Classic Business Cards

Submission specifications for Classic Business Cards

Add 3 mm bleed.

To allow leeway for cutting differences in production, always add a bleed of 3 mm around all edges of your design. Make sure colours, background pictures and layouts extend into the bleed area so as to avoid leaving white lines as a result of cutting tolerances.

Keep 4 mm safety margin

Keep all important text and images at least 4 mm away from the edge of the finished size. Exclusive finishes need to be within the safety margin

Use CMYK as the color mode.

Prepare your files using CMYK as the color mode, not RGB. Use colormode FOGRA39 (ISO Coated v2) for coated papertypes and colormode FOGRA47 (PSO Uncoated ISO12647) for uncoated papertypes. If you are unsure of the colour mode of your file, don't worry we can always convert this for you. Keep in mind this can cause the colours to differ from the original file.

Resolution of at least 300 dpi.

Make sure the resolution of the images and graphics in your artwork are at least 300 dpi.

Convert fonts to outlines or embed all the fonts.

Make sure you convert fonts to outlines or embed all the fonts when saving it to PDF.

Make sure the ink coverage isn't higher than 300%.

Force Color Images to CMYK with a 260% ink limit (in Photoshop > Convert Color Profile > Photoshop 5 Default CMYK). Make sure the ink coverage isn't higher than 300%.

Save your files in uneditable, print-ready file formats.

Save your files in uneditable, print-ready file formats (PDF (1.4 or higher), TIFF, EPS, JPG). Deliver your files in one layer: the background layer.

Use the right values for full color black.

Use Rich Black (C:63% M:52% Y:51% K:100%) for larger areas and text to get a deep black color. Do not use this value for text smaller than 15 pt or plain text. This can only be used in full color printing. For designing black smaller texts use 100% black.

Check line thickness

Lines should be at least 0.25 pt. Negative lines should be at least 0.5 pt.

Check your artwork on overprint.

Make sure no elements in your artwork are set on overprint. Unless you want this effect in your design. The degree of transparency in printing depends on the ink, paper, and printing method used.

Frequently Asked Questions for Classic Business Cards

Which materials can I choose from?

• 340 gms offset: This paper usually gets chosen because it is writable and has a robust quality. This paper is also qualified to stamp on.
• 400gr silk MC: this paper is the thickest out of our range of materials and are 4x as thick as printing paper. This material is mainly used for unique and exclusive affairs. Thickness: 0,4mm
• 400gr silk MC + matt lamination: select the 400gr silk mc + matt lamination if you want to give your products that extra feeling. The matt lamination gives your product a luxurious and powerful look.
• 400gr silk MC + gloss laminate: With this material your product looks and feels very solid and professional, plus it has a high gloss finish. Thickness: 0,41mm.
• 400gsm silk MC + velvet laminate: With this material your product looks and feels very solid and professional, plus it has a velvet soft finish. Thickness: 0,41mm.

What is this product exactly? And what can I use it for?

• A business card is a card that contains your company / contact information and can be printed completely according to your wishes. It's the best way to make a lasting first impression on prospective customers / business partners.
• This product is used to / as:
• • Introduce people to your business
• Exchange company/contact information

What is the fastest possible turnaround?

• The fastest possible turnaround for Classic Business Cards is:
• Next day.
• Note only applicable for products which require your design: To make sure that your order is delivered at the indicated time, it is important that we receive your file with your design for the product, on time (also called cut-off time). In this way the product can be moved into production on time. The deadline is always communicated in the yellow bar on the product page, above the "Add to shopping cart" button.
• The cut-off time for your printed item may vary. This depends on the combination you choose. This has to do with the manufacturing technique and / or the order quantities.
• NOTE: The product delivery shifts a day every time the deadline for submission has passed. This is also the case if the file is rejected by us and corrected artwork isn't supplied before the next cut off time.

Which production techniques do you use?

• For the production of your Classic Business Cards we use the following production technique(s):
• Digital (up to 250 pieces): printed on professional HP Indigo printers, directly after your order is received. Digital printing is cheaper in lower order quantities.
• 
  Offset Lithography printing or Litho printing makes it possible to provide larger quantities at unbeatable prices. This technique creates images and text with wet ink and transferred to each paper sheet with aluminium and rubber plates. This method is more extensive than its 'digital’ counterpart because of the different printing materials that are used. Still, it is the most cost-effective option when you order bigger printed batches.

Which carriers are used for the delivery?

• For the delivery of your classic business cards we use multiple carriers. Because of the highest reliability, in most cases we use UPS or DPD.
• UPS
• Other carriers we use are DHL and even our own courier service. These carriers are used for certain products (depending on the size, the turnaround and the quantity).

I can't find the product I'm looking for. Can I request a quotation?

• The Classic Business Cards that is chosen in most cases can be selected via our website.
• If your material type, weight, quantity, size or other specification is not listed, you can request a quotation. We will send you our offer within 1 working day.
• Depending on the complexity this can take a bit longer.