Data Delivery Information

To ensure that your order runs as smoothly as possible, we ask you to use the following information as a guide. You can create professional print data that meet our requirements using graphics programmes such as Adobe Illustrator, InDesign or ArtPro.

Are you unsure whether your data has been created correctly? Not a problem! We will take care of your files! With our artwork service you can choose between different service options that include varying scopes of corrections. What do you need to do? Select the package and upload the print data. We’ll take care of the rest! Our graphics team will check and correct your print data. You will receive a report on the errors, and the corrections made.  Head to the artwork services now.

File format: PDF
Fonts converted to paths
Minimum resolution: 250 dpi
Standard resolution for images: 300 dpi
Standard resolution for line graphics: 1,200 dpi
Bleed: 2.5 mm all around
Safety margin inside: 2 mm
Colour space: CMYK

We recommend the Adobe programmes InDesign and Illustrator for professional data creation.

In the print output PDF/X-1a: select 2003 (or high-quality print), bleed 2.5 mm (around the entire format). From the created cutting line to the first element to be printed, 2 mm space is required all around for printing reasons. Other information such as registration marks, crop marks, control strips etc. are not required. All layers must be included in the final print file. This means that all “special layers” such as hot foil, HPI-white or cutting lines are included in the printable PDF. They must not be sent separately.

The printing files must present the final size of your labels plus 2,5 mm all around for the bleed. You do not need to specify the bleed during the ordering process. It will automatically be added later on.

The artboard defines the print area and must be created in the final format. In addition, 2.5 mm bleed must be set all around in the document settings. In order to save the bleed in the PDF, check the box “Use bleed settings of the document” in “Marks and bleed“*. (*when using Adobe Illustrator)

The cutting line (0.2 mm line width) must be created as a stroke and given an extra spot colour with the name cutter. The cutting line needs to be set to overprint. Cutting can only be done around the label, cutting out is not possible.
Please note: As a standard, rectangular labels are cut out with a corner radius of 0.5 mm.

Any (rectangular) cutting line with corners above 0.5 mm is considered to be a ‘custom shape’ and will have to be specified as such in your ordered and printing data.

Please set special colours as spot colours in the print data, otherwise we cannot take them into consideration. Only the Pantone references of Coated (Pantone® C) and Uncoated (Pantone® U) will be accepted. Please also note that the special colour reference requires the original Pantone code otherwise the file will be rejected. By default, all orders on label.co.uk are printed in the four-colour process (CMYK). By specifying Pantone colours, these will be simulated as closely as possible. On request, we can use OVG orange, purple and green inks to reproduce the original shade as closely as possible. Please note that there is usually no 1:1 match and that not all colours can be simulated in digital printing (e.g. metallic tones or neon colours).
Printing with the original colour is also possible, but involves additional costs. We will be happy to verify your request in terms of quantity and colour and provide you with a corresponding offer.

The printing of HPI-white (opaque white) under coloured printing serves to prevent the four-colour printing from shining through. It is applied, for example, on transparent foil, silver-coloured glossy paper and grass paper.

The colour HPI-white must be created as an extra spot colour with the name HPI-White and set to overprint. Assign the HPI-white spot colour in a colour (not white) so that it is quite distinct where the HPI-white is applied.

Do set the HPI-white to overprint if it is used as an underlayer for colour printing.

Do not set the HPI-white to overprint when printing white text or elements.

Place all the HPI-white elements in one layer and place this layer above the layers with the design.

The colour black must be created as 100% black (k) and should neither be overprinted nor glossed with cyan or any other colour other then K. For a particularly dark black, we also recommend to order double black (double-hit) print. Our customer service team can activate this function in your account.

The colour silver must be created as a spot colour with the name Silver. If you want to use the silver to simulate various metallic colours, then the spot colour Silver must also be set to overprint.

If you supply us with RGB data, we will convert it into the CMYK colour space without consultation. However, this conversion may result in colour shifts for which we cannot accept any liability.

Under certain circumstances it is up to our graphic designers / media designers to enlarge or reduce your transmitted data by up to 2 mm. This is done to avoid white flash or bleed of content.

The embossing area must be created as an extra spot colour with the name foil. All hot foil areas must be set to overprint and should have a line thickness of at least 0.2 mm. Recesses within the hot foil elements as well as spaces in between must also have a line thickness of at least 0.4 mm. Hot foil stamping is only possible over a wide area, gradation is not possible! In our tutorial we explain step by step how you can easily apply hot foil.

Line thickness: min. 0,2 mm
Recess: min. 0,4 mm
Trimmed frames: min. 2 mm

Other: Very fine details are not compatible with large full-surface embossing. Large areas can only be produced to a limited extent as there may be drop-outs in the foil. To avoid this, we need to check your printing data in more detail. In this case, please contact us.

With a digital partial varnish, also known as spot varnish, selected areas of the printed product are finished with varnish to create a visual and tactile contrast to the rest of the surface. The area to be finished must be created as a spot colour. All areas finished with spot varnish must be set to overprint and should comply with the minimum thicknesses for lines and cut-outs.

Line thickness: min. 0,3 mm
Recess: min. 0,7 mm
Trimmed frames: spot varnish cannot be trimmed. Leave a distance of at least 2 mm to the edge of the label.

Blind embossing is a classic finishing technique in label printing. It is characterised by a partial, tactile deformation of the label material. The surface to be embossed must be created as a spot colour. All surfaces to be embossed must be set to overprint and should comply with the minimum thicknesses for lines and recesses.

Line thickness: min. 0,4 mm
Recess: min. 0,4 mm
Trimmed frames/elements: Elements that are finished with blind embossing cannot be trimmed.

Other: If applied to large areas, blind embossing loses its effect because it ‘sinks in’.

Relief embossing is a combination of blind embossing and hot foil stamping. The result is a hot foil that is embossed upwards, making the finished elements particularly stand out. Again, the following applies: The surface to be embossed must be created as a spot colour. All areas to be embossed must be set to overprint and should comply with the minimum thicknesses for lines and recess areas.

Line thickness: min. 0,4 mm
Recess: min. 0,4 mm
Trimmed frames/elements: Trimmed frames/elements are not possible, as the elements that are finished with blind embossing cannot be trimmed. For surfaces that are only finished with hot foil (without blind embossing), all trimmed frames must be at least 2 mm thick.

Other: All elements that are to be blind embossed are also finished with hot foil. However, relief embossing can include elements that are only finished with hot foil (without blind embossing). Surfaces that are only finished with hot foil are then flat. In label designing you can use this technique to create stunning visual layers.

• our material guide
• proofing service 
• tutorial: Apply hot foil

We recommend a font size of at least 7 pt or 1,2 mm (measured by the size of a small “x”) and a high contrast to the background. Fonts in grey or white and fonts that are too small can look blurred.

Our tip: Print out your design at home to test it. This way you can see whether all fonts, barcodes and other elements are legible.