Artwork Guidelines

When submitting your artwork to Card USA, Inc. please make sure you adhere to these guidelines:

Color Guidelines

Color

Card USA offers printing in 4 color process (CMYK), Pantone spot colors (PMS) and Grayscale (no RGB). Please use a Color Swatch Book when choosing the colors, as four color process and Pantone colors may not correspond to monitor colors and/or to un calibrated output services (printers).We accept artwork with Pantone colors and Grayscale, as long it is specifies and identifies properly within the file.

Font Guidelines

Font

Use vector mode for small text (12 pt or smaller). Back-of-card text must be in text or vector format (QuarkXPress®, Illustrator®, InDesign®). Avoid raster images (PSD, TIF, JPG) for text to ensure print quality. Reverse text should be at least 6 pt in bold, and intricate designs should not be reversed. Do not use TrueType fonts—only PostScript or OpenType. Supply all fonts with the file, and use actual bold/italic fonts instead of styling. Convert non-Latin fonts (Hebrew, Chinese, Arabic) to outlines.

File Submission

Artwork File Format

Finished artwork must be sent as digital files for the Apple Macintosh® Computer. All file names must be in English and easily understandable.
Card USA will accept files from any version of the following software applications: QuarkXPress®, Adobe Illustrator®, Adobe InDesign® and Adobe Photoshop®. Files created in other software applications must be supplied as TIFF or EPS and must not require any modifications. Send only the necessary files to print (no duplicates or unnecessary files.)

Resolution

Image Resolution

The resolution of an image must be 300 PPI or higher placed at 100%.

Bleed Requirements

Bleeding

Artwork extending to the card edges requires a .125″ bleed for die cut tolerances. Images and text that don’t bleed should be .125″ inside die cuts.

File Delivery

Transmitting your file

Files may be supplied via the following:
USB Flash drive, CD or DVD
FTP (ask your Sales Associate)
All files other than JPEGs must be compressed using Stuff it or Zip format.

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