Custom Card Artwork Guidelines
CUSTOM CARD
ARTWORK GUIDELINES
Design custom notecards, business cards, and hang tags with ease. Start here with our guidelines which serve as an overview of our post-production printing parameters.
We have a real, live human proof your artwork prior to production to ensure your vision is captured into a beautifully finished product.
Templates
Use our downloadable template to place and size your artwork to your specifications. Use your artwork or your designed template as your art file when placing your order.
Note Cards
Business Cards
Ink & Color
Our cards are printed digitally in CMYK with toner. We do our best to convert RGB files accurately. Any white aspect in your design will not be white, but will be the color of the cardstock.
To achieve the most accurate representation of color for heavy ink coverage designs, or if you would like to include white in your design, we recommend choosing white card stock for your cards.
White Card Stock
Here we demonstrate color variance between our three cardstock options. Note that screens are not a 100% accurate representation of color.
Gypsum Card Stock
Shades and colors achieved through CMYK printing will often present differently on gypsum paper stock than they do on white.
Kraft Card Stock
While all-black designs look excellent on our Kraft cardstock, we do not recommend printing photos, bright colors, or heavy ink coverage designs on this paper.
A Note on Floodcoating
Flood coating is possible, however, it is not recommended because it may lead to streaking or uneven coverage in the ink, especially on darker colors. From a sustainability standpoint, we are mindful of the amount of ink used in all our products, and, where possible, we recommend using less ink to achieve beautiful designs.
Our cards are printed with toner. While they are technically compostable, we strongly recommend they be recycled and guide the companies we work with to avoid composting any items with heavy ink coverage.
Color Matching
It is critical to note that colors may render differently on a digital screen and that colors in your digital proof are only used as reference. If color matching is important, we recommend ordering a custom sample of your design before placing your order.
- Receive 5-10 printed samples with your artwork
- Lead time is 1 week after artwork approval, plus ship time
- Fee of $59 to cover the material used, as well as setup and time on the machine
- Digital proof included
- Above details subject to change
Print with Algae Ink™
Custom notecards, business cards, and hang tags can be printed with black Algae Ink.
This revolutionary net negative carbon technology uses algae cells for pigments, making it safer and cleaner to work with, and more compatible with the recycling and composting process.
Note that printing with black algae ink on our notecards, business cards, and hang tags results in a flat finish when compared to our standard digital printing which has more of a sheen.
Art Requirements
- File Format: Vector recommended and 300 DPI required - PDF, SVG, AI, EPS, PNG
- Outline all fonts and embed all supporting files
- Minimum Font Size (Standard): 6 pt Helvetica
- Any font under 6pt is at risk of being illegible
- Minimum Stroke Size (Standard): 0.25 pt
- Minimum Stroke Size (Reverse-Out): 0.5 pt
- Minimum Size of Spaces to Avoid Fill-in: 1/16"
- Minimum QR Code Size: 0.5" x 0.5"
We have a 1/16" vertical and horizontal movement tolerance. You may see up to 1/16" of movement in your print.
We recommend vector format so we can scale designs without losing detail. Raster images are pixelated and these pixels can be visible in the final print.
Lead Time
Lead time is the estimated time to process your order for shipment and does not include transit time.
For branded orders, lead time begins after artwork proof and, if applicable, ink swatch approval.
What does this mean?
When you place a branded order, our Design Team reviews the artwork files attached to your order and creates an artwork proof. We then send your artwork proof to you for review and approval. We highlight any adjustments made, emphasize potential print risks, and request additional files or information.
Once the proof suits your design vision and aligns with our printing capabilities, we request your written approval. After we receive your written approval, your lead time begins.
Questions?
New to custom packaging or have questions? We are happy to share our experience and thoughts on how to bring your vision to life. We work closely with you during the entire process - from art proof to delivery to your door.