What is print ready artwork?
Print ready artwork is artwork that is ready to be printed without any further manipulation required. Please read through the following artwork specifications to create your own print ready artwork.
What programs are suitable for creating print ready stickers?
Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw and Affinity Designer are the recommended programs for creating print and cut sticker files. These are vector based programs which allow the creation of a correctly named spot colour that can be read by the RIP (Print management software that I use).
Canva is not recommended for creating print and cut ready files.
Artwork size
It is recommended that all stickers are created at 100% scale with a 3mm bleed.
Please ensure there is no important information within 3mm of the the inside of the cut line – this is the safe printing zone.
Colour profile
Please ensure the colour profile is CMYK.
Please note – the colour you see on your screen may not match the final printed item – this is due to the way colour is represented on you screen. In addition, the same file printed on different media may also have colour variations.
File format
Preferred file format for printing is PDF or .eps.
Fonts
Please ensure that all fonts are outlined.
Cut contour
Create a spot colour (ideally 100% Magenta) and name it “CutContour”. The RIP will then read this an know where to cut your stickers. All cut lines must be placed on the very top layer – I recommend creating a separate layer named CutContour for this purpose.
Spot Colour: CutContour (100% Magenta).
Line Weight: 0.25pt, align stroke to centre.
Please download the following instructions showing how to create a sticker with/without bleed in Illustrator CS6 and save as an eps file. This file contains the correctly named CutContour swatch that you can use in your own file preparation (simply copy/paste to your working file).
Best practice for creating contoured stickers
Smooth, curved lines work best for stickers – sharp points can result in stickers being difficult to remove from the backing and potentially ripping.
Help! I can’t upload my eps file??
Don’t worry – if you have created an eps file – please email it to order@emmerlee.com.au along with your order number once you have placed your order.
PDF files can be uploaded but the service doesn’t like native Illustrator, Photoshop or Corel draw etc files.
Ready to Order your bulk stickers?
Head straight to the bulk order listing!
