Your product is developed and you have already thought about the label and packaging design. At the latest now the question comes up: How do I create the artwork to commission my labels?
Creating digital artwork can be a little overwhelming for many. So that we can provide you with the best possible quality of your printed labels, we want to give you the most important tips in this blog article and show you how to prepare artwork for printing. This way we can also work with the best possible source material and nothing will stand in your way to your high-quality product labels!
In a nutshell: If you already have more experience with preparing digital artwork, here are the specifications:
But are you now rather confused by the terminology and have just no idea what we are talking about? No problem, let's go through the jungle together! We'll clear up the confusion step by step and make sure that your printed labels reach you in the best possible way.
Let's briefly go over the main points you should consider:
- Colors
- Images & Texts
- Data format & settings
Colors
There are really only two color spaces used in digital images: RGB and CMYK.
The RGB color space consists of the primary colors red, green, and blue and is used to define colors that are displayed on screens. So when you see your brand design on your website or in a screen presentation, it's in RGB color space.
At Palamo, we print digitally in the CMYK color space. "CMYK" stands for the 4 primary colors cyan, magenta, yellow and key, which is black. These 4 process colors in combination result in a wide range of possible color tones that are created in printing. When creating your artwork, it is therefore important to specify CMYK as the color space. You can find this setting in the color options of your image editing program.
Always keep in mind that the printed color tones may differ from the color tones on your screen. Even image files that are saved in the CMYK color space can only be seen on the screen in the RGB approximation.
Our printing experts will be happy to advise you on the best possible color selection for your labels.
If you have black and white color in your designs, you should create them separately as solids. If you use spot colors, it is best to create them in PANTONE C color mode.
Gold, silver, and copper are very much in vogue, especially as label embellishments. No wonder: especially for high-value products, these finishes give a very luxurious impression.
Metallic colors are created with printing on metallic material. This allows us to mimic any metallic hue and give your products the shine they deserve. If you want the label to have non-metallic colors as well, these are first underlaid with white and overprinted with the desired color. You should also create these negative areas separately.
Do you have more questions about the color settings? Check out our print specifications or contact us, we are always happy to help!
Images & Texts
Unique graphics and special texts give your product the distinctive look that will always be associated with your brand. Of course, these should appear on your label and packaging in high quality and be recognizable and readable.
The graphics used should therefore have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi (dots per inch) at actual size. All images should be linked in your print file and sent with the open file. Also make sure that the CMYK color space is set.
To ensure that texts on your product are easy to read, they should have a minimum font size of 4 pt. We all make mistakes, so always make sure that there are no spelling or content errors in your texts. This way you avoid unnecessary costs and time for reprints. Once your text is final, convert your fonts to paths to make them printable.
You can also find instructions on how to do this in our detailed print specifications!
You already have your own logo, but no label or packaging design yet and would rather get help from creative design experts? Then our design services are just right for you! Feel free to contact us for more information about our matching services.
File format & technical settings
Last but not least, you need to know these points about the overhang and the die-cut outline:
The die-cut outline is the line that is used to die-cut your labels into your chosen shape. In order for this to be recognized as a punch outline and not a graphic element, you should create the punch outline as a solid color when you create your artwork, name it "Punch", "Cut", or "Die" in your file, and set it to "Overprint".
The surrounding overprint is needed to make sure that the graphic elements are really inside the punch outline and that there is no unwanted, unprinted border. Therefore, you should always add a circumferential overhang of the design elements of at least 1.5 mm to the die cutting contour.
Texts and elements that are not to be cut off must have a minimum distance of 1 mm from the punch line.
Once you have made all the technical settings and followed our tips, all you need to do is export your artwork in the correct file format. It's best to deliver the file in PDF format (preferably PDF X4), but we can also handle Adobe IIllustrator files (AI).
For detailed instructions on color, text & format settings for your artwork, check out our print specifications. Of course, we can also help you personally, so feel free to contact us!
Your Palamo Team
