Special Finishes design requirements
Artwork File
Element File
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The Final Design
Artwork + Element
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The Artwork File will house the main design image. CMYK color file in PDF, PNG, JPG, or GIF format.
The Element File will define where the element is applied on top of your design. The black parts of your Element File will denote which parts of your design we apply the Spot Gloss or Foil to. Anything white won’t be printed with any Foil or Spot Gloss.
How to Prepare Your Design
You will need to create and upload two files - one for the Printed Design (Artwork File) and one for your Special Finish Design (Element File).
We recommend the following settings to yield the best possible output:
- Design file - vector-based PDF, saved in CMYK - this will be printed the same way as all standard InkPavo products.
- Element/Mask File - CMYK (black and white: 0/0/0/100), vector-based PDF only - the black parts of the design will be printed with Foil or Spot Gloss.
Alignment Accuracy
Be sure to check your desired alignment and be aware whilst printing is accurate, it may shift ever-so-slightly in the printing process.
Black & White
Only use black (100% K) and white. The black parts will denote which parts of your design we apply the special finish to.
Font size 10pt or higher
Otherwise, the small gaps in typography will cause pooling.
Lines
Sharp lines need to be at 1pt or thicker.
Imagery
Make artwork a vector PDF, photographs at 300dpi or higher and file size a maximum of 25Mb.
Cropmarks
No need! We automatically add them in exactly the right place.
Setting up your Special Finish PDF
Your Foil Element file
After uploading
Printed result
The black areas are where Gold Foil will be printed.
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After the file is uploaded, the black area will be displayed in bright pink on our website.
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Gold Foil
Silver Foil
How your printed card will look.
How we print your Foil Element
Treat the foil as its own color that will print on top of the rest of your design, obscuring what’s underneath. The foil should not replicate any elements of your Design file to prevent a messy halo effect.
Your Spot Gloss Element file
After uploading
Printed result
The black areas are where Raised Spot Gloss will be printed.
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After the file is uploaded, the black area will be displayed in bright pink on our website.
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Spot Gloss
Raised Spot Gloss
How your printed card will look.
How we print your Spot Gloss Element
Think of Gloss as an enhancement to your existing design. Any design element it is printed over will appear shiny and slightly raised.
You can use our Design Templates to create the perfect fit using Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop.