Getting Started - Pre Press Guidelines

File Submission Guidelines v1.2 ADA (3/10/2003)

Digital Prepress Department,
Smart Card Supply.com
PO Box 403 Freeland, WA 98249
360.331.1071 Voice 360.331.1072 Fax
http://www.smartcardsupply.com

Keytag Dimensions

File Submission Guidelines
Supported Transfer Media

Physical Media:
Jaz (1GB), and single-session CD (CD-ROM, CD-R, and CDRW), Media can be formatted for DOS-FAT, or NTFS as appropriate.

Electronic Media:
Email to sales@smartcardsupply.com
Please use WINZIP to reduce the size of the transmission and also to protect the integrity of file.

Preferred Applications
Please contact your customer service representative regarding use of applications and versions not listed below. If you are unsure of the application used to create a file, please contact your customer service representative.

Corel Draw 9,10,11,12
Photoshop 5
Acrobat 4*

* Acrobat 4 (PDF) files should be used for example/FPO purposes. PDF Writer-originated PDFs are not usable for graphic arts production. Distiller-originated PDFs do not properly support duotone (includes mono-, duo-, tri-, and quad-tone) color spaces and so cannot be used for these types of images.

Fonts
We prefer PostScript type for Windows 95/98/NT platforms. If you must use TrueType,
please notify your customer service person so that this can be noted on the job specifications.
TrueType fonts may not output as expected on high-resolution devices as compared to a low-resolution
printer you might use for proofing.

Images
All grayscale and color images should be provided at a minimum resolution of 300dpi or our preferred
resolution of 350dpi. Black & white (line-art) images should be provided at a minimum resolution of 600dpi.
These resolutions assume that you are providing the image at the final, “full” size. Copy-dot scans must be provided at exactly 600dpi, without exception.
Use the following guidelines to determine the “appropriate” resolution for grayscale and color images:

􀂝 If an image is to be printed at 100% (i.e., same-size), it must be supplied at the minimum or
preferred resolution stated above.
􀂝 If an image is to be printed at less than 100% (i.e., a reduction of the supplied image), it can be provided at a resolution lower than the minimum or preferred resolutions. For example, an
image printed at 50% of supplied size should be 150dpi to 175dpi. Use this formula: Supplied
Resolution, in dpi = (Reduction Percentage) x (Minimum or Preferred Resolution)
􀂝 If an image is to be printed at greater than 100%, (i.e. an enlargement of the supplied image),the image must be provided at a higher resolution than the minimum or preferred resolutions.
For example, an image printed at 200% of supplied size should be 600dpi or 700dpi. Use this
formula: Supplied Resolution, in dpi = (Enlargement Percentage) x (Minimum or Preferred
Resolution)

Reduced, enlarged, over- or under-resolution images may not produce the desired results and may cause complications during production.

Images should be supplied in either TIFF, EPS, or JPEG (see note below) format. You should convert BMP, GIF, and PCX files to one of these formats. Please set the color mode of your files to CMYK, grayscale, or duotone as appropriate.
Note about JPEG images: JPEG compression will create artifacts in an image which affect both the overall image quality and color. Artifacts are discrete areas of an image, usually small with respect the size of the image which are not part of the original scan or photograph. They can appear to be spots, dirt, or distortions in the image. The undesirable effects of artifacts are inversely proportional to image resolution—i.e., lower resolution images will be affected by artifacts more than high resolution images. Therefore, please use the highest quality (i.e. lowest compression) setting when creating JPEG files.

Note about BMP/GIF/PCX images: BMP, GIF, and PCX are inappropriate formats for full-color
images. Images that have been saved in any of these formats and later converted to
TIFF/EPS/JPEG format may not produce a high-quality image.

You may supply original, layered Photoshop files to supplement the “final” TIFF and/or EPS images you send. Photoshop files with all layers intact allow us to make alterations to your artwork that might be required to accommodate a printing-process issue you might not be aware of.

Files taken from web sites or prepared for use on the World-Wide-Web will most likely be low-resolution RGB images (72dpi typically) with some form of lossy-compression and/or restricted color palette. Use or repurposing of these types of images will most likely result in disappointing printed-results. Use of these types of images should be avoided unless no other options are available. Up-sampling (increasing the resolution through interpolation of existing image data) will not improve the reproduction quality of low-resolution images.

Card Size - CR-80 3.375w x 2.125h x .0750d

Magnetic Strip Considerations
If your card has a magnetic stripe and printing near the stripe then you must make allowances in the artwork to account for fact that the position of the magnetic strip will vary slightly from card to card. Artwork that should not normally touch the magnetic strip should be kept back from magnetic stripe edges by at least 0.046875" (3/64th inch) to allow for this variation in position. If your design includes an overall color (a.k.a. a “flood”), or overall image, it can “under-lap” the magnetic stripe without compromising its integrity.

Track 2 (ISO 7811-2) Track 3 (ISO 7811-2)
Minimum Width: 0.25”
Top of Card to Top of Stripe: 0.218” Max.
Top of Card to Bottom of Stripe: 0.468” Min.
Minimum Width: 0.405”
Top of Card to Top of Stripe: 0.218” Max.
Top of Card to Bottom of Stripe: 0.623” Min.
Within the maximum and minimum values given above, the magnetic stripe can vary in width and vertical position and still adhere to the ISO specifications. These specifications take into account the variation that normally occurs during the production process.

Pre-Press Guidelines

Lead Times 1. Dye Sub - Normally 4-5 Days 2. Reverse Transfer - Normally 4-5 Days 3. Lithographic Press - Normally 4-5 WEEKS Custom Quote Card Style - 800-331-3921