Digital Print File Requirements

Nearly every delay on a label job starts as a file problem: an RGB image, a live font, a die line hiding on the same layer as the artwork. None of it is hard to fix at your end and all of it is slow to fix at ours, so here is exactly what we need. If something on the list is unfamiliar, send the file anyway and ask — we would rather look at it than have you guess.

1. Supply files through your Dropbox or FTP, so nothing is lost or re-compressed in an email.
2. Black should be 100% black (K) only for all text.
3. Show white separately if applicable, and declare white ink as spot white (for clear or metallized labels).
4. Supply the PMS target, declared as spot colors.
5. Indicate the LAB or CMYK values if a PMS has specific custom values.
6. Format files as Adobe Illustrator, EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) or high-resolution PDF.
7. Convert all fonts to outlines and/or attach all fonts.
8. Line weights must be a minimum of 0.5 pt (0.007") for positive copy; use 0.7 pt (0.01") for reverse lines.
9. Embed all images, including linked images, or attach the raster image file.
10. Set the die line to overprint in magenta or process blue.
11. Unlock all layers.
12. Remove passwords from the art file.
13. Eliminate all unused elements and color swatches — keep files clean.
14. Allow 1/16" for bleeds.
15. Allow 1/16" for die line buffer zones.
16. Borderlines should sit a minimum of 1/16" away from the edge of the label. They can bleed off the edge on die-cut labels only.
17. Unformatted text copy can come from any word processor, or any program that saves as *.txt.
18. Adobe Illustrator is the preferred program. We will generate your barcode — just supply the type and number — and we will send you a file template to work from. Contact us with any file set-up questions.
19. Put die lines on their own separate layer, with no other images or elements on that layer.
20. Convert overprint elements to opacity and remove all overprints.

The two that catch people out most often are the die line and the overprints. A die line that is mixed in with the artwork has to be picked apart by hand before the job can be imposed, and an overprinted white or light element will simply vanish on the printed label — it looks right on screen and disappears on press.

For colour space, resolution and bleed set out plate by plate, see our press-ready art specifications. If your artwork is not built yet, label design covers sizing, copy position and the rest of the pre-press decisions, and you can always talk it through with us first.