How to Create a Custom Printing Plate File:
Lifestyle Crafts can create custom printing plates from your very own artwork that is submitted as a hi-res PDF. Please see instructions below. If you do not have access to these programs, please stay tuned for our online design program that will enable you to create custom plates directly from our website!
Illustrator:
- Create a new document in a custom size 6" x 8"
- The document should be a CMYK document, not RGB
- Design custom artwork in the 6" x 8" space
- * All artwork must be 100% Black (C=0, M=0, Y=0, B=100)
- * All fonts must be outlined. This allows our machines to read your fonts without requiring us to install the fonts before opening the file. If you do not outline your font layers, they will be substituted by a default font on our computer. See Tips section below for more information.
- * All fonts must be 6 pt or greater
- * All lines must have a width of 0.3 pt or greater
- Save document as a hi-res PDF
Photoshop:
- Create a new document in a custom size 6" x 8"
- The document should be a bitmapped PDF file
- Resolution should be at least 1200 dpi
- Design custom artwork in the 6" x 8" space
- * All artwork must be 100% Black (C=0, M=0, Y=0, B=100)
- * All fonts must be 6 pt or greater
- * All lines must have a width of 0.3 pt or greater
- Save document as a hi-res PDF
Note: Please note that raster art should be at 1200 DPI bitmap, even if it's placed into Illustrator. If using Photoshop, double check the Bitmap under image->mode->Bitmap. We recommend using a 50% treshold in that conversion, then saving it as a bitmapped PDF file. If image->mode->bitmap is grayed out, you must first select grayscale mode, and then convert to bitmap. Converting to bitmap ensures that each pixel of your artwork is either black or white (not colored or gray). The software that creates the printing plate will then be able to detect how to react for every pixel of your photopolymer plate.
If you have any trouble, please email us (info@lifestylecrafts.com) or call us at 866.212.3214 and we will be able to assist you with the file setup.
Tips:
Content - Fill up the 6" x 8" space with as much content as you desire. The printing plate material is easy to cut apart to create multiple plates from one 6" x 8" design.
Type Point and Stroke Thickness - Artwork lines should be at least .35 points or .007" thick for the best results.
Outlining/Rasterizing Fonts - Any text layers need to be "outlined" in Illustrator, or rasterized in Photoshop. The reason for this is simple: we do not have every font installed on our machines. If you happen to use a font that is not found on our computers, our machines will either not allow us to open the file, or they will offer us the choice of substituting a similar font. Outlining text is very easy in any of these programs. One way to check if you have properly outlined or rasterized your fonts is to open your finished PDF in Adobe Reader. Go to File->Properties and then click on the "Fonts" tab. If you see any fonts listed in that section, you have not properly outlined or rasterized your text layers. Sometimes hidden layers are tricky to find, so be sure to unlock all of your layers when outlining text.
Using Other Programs - Many people wonder whether they can use a different program, other than the two listed here, to create their PDF. While it is theoretically possible—any program that can create a 6" x 8" PDF that is either vector CMYK black or rasterized, 1200 DPI bitmap is fair game—we have yet to encounter anyone who has successfully pulled this off. Generally, other programs that create PDFs make a rasterized file that is only 72 DPI, or they make it difficult to correctly size your PDF. At any rate, we maintain that Illustrator and Photoshop are the best programs available for properly creating and formatting your PDF. Coming very soon is a new design tool that will allow users to properly format their PDF files right on our site! Visit back soon for more updates.
Notice: Any custom printing plates ordered will ship separate from your Lifestyle Crafts order. Your finished photopolymer printing plate will ship from our warehouse within 2 weeks. Please allow additional time for delivery.
