Detailed Technical Specifications

The following information about sizes & required specifications is important if you wish to send us your own design to print. Please follow these instructions carefully as we cannot print your card order if these specs are not met.

Setting up your Business Card in Your Design Program

1: Create your document to our standard size of 94mm by 59mm this includes bleed area, the trimmed and finished card size is 90mm by 53mm (or 55mm for gloss or matt coated). For other sizes please use the card size you want plus 2mm bleed area. E.g. You want a slimline card that is 90mm x 45mm. Your document size will be 94mm x 49mm.
2: All your text or logos or anything you do not want cut off the card needs to be in a safe area in the centre of your card that measures 84mm by 47mm. Anything that exceeds this measurement runs the risk of being cut off when the card is guillotined.
3: DO NOT INCLUDE ANY, CROP, PRINT OR REGISTRATION MARKS on your document. Do however, if your background is white place a rectangle around the edge of your card design at 94mm x 59mm to help us align your card as it has been designed.
4: Make sure your document size is the same as the card size. Do not set up your card on an A4 page. CMYK COLOUR MODE (U.S. Web Coated SWOP v2)

Exporting & Naming Your File

1. We have only three acceptable formats for your business cards. These are .pdf .eps or jpeg. Our preference is a .pdf format. Please see below for instructions on how to pdf correctly from some common design applications. Please be aware, we do not accept responsibility for colour variations from files sent to us. Colours should be checked using a cmyk colour chart.
2. When exporting your files for print please name them using the initials of your business name. eg:
Your business name: John Smith Plumbing
File Name: JSP.pdf
Save Front and Back of business card as Page 1&2 of the same PDF.

Creating & Exporting as PDF from Adobe InDesign:

Set your document to the size of 90mm x 55mm. Also set a 3mm margin inside this size. (A cutting shift can occur and this will make sure that any text or images will not be guillotined). Set the Bleed to 2mm left & right and 3mm top & bottom of card.
Keep all text, logo's etc, (anything you don't want cut off) inside the 3mm guide lines.
The document must be in CMYK (U.S. Web Coated SWOP v2). Create a 94mm x 59mm keyline around card to ensure your card aligns correctly in the print process.
Before exporting as a print ready PDF you should also outline all your text (select all the text, go to TYPE in the menu bar and select CREATE OUTLINES. This will make sure that all your text will print as you designed it)
Now go to FILE-Export and select PRESS PDF preset. Make sure you tick USE DOCUMENT BLEED SETTINGS. DO NOT INCLUDE ANY, CROP, PRINT OR REGISTRATION MARKS on your document. Also any images used in Indesign should be at least 300dpi, in CMYK mode and embedded in the document.

Creating & Exporting as PDF from Adobe Photoshop:

Create a new document at 94mm x 59mm. Photoshop does not have bleed settings so the size specified is the card cut size plus Bleed.
On the new document create guide lines 5mm in from left & 5mm in from the right as well as 6mm in from the top & 6mm in from the bottom of card.
Keep all text, logo's etc, (anything you don't want cut off) inside the above guide lines. The document must be in CMYK (U.S. Web Coated SWOP v2) mode and at 300dpi (these settings are in the new document dialogue box).
When you are ready to PDF your artwork, go to FILE-SAVE AS, and save as format-PDF, make sure LAYERS is not ticked, now click save (it will save as a copy)
Next you will see another dialogue box PDF OPTIONS, select Zip as Encoding.
***Most important is to Tick Option INCLUDE VECTOR DATA, Select USE OUTLINES FOR TEXT, (not EMBED FONTS)!!!

Creating & Exporting as PDF from Adobe Illustrator:

Create a new document at 94mm x 59mm. This includes the bleed settings so the size specified is the card cut size plus Bleed.
On the new document create guide lines 5mm in from left & 5mm in from the right as well as 6mm in from the top & 6mm in from the bottom of card.
Make sure all images are embedded and are also in CMYK colour mode.
Once you are happy with your design, select all the type and go to TYPE in the menu and create OUTLINES from the text. Make sure you SAVE ASand do not SAVE as your document as this will make your text uneditable.
Once you have outlined the text go to FILE SAVE AS-PDF.
DO NOT included any printer mark (no crop, bleed or registration marks) in the PDF options. Under Compression select ZIP not JPEG.

Creating & Exporting as PDF from CorelDRAW:

Create a new document at 94mm x 59mm. This includes the bleed settings so the size specified is the card cut size plus Bleed.
On the new document create guide lines 5mm in from left & 5mm in from the right as well as 6mm in from the top & 6mm in from the bottom of card.
Keep all text, logo's etc, (anything you don't want cut off) inside the guide lines.
Any photos, colours etc, are to be CMYK mode.
When you are happy with your design, you are ready to PDF your file.
Select File....Publish to PDF
Under General in your Options select Current Document
Under Objects select No Compression, bitmap downsampling to 300 for colour, grayscale & monochrome, and VERY IMPORTANT: select Export all text as Curves.....deselect compress text and lineart, select binary encoding
Under Advanced select CMYK to output all objects. The rest should be preset as per standard settings.

Detailed Specs of Card Type Options, Budget, Gloss & Matt

1. Budget Uncoated: These are a budget print option and are printed using a digital printer. They are printed on a 250gsm card which is a medium weight card. These are available as 90mm x 53mm. They are available as full colour front & black or grey text on reverse. The colours we print in are CMYK. They are available in quantities of 1,000 or 500. These cards are great if you need a good quality business card with a minimum of fuss in a hurry. Turnaround is usually 7-10 days from receipt of order and payment.

2. Gloss Cello: These are cards are printed using an offset printer. They are printed on a 420gsm card which is a heavy weight card. These are available as standard size: 90mm x 55mm. These cards can also be special cut to other sizes or have holes drilled - please refer to price list. They are available as full colour front and black & white or greyscale reverse or there is a double side colour option. They have a gloss cello coated front. The colours we print in are CMYK. They are available only in quantities of 1000 minimum. These cards are a value for money, high quality card at a great price! Turnaround is usually 10-14 days from receipt of order and payment.

3. Matt Cello: These are cards printed with an offset printer. They are printed on a 420gsm card which is a heavy weight card. These are available as standard size: 90mm x 55mm. These cards can also be special cut to other sizes or have holes drilled - please refer to price list. They are available as full colour front, full colour back with matt coating both sides or there is the option of black & white or greyscale reverse The colours we print in are CMYK. They are available only in quantities of 1000 minimum. These cards are our top of the line, premium quality option, sure to impress any client and still at a fantastic low price! Turnaround is usually 10-14 days from receipt of order and payment.

Some Information on JUST BUSINESS CARDS Printing Process

1. Colour: All our cards are printed CMYK. Many Print Houses use Pantone or PMS colours (these are inks that are specifically mixed to acheive the correct colour) If you are very specific about the exact colour match or a specific type of ink such as fluro or metallic inks, you will need to seek a printer that uses this process. CMYK is fast becoming the process of choice these days for it's convenience. There is another colour palet called RGB. This is likely to be the colours displayed by most computer monitors and a lot of jpeg or tiff files are in RGB. Your document needs to be set in the properties section as CMYK, or alternatively use the CMYK option when creating your pdf.

2. Acceptable File Formats: We accept a few different options as printable files. Our preferred option is a .pdf (see below for further info). Other acceptable formats are .eps .jpeg and tiff files. All of these are PRINT READY, meaning we do not adjust your file at all.

3. Bleed: We cannot print your cards unless you include the correct bleed area. Different print shops use different bleed areas. Our bleed area for ALL BUSINESS CARDS is 2mm.

4. Outlining Text or Convert to Curves: This is a graphic arts term that means changing the text from editable text to a graphic or vector. We will not print your files if this specification is not completed. The process of converting your text by outlining or converting to curves also helps to avoid 'electronic glitches' or errors in your files from occuring. If you are having difficulty with this process, it is easier to send your file to us as an .eps or high resolution jpeg file.

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