1 – Letterpress = Letter + Press

• You likely have chosen letterpress for the print impression into paper stock
• Impression works best when letters and elements (not backgrounds), are pressed into paper
• Large backgrounds of flat colour cannot be pressed into paper, and these ink colours print cloudy and mottled
• We recommend using fills and solids sparingly

2 – Use PANTONE+ Solid Uncoated swatches

• In Illustrator or InDesign, use PANTONE+ Solid Uncoated Swatches
• All elements must be set as a spot colour from this library.
• No letterpress elements may be set in CMYK or registration

3 – Avoid elements measuring <0.25pt

• Please check your artwork for very thin lines, elements and terminals
• We recommend avoiding setting type smaller than 4pt
• For small non-script typography, consider tracking type +5 to compensate for impression

4 – Export PDF with 3mm bleed + Crop marks only

• All elements reach which reach the edge of canvas, must be bled over by 3mm
• Export your artwork with 3mm bleed, and crop marks, only
• No bleed marks, no registration marks, no colour bars, no page info

5 – Expect CMYK digital print to move

Background of printing press registration:

• CMYK Digital printing presses rely on suction – registration is never exact from print to print
• Letterpress and Foil printing presses rely on gravity – registration is exact from print to print.

For your artwork:

• Where you rely on CMYK, you must account for shifts of up to 3 mm in any direction
• Therefore, do not design CMYK print to meet letterpress or foil printed elements at exact or parallel points.
• CMYK must only be used for backgrounds where exact registration is not required. (example)

Images

• Where possible supply images as vector artwork, set in a Pantone spot colour swatch
• For photographs, a stylised single colour replication may be possible utilising a halftone screen comprising of dots. It is best to experiment settings for the best outcomes. In Photoshop, set Image > Mode > Greyscale. Adjust Image > Adjustments > Levels, maximising contrast white ensuring a volume of lighter white areas. Convert image to bitmap, Image > Mode > Bitmap, with 300 Pixels/Inch with Halftone Screen. Set Frequency between 60 and 120. Save as TIFF, then import into InDesign/Illustrator, applying your Pantone spot colour swatch onto the image.

White print on black paper stock

• It is not possible to print opaque white ink onto black paper
• Black paper stocks will always show through white ink
• To achieve white on black, white foil must be stamped onto paper

Foiling

• Indicate foil areas with a separate spot colour swatch
• Rename the spot colour swatch as the foil colour

Die-cutting & Creasing

• Indicate cut paths with a 1pt Magenta colour
• Indicate score paths with a 1pt Cyan colour

 Laser cutting

• Set artwork as a single separate layer
• Indicate cut or engrave paths with 0.001pt stroke only
• Laser artwork cannot be set with fills