We recommend the Adobe programmes InDesign and Illustrator for creating professional data.

In the print output PDF/X-1a: select 2003 (or high-quality print), bleed 2.5 mm (around the entire format). From the created cutting line to the first element to be printed, 2 mm space is required all around for printing reasons. Other information such as registration marks, crop marks, control strips etc. are not required. All layers must be included in the final print file. This means that all “special layers” such as hot foil, HPI-white or cutting lines are included in the printable PDF. They must not be sent separately.

The cutting line (0.2 mm line width) must be created as an extra spot color with the name Troquel in the PDF and set to overprint. Consider that only the excess die is removed around the label and not inside.

Please note: Rectangular labels are cut out with a corner radius of 0.5 mm as standard. Any (rectangular) cutting line with corners above 0.5 mm is considered to be a ‘custom shape’ and will have to be ordered as such.

The hot foil area must be created as an extra colour channel with the name Hot foil. All embossing areas must be set to overprint and should have a line thickness of at least 0.2 mm. Recesses within the hot foil stamping, as well as spaces in between, must also have a line thickness of at least 0.4 mm. It is not possible to reproduce color gradations in parts with hot foil stamping.

In our tutorial, we explain step by step how you can easily apply the hot foil.

All graphic and text elements in the print file must respect an internal safety margin of at least 2 mm from the cutting line. If the design includes a printed border, it must have a minimum thickness of 2 mm. If this parameter isn’t met some details might not print correctly, or the label could look slightly misaligned.

Special colors can only be processed by us if they are saved as an extra color channel in the file. The original Pantone designation is mandatory for the designation of the special color. We only accept original Pantone Pantone® C and Pantone® U colours.

We ask you to indicate it in the print file as a spot color with the official Pantone color name, this is mandatory so that it can be converted to CMYK. Please note that a variation of Pantone color and CMYK may occur as not all colors can be simulated by digital printing (e.g. metallic shades or fluorescent colors).

Of course we can also produce in original Pantone color but only on request, so please contact us!

The opaque white color must be created as a spot color with the name HPI-White and set to overprint. Colors in CMYK are not opaque on transparent foil and glossy silver paper. In this case, the material is still visible. To avoid this effect, HPI-White spot color should be applied over the entire surface and set to overprint. However, if your graphics include white elements that should be visible, it is not necessary to select overprint fill.

If you supply us with RGB data, we will convert it into the CMYK color space without consultation. However, this conversion may result in color shifts for which we cannot accept any liability.

Under certain circumstances it is up to our graphic designers / media designers to enlarge or reduce your transmitted data by up to 2 mm. This is done to avoid white flashes or bleed of content.

The color silver must be created as a spot color with the name Silver. If you want to simulate various metallic colors with the silver, the solid colour Silver must also be set to overprint.

The color black must be created as 100% black (k) and should neither be overprinted nor glossed with cyan. For a particularly dark black, we also recommend printing double black (double-hit).

The print files must be created in final format by adding 2.5 mm bleed all around. The bleed does not have to be specified during the ordering process, it will be automatically calculated later.

The drawing area defines the print area and must be created in the final format. In addition, 2.5 mm bleed must be set all around in the document settings. In order to save the bleed in the PDF, check the box “Use bleed settings of the document” in “Marks and bleed” option (in Adobe Illustrator).

Ensure that all important elements, such as text or graphics, are within the cutting line and safety margin. Any elements outside these margins cannot be printed or will be cut off.

Is the file in PDF format?

Is the artboard correctly set to the final trimmed size including the bleed?

Is the bleed 2.5 mm all around?

Are all elements that go over the label edge extended in the bleed?

Are all fonts embedded?

Has the safety margin of 2 mm inside the cutting line been observed?

Are the colours in CMYK?

Is the die outline correctly set with the appropriate spot color name?

Is the hot foil correctly set with the appropriate spot color name?

Are any Pantones set as spot colors named after the original Pantone number?

Is HPI-White correctly applied? As an extra spot color with the name “HPI-White” and with the overprinting attribute?

Has all other information such as register marks, crop marks and control strips been removed?

Does the cutting line have a line width of at least 0.2 mm?

Is the die-cutting contour designed as a spot color with the name “Cutter“?

Is the cutting line set to overprint?

Is the surface to which the hot foil is to be applied set as a spot color called “Hot foil”?

Does the hot foil have a line thickness of at least 0.2 mm?

Are all the foiled surfaces set for overprint?