Guide for Creating Your Print File
Artwork Assistant
Welcome to the Artwork Assistant. Fast and efficient processing of your order is particularly important to us. That's why we're providing you with the artwork assistant tool. First, there is a file checker. A tool that will check if your file is set up correctly. If not, then our die-cutting line generator will provide you with pre-configured die-cutting lines and spot colors to help create a print-ready file in no time.
File checker
Check if your files are print-ready.
Simply enter the size of your label and the number of sorts. Please note, if your artwork has hot foil or opaque white elements, the respective check box needs to be checked.
You can upload one file or multiple files at a time. Each file and its upload status will show in the panel underneath. There are two status messages: either your file is printable and our Preflight found no mistakes so you can proceed with your label order. Or the Preflight found some errors, and your file needs to be revised – in this case, you can book our Artwork Service.
Die-cut line generator
Simply enter the size and the shape of your label. If your artwork contains opaque white elements, hot foil stamping or both, please check the check box. We will generate the die-cut lines and place the spot colors in your file.
Open Print Template:
Open the AI template from your email inbox using a vector graphics program, such as Adobe Illustrator. The file is created in the size you specified including a surrounding bleed of 2.5mm. If you have selected the label shape “square” or “round”, the die-cut contour (magenta) is already in the final format in the file. If you have selected the “own shape” option, this is created as an individual shape in the document as a
placeholder. You can create a custom die in Adobe Illustrator using the pen tool. It is important that you color the die-cutting outline in the spot color “die-cut” from
the Window > Swatches panel.
Colorize Elements with Spot Colour:
Coloor all vector elements to be further processed with the corresponding spot colour from the Window > Color Fields control panel. To do this, select the different elements in Adobe Illustrator with the selection tool in the Tools panel and color, for example, with the spot color field “Foil”.
Move Elements to Layer
Now drag the elements colored with the spot color, e.g. “Foil”, to the corresponding Window > Layers. To do
this, select the elements with the selection tool in the Tool panel. Then drag the square to the corresponding layer.
Set Spot Colors to Overprint
The elements that you have coloured in the respective spot colour (such as “Foil”) must now be set to overprint. To do this, select these elements with the selection tool (in the Tool panel) and open the Attributes panel in the window. Under Surface click on the overprint option. For a contour line, select the Overprint contour option. The “overprint” option sets the areas under the object to be overprinted continuously and not recessed.
Check Colors Using Separations Preview
To check whether the settings are as desired, open the Window > Preview separations in the control panel. To
check the color separations, check the Overprint preview box.
You can then use the hide and show options to separate the individual colours that are present in the document for your verification.
Export Finished Print File as PDF
Once all the colors have been correctly created, the PDF can be exported for printing. To do this, select the option > Save as …. in the bar at the top under File. A window will then open in which you can name the file and select a saving location. In addition, select the file type Adobe PDF (pdf) in the Format option. Then click on
the Save button. In the window that opens, set the Adobe PDF preferences to [High Quality Print]. In the Marks and Bleeds tab on the left side, click the Use document bleed settings checkbox. The previously set
bleed of 2.5 mm all around should appear automatically. Finally, click the Save PDF button. Your print-ready PDF file is now saved in the folder you selected earlier.
