Imposition
Prepress work is an important part of the production process. Imposition is the sequential arrangement of individual cards on a paper, which we call parent plate. And our experts will use imposition software to organize the design files you provide and produce a professional file that is ready to go to press.
In fact, one of the main factors in the cost of printing is how many parent sheets you will use. When at the right size and number of cards, your project will maximize the use of parent sheets. Please click “Custom Face, Back, Deck & Page” for more information. However, if this choice sacrifices the playability or operability of your project, you should stick to your original size and number of cards.
Pre-checking
After imposition, they are pre-screened and proofread by us. Currently, we offer professional pre-press layout guidance and adjustments. You can download the relevant templates directly from our Art Templates and start your design. Our technical experts will check your design files before printing for any problems or signs that could lead to production errors and suggest specific changes to you.
For example, we will tell you if your content is in a safe zone; if your color combinations are appropriate; if there will be too much text at a certain size; if you need to leave a white border or change to spot color printing, etc. All of our suggestions are based on printing only, we will not review or tamper with your ideas or designs.
Since we cannot 100% confirm whether there is any problem with the typography or whether the printed content is infringing or illegal, we need you to confirm the file and finally agree that it can be produced. And, please understand that if there is any loss, dispute, penalty, etc. due to the above issue, you are responsible for it.
Soft Print Proof/ Digital PDF
Once your design file passes the pre-check, we will send you a PDF file for confirmation. It is mainly used to show the size, position and text of your project. You can use it to proofread your content, bleed & trim sizes, folding and any other finishing options such as perforation, scoring and die-cutting. Below you will find some of the marks included in our soft print proof:
1. Gripper Mark
The gripper mark is the position where the paper is caught by the feeder unit when it goes to press, approximately 10~20 mm width. it is usually located at the bottom of the sheet and is not within any graphic range.
2. Register mark/ Crossmark
Registration is the process of precisely aligning cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) printing plates so that they can overlap and produce a complete color spectrum. Register mark is a set for registration, usually placed in the middle of the bottom, and is 3 mm width.
Once the proofs come out, we double-check that the registration is accurate. Once all 4 CMYK colors have printed correctly, the crossmark will be a solid black and crisp circle; if the circle appears fuzzy or not solid black, we can immediately realize that the project did not print correctly and will make more adjustments.
3. Color control strips
Its main function is to detect color categories, dot variations, gray balance, and ink density on the printing plate, and generally requires tools such as a magnifying glass and spetrodensitymeter for inspection. The strips are very effective, they can reveal problems with ink tones, blanket and cylinder errors, etc.
Notices
We recommend that you use Adobe Reader to open our PDF files. Once printed, these marks above will be cut out and will not appear in any printed content. You may revise your digital proof as many times as you like before confirming production. However, this may extend the turnaround time of your project and in some cases require you to pay a fee.
On soft print proof, you may not be able to confirm transparency, overprinting, color variation, etc. Therefore, if you need a high degree of print accuracy checking, we recommend that you purchase our hard print proof.
Hard Print Proof/ Physical Copy
The hard proof is a physical copy of the PDF. For some projects, we will provide it and take a video or pictures for you to proofread, or send it directly to your address.
However, if you have higher requirements for color, registration, fineness, etc., we strongly advised that you purchase our common or custom samples to review your design. Please click on “Samples Types” for more details.
Ready to start?
We aspire to be the best card company in the world, and we never sacrifice quality for any custom order.
Let us make your custom playing card or tabletop game card designs come to life. You can customize just about anything.
If you’re ready to learn more, then deal us in and we’ll be more than happy to help you with your custom order.
