Artwork Setup & File Requirements

Preferred: vector PDF (PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4), Adobe Illustrator .ai, or .eps with all fonts outlined. Acceptable: high-resolution PNG at 300 DPI at final printed size. Not recommended: JPEG (compression artifacts), GIF (color loss), Word/PowerPoint (no color management), InDesign (requires packaged files). We supply a die-template PDF for every order — place your artwork inside the template so dieline, bleed, safe area and barcode clear zones are all correct. Re-artwork fee is $35 if we have to rebuild your file from a low-resolution source.

Bleed is artwork that extends 0.0625 inch (1.5mm) beyond the final cut line in every direction. Printing shifts microscopically during die-cutting — without bleed, a white edge appears where the cut misses the artwork. With bleed, the cut always lands on printed area and the edge looks clean. Bleed is mandatory on all label artwork. Safe area is 0.0625 inch INSIDE the cut line — keep all critical text and logos inside safe area to avoid being clipped. Our template shows bleed (red), cut line (blue), and safe area (green) as separate layers.

Always CMYK for label production — RGB is for screens only and converts to CMYK with unpredictable color shifts. Send artwork as CMYK with ICC profile coated GRACoL 2013 (CGATS21-2) for the most accurate color match. Pantone spot colors: assign Pantone Solid Coated swatches to specific design elements (logo, brand color) and we will print them as spot colors at the press. Note: digital printing converts Pantone to CMYK simulation — for critical Pantone matches under ΔE<2, choose flexo or offset printing instead.

Yes for production-ready artwork — outlining prevents font substitution errors and avoids missing-font delays. In Illustrator: select all text, Type > Create Outlines (Ctrl+Shift+O / Cmd+Shift+O). Send both the outlined production file and the original editable file (with fonts not outlined) so we can make small last-minute text edits if needed. Minimum font size: 5pt sans-serif at final scale, 6pt serif. Smaller text becomes illegible and may not register on press.

Yes — our in-house design team offers three service tiers: (1) Quick Fix $35 — fix fonts, color space, bleed, dieline, outline text. (2) Layout Refresh $120 — restructure your existing design for better hierarchy, typography and label-format fit. (3) Custom Design $380 — full custom label design from your brief, includes 3 concept directions and 2 rounds of revisions. All design work is captured in the quote — no surprise design fees. Turnaround: Quick Fix 1 business day, Layout Refresh 2-3 days, Custom Design 5-7 days.

Dieline is the vector path along which the die-cut tool cuts your label. Standard shapes (rectangle, circle, oval, square) use our pre-made dielines — just request the template. Custom shapes require a 1pt vector path in a spot color named "Dieline" on a top layer, with 0.0625in corner radius minimum, no sharp inside corners (they tear the die), and minimum 3pt stroke separation between adjacent cuts. Custom die cost: $45-120 one-time, retained for reorders. We can generate the dieline from your sketch or reference image.

White ink requires a separate layer named "White" containing 100% black vector shapes (K=100) representing everything that should print white. On clear labels: white ink underprints behind CMYK to make colors opaque — without white, blue prints transparent purple on glass. On metallic labels: white ink masks areas where you do not want the metallic to show through. White ink adds $0.02-0.04/ea on BOPP/PET. File setup: 3 layers stacked — CMYK layer (top), White layer (middle), Dieline (bottom). Send as layered PDF or AI.

300 DPI at final printed size — this is the print industry standard. Lower resolution (72 DPI web images) prints visibly pixelated. Higher (600 DPI) is fine but produces no visible improvement and inflates file size. To check: open image in Photoshop, Image > Image Size, uncheck Resample, set Resolution to 300 pixels/inch — the resulting Width/Height is the maximum print size at full quality. For one-way vision perforated vinyl or large format banners, 150 DPI is acceptable; for labels, always 300 DPI.

Foil artwork goes on a separate layer named "FOIL" as 100% black vector (K=100, no CMY). Rules: knockout — never overprint foil on ink (misregistration shows). Minimum line weight 0.5pt, minimum text 6pt sans-serif / 8pt serif. No gradients, no halftones, no transparency — foil is binary. If using multiple foil colors, create separate "FOIL-GOLD", "FOIL-SILVER" layers and indicate color in layer name. File format: layered PDF, AI, or EPS with fonts outlined. Foil artwork received without proper knockout/setup is sent to design for $35 fix fee.

Flood UV: a uniform high-gloss or matte UV-cured coating applied to the entire label — economical ($0.01-0.02/ea), protects against scuffing and moisture, standard on most production. Spot UV: a UV coating applied only to specific design elements (logo, accent shape) to create a high-gloss-on-matte contrast effect — premium ($0.03-0.06/ea), requires artwork layer named "SPOTUV" with 100% black vector shapes. Most popular on spirits, cosmetics and tech product labels. Both UV coatings are food-safe and FDA 21 CFR 175.300 compliant.

Yes — QR codes: minimum 0.5x0.5 inch final size, generated at 300 DPI minimum, leave 0.1 inch quiet zone around it (white margin). Barcodes: Code 128 (logistics), UPC-A (retail), EAN-13 (international retail) — minimum 1.5x0.5 inch final size, black bars on white background only, quiet zone 0.25 inch each side. Variable data: sequential numbers (0001-9999), unique QR codes per label, personalized names — $0.02-0.05/ea surcharge, supply a CSV file with one row per label, we handle the data merge.

Roll print direction = how the artwork reads when the roll unwinds. Two options: head-leading (top of label dispenses first — standard for automatic bottle labelers) and foot-leading (bottom of label dispenses first — used for some wine and beer labeling machines). Specify on quote. Also specify web direction: inside wound (labels on inside of roll, adhesive out) or outside wound (labels on outside, adhesive in). Default: 3-inch core, head-leading, outside wound. Wrong direction = re-winding fee $35 — confirm with your labeler manufacturer before ordering.

Three proof revisions are free. After the third revision, additional rounds are $15 each (or $35 if the change requires re-importing artwork). Proofs are PDF digital — for physical press proofs, request our $45 hard-proof service (3 printed samples on your material, 5-7 business days). Bulk production does not start until you sign the proof email with "Approved". Most projects close within 1-2 revision rounds — only complex multi-finish labels need more.