ARTWORK GUIDELINES - CUSTOM CARD PRINTING
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Send files that match these numbers and production runs straight through.
Anything else can usually be fixed in prepress - just send it and ask.

1. RESOLUTION
   300 dpi at final print size. For very fine line art or small text, 400-600 dpi.
   Never upscale a small image to reach 300 dpi: it looks soft, not sharp.

2. COLOUR
   CMYK preferred. RGB is accepted but will be converted, and some vivid
   RGB greens, blues and oranges cannot be reproduced in CMYK.
   Black text: 100% K only. Large black areas: rich black, total ink under 300%.
   Pantone spot colours available on request - send the numbers.

3. BLEED
   3 mm on all four sides. Cutting tolerance is about +/-0.5 mm, so anything
   less than 3 mm bleed risks a white sliver at the edge.

4. SAFETY MARGIN
   Keep all text and critical artwork at least 3 mm inside the cut line.
   5 mm for holographic decks, which are handled more in finishing.

5. BORDERS
   Avoid borders thinner than 3 mm. An uneven border is the most common
   complaint on custom cards, because nobody cuts to 0.1 mm perfectly.

6. FONTS
   Outline all fonts, or supply the font files. Missing fonts get substituted
   and change your line breaks.

7. LAYERS AND NAMING
   Put the die line on its own layer named DIE.
   Put foil, holographic, spot UV and emboss areas on separate layers or use
   spot channels, so each finish gets its own plate without guesswork.
   Name files like Deck_CardFace_Back_v1.psd and tell us what changed in v2.

8. FORMATS WE ACCEPT
   Layered PSD, AI, PDF, TIF. PNG and JPEG accepted with the caveats above.
   For large sets, a ZIP or a download link is easier than many emails.

9. WHAT WE CHECK BEFORE PRINTING
   Resolution, bleed, safety margin, total ink coverage, rich black, overprint,
   font outlining, die-line fit, and whether the finish layers are separable.
   You receive a written prepress report with any problems and recommended fixes.

10. PROOFS
    A digital PDF proof of every face and back, plus a layout sheet with cut,
    safety and fold lines. Production starts only after your written approval.

Questions: send them with your artwork. We would rather fix a file than reprint a run.