This document sets out our general requirements for artwork. It applies to all our orders and is binding within the meaning of Article 6.1 of our general terms and conditions.

For each specific order we will send you a more detailed specification — a product sheet or description, and a template. That specification prevails over this general document.

Don't have your artwork in the required form? Get in touch, in most cases we can sort it out.

1. File formats

We prefer vector. Vector data can be scaled to any size without loss of quality.

Logos and symbols that we will place onto a background must be supplied without a background, i.e. with transparency. Transparency is supported by .png, .tif and .psd, and among vector formats by .ai, .eps, .pdf and .svg. The .jpg format does not support transparency at all, so please do not use it for this purpose; a logo on a white square placed into a coloured area does not look good, and removing the background is extra work.

Send your data either in an open format with embedded images and fonts converted to outlines, or in a packaged folder with all images and fonts used, if you expect further amendments.

Please do not send artwork embedded in .docx, .pptx or .xlsx files, or logos downloaded from a website or social media. They cannot be used for print.

Do not use accented or special characters in file names.

2. Typefaces

Convert all typefaces to outlines (Type → Create Outlines / Text → Convert to Curves), or embed them in the document. A typeface that is neither converted nor supplied may be substituted at print and the text will break up.

Do not replace text with a bitmap; the result will be poor quality.

3. Resolution of raster artwork

A minimum of 300 dpi at the actual size of the print. For single-colour line art we recommend 600 dpi.

Enlarging a raster image in a graphics application does not increase its resolution. A logo 200 px wide will not be sharp even if you save it at 300 dpi. Low resolution shows up as blurring in the finished product.

4. Colour

Working colour space: CMYK, or CMYK + Pantone. Artwork in RGB loses saturation when converted to CMYK, particularly in strong blues, greens and oranges.

If you need an exact shade, define it as a Pantone spot colour and state it in the order as well. Without a defined Pantone shade we cannot guarantee an exact colour match.

The resulting colour varies with the material and the technology: the same colour looks different on white cotton, on coloured plastic and on metal. A monitor preview does not correspond to the printed result. On repeat orders, colour may vary slightly between production batches. Permitted tolerances are described in Article 9 of the terms and conditions.

5. Scale, bleed and safe margins

• Supply artwork at a scale of 1:1.
• Bleed and safe margins vary by product; the specific values are given in the product sheet and template. Unless stated otherwise, allow for a 3 mm bleed and a 5 mm safe margin.
• Without bleed, unprinted edges will appear on the finished product, because trimming is never perfectly precise.
• Text or graphics placed closer to the edge than the safe margin allows may be trimmed off or fall into a fold.
• Do not include crop or registration marks in your data unless we ask for them.

6. Printed products (cards, games, packaging, manuals)

For products printed by offset or digital press we additionally recommend:

• Trimbox and Bleedbox correctly defined on every page of the PDF, with the artwork centred in relation to them.
• Page dimensions must be identical throughout the document.
• Total ink coverage kept below 300 %.
• Rich black: instead of 100 % K, use C 50 %, M 40 %, Y 30 %, K 100 %. Small black texts and elements should conversely remain 100 % K with overprint enabled.
• Thin lines below 0.75 pt should be defined in a single colour, otherwise registration inaccuracies may occur.
• Do not use scans of previously printed materials; the screen from the earlier print will show through.
• Spot varnish, embossing and die-cutting must be defined as a separate spot colour at 100 % coverage with the overprint attribute, as vector objects.

Specific values may differ between manufacturers; where the specification for an order departs from these recommendations, the specification applies.

7. Product sheets and templates

Most of our products have their own requirements: dimensions, the number and layout of pages, the placement of mandatory and safety icons, print areas and technological limits.

For each order we will therefore send you:

• a product sheet or description with the specific requirements,
• a template in AI or PDF format into which the artwork is placed.

These documents are binding for the order concerned and prevail over the general rules in this document. We recommend requesting them before you start preparing artwork; it saves work on both sides.

Templates to download

We are adding templates for individual products here as they become available. Until yours is here, we will e-mail it to you for your specific order, just ask.

8. Rights to artwork

By sending us artwork you confirm that you are entitled to use it and to provide it to us for production, including logos, trade marks, photographs, illustrations and typefaces. Details are set out in Article 6.4 of the terms and conditions.

9. How to send artwork

Send artwork by e-mail to the person handling your order. For larger files, use a file transfer service of your choice (WeTransfer, Google Drive, Dropbox) and send us the link.

Please state the quotation or order number and the product name in your message.

10. What happens next

1. We check the artwork technically. You are responsible for checking the content (texts, figures, language versions).
2. We prepare a proof and send it to you for approval.
3. Once the proof is approved, we place the order into production. From that moment the delivery period starts to run and the proof can no longer be changed.

By approving the proof you confirm the appearance of the product. Details are set out in Article 7 of the terms and conditions.