What is spot uv?
Spot UV is a premium finish that you can add to some of our business card offerings which allows you to have only specific ares of the card with a clear, gloss coating. It’s a great way to really make text and logos pop. See an example of the effect below.
I want to use my own business card design. What are the requirements?
As with all submitted artwork for printing, the files should be saved as 300 dpi JPEG or PDF files in CMYK. If you send us an RGB file, there is a chance that a color shift may occur and you may not be satisfied with your delivered product. You also need to ensure your design(s) account for bleeds and padding. What is a bleed? It is a minimum area of space from the edge of your design to allow for cutting. The padding will help to prevent important parts of your design, like the text, from being too close to the edge. We recommend starting off your design with one of our templates and keep in mind the card stock you have chosen to help ensure your designs look great. Are you getting a card with Spot UV? Click HERE to learn about the additional requirements.
How do I setup a spot uv or foil stamped file if I want to use my own design?
Final Product
So… You have ordered some new foil stamped/spot uv business cards and you would like to submit your own designs. Whether you’re getting just spot UV on your cards and/or foil stamping, you need to include mask files to indicate where on your new business cards that you want the uv or foil imprinted. In this example, we have a sample of what a possible business card would look like as a finished product. It is important to remember that you cannot have the spot uv and foil overlapping. There must be at least 1/16 of an inch separating the two in order to prevent pealing of the foil stamping. Just like with your main artwork files, ensure that all of your submitted files are saved as either a JPEG or PDF, at 300dpi, and in CMYK color profile.
Spot UV Mask
Create your spot uv mask artwork by making the areas you would like in uv gloss all black, and the rest of the area in white. As the files MUST be saved in CMYK color, you will need to ensure that your “K” value is set at 100% while the C, M, and Y values are at 0%.
Foil Stamp Mask
As with your spot uv mask files, your foil masks will follow the same format. Again, make sure that your mask files do not overlap and ensure that there is at least 1/16 of an inch separating them.
We recommend starting off your design with one of our templates to help ensure your designs look great.
How do I setup a plastic business card file if I want to use my own design?
Unless you choose the white plastic stock, you will only be able to print on a single side. Any submitted design should be submitted as a 300 dpi JPEG or PDF in CMYK color. As there is no white in CMYK, any area of your card design that is white will be counted as transparent. This means that on a clear or frosted plastic, white areas will appear as clear or frosted.
We recommend starting off your design with one of our templates to help ensure your designs look great.