 4 to 5 Production Days
