Minimum resolution
Vector 0.125″ spacingClosed vector die-lines, optical margins auto-checked on upload
HomeFile guidePreflight & prepress manual
Vector die-lines · optical bleed audited
Pre-flight & prepress lab manual
Zero guesswork. Flawless press runs.
Vector precision
Spot layer CutContour100% Spot Magenta layer traced at optical bleed tolerance
Safety margin geometry
Optical ±3.0 DPIRegistration read against the outer bleed on every sheet
Press readiness
Color science CMYK Fogra39RIP calibrated ICC profile, industrial UV gel proofed
// free specimen pack · with every print proof
fig. 01 — press floor
label + decal run · fogra39 proofed
// typical resubmission drivers — 12 month press audit
A quarter of first uploads need a fix before they can be placed on a sheet.
Artwork ending flush at the cutline, so a 0.3mm wobble shows white edge.
Screen colour converted at the RIP shifts far past our Delta-E 2.0 window.
Pass preflight and your job joins the next gang-run sheet the same shift.
// 01 — pre-send audit · six checks, sixty seconds
Before you hit send.
Skipped checks
= 48 hr factory delay.
= 48 hr factory delay.
01
Preferred
File format (vector scale)
Send AI, PDF/X-4, SVG or EPS. Vector scales from a 25mm logo sticker to a 2m floor decal with no rebuild and no softness at the edge.
Accepted.ai .pdf .svg .eps
02
Raster only
High resolution (300 DPI)
If the art has to stay raster, build it at final print size at 300 DPI. Upscaling a 72 DPI web export never puts detail back — it only softens the edges.
Minimum300 DPI @ 1:1
03
Critical
Bleed extension (+3mm)
Run the background 3mm past the cutline on every side. The blade tolerance is ±0.3mm, and bleed is what keeps that wobble from showing as a white sliver.
Bleed0.125″ / 3.2mm
04
Spot layer
Cut line proof (vector)
One closed path named CutContour, set as a 100% spot swatch with overprint fill on. No open paths, no stray anchors, no gradients on that layer.
Layer nameCutContour
05
Colour science
Correct colour (CMYK)
Convert to CMYK Fogra39 before export and build rich black as C60 M40 Y40 K100. Flat K100 reads grey on vinyl once it is laid over a white underbase.
Profile
06
Last step
Outlined type (curves)
Convert every live text object to outlines and embed placed images. Missing fonts and linked art are the two fastest ways to stall a file in the RIP queue.
Type floor6pt outlined
// 02 — prepress verdict · read side by side
This file? Yes. That file? Nope.
Same artwork, two exports. One drops straight onto a sheet, the other comes back to your inbox with notes.
Good to go
Press ready
- YesVector cutline, closed path, spot swatch attached.
- YesBackground runs 3mm past the trim on all four sides.
- YesCMYK Fogra39, rich black mixed, images embedded.
- YesType outlined, nothing critical inside the safe margin.
Sent back for fixes
Rejected
Low-res screenshotno cutline · no bleed
- NoScreenshot or JPEG pulled off the web at 72 DPI.
- NoArt ends flush at the edge, so the blade cuts into white.
- NoRGB colour that shifts once it hits the RIP profile.
- NoLive text with fonts we do not have on the machine.
// 03 — geometry · bleed, trim and safe margin
Bleed + extra sticker.
Three rings sit on every artboard. Hover a definition to light up the matching zone on the diagram.
Bleed area
The outer 3mm. Background colour and texture keep running here, then get trimmed away — it exists purely so the blade never finds bare white film.
Trim / cut line
Your finished sticker edge, drawn as one closed vector path. Cutter tolerance is ±0.3mm, which is exactly why the bleed ring sits outside it.
Safe / design area
Keep type, logos, barcodes and QR codes at least 3mm inside the trim. Anything closer risks being clipped or sitting awkwardly on the curve.
Trimmed & applied — bleed did its job
// 04 — cut process · pick one before you upload
Tell us where to cut.
The cut style changes how the file is built, so choose it up front. Tap an option to see what we need on your artboard.
Contour sheet: several shapes ganged on one artboard, each with its own closed path and 4mm gutter between them.Unsure? Send the art — we draw the path free.
// ready for press review
Drop your artwork.
Upload it and a prepress operator checks bleed, cutline, colour mode and resolution by hand — then sends a proof back, usually inside the hour.
Drag & drop your file here
AI · PDF · SVG · EPS · PNG · TIFF — up to 200 MB
Free artwork check Proof in under 60 minutes No file? Grab a template
// made the file press-ready? good
Your artwork. Our printers.Let's stick it.
Ready to print? Start a project and we will match the cutline, substrate and finish to the file you just built.