We use the files you supply us to create special files used in the direct-to-plate (no films) printing process for inserts. What we'll try to do now is share what we have been able to identify as the most common problem areas. If you still have questions, please feel free to contact us and let us know what we can do to help out.

You can learn more about full-color/process color printing here.

Our Artwork Crew has put together complete template and specification packages here. We recommend that designers of all experience levels review this important information.

Important "101" Stuff

1. RGB-mode graphics can never work. The RGB color space was not designed for commercial printing - it is designed for your color monitor. Do not do your design in RGB and be sure all of your images (if you are using them) or other imported elements are in the CMYK color space.

2. If you use images/graphics of some sort - 300dpi minimum resolution unless you really know what you are wanting to do and the result you will get with a lower resolution.

3. Any color/object/image that touches a trim line (there is no white margins on the trim edges) must bleed (extend beyond the trim line) a minimum of 4mm.

4. Be sure to include all fonts used in your design that haven't been converted to curves/objects/outlines. Please include both printer and screen fonts.

5. Name all files (ZIP, SIT, TIF, EPS, etc.) so that we can figure out whom the file belongs to? YOURNAME_(INSERT or TRAYCARD, etc).EPS /TIF /ZIP /SIT is good.

6. We never judge the artistic merits of a design, so we will never catch things like typos, misplacements, etc., and things that are ugly to us are very beautiful to others and visa versa. The time we spend with your artwork is to guarantee the best mechanical/manufacturing outcome. Be sure to review, review, and review again, before you send your final artwork off to us.

A Note for InDesign Users: Please convert all fonts in supplied files to curves. This will allow our pre-flight crew to open InDesign files on a Mac.

Basic Terminology

"4/1": Standard Color printing of inserts where outer panels are full color and inner panels are B&W.

"4/4": Double Color printing of inserts where both inner and outer panels of the insert are full-color.

Bleed: Extending the design beyond the trim lines of the insert/traycard when there is no edge margin. This is done to eliminate the possibility of "whiskers" (small white lines) occurring on the trimmed edges of the inserts/traycards after the inserts are cut to size. Our specification is a minimum 4mm bleed required. This does not apply to CD artwork - insert artwork only.

CMYK: The basic building block colors for full-color or process color printing. C=Cyan, M=Magenta, Y=Yellow, K=Black. Also called full-color or process color printing.

Double-Color: Refers to 4/4 (full-color printing on both inner and outer panels of inserts and traycards) color printing of insert sets

Insert: The printed material placed in the front of the jewel case. A 2-panel insert is a single page with a front (outside facing) and back (inside facing) panel. A 4-panel insert will be a 2 pages (think a piece of paper folded in half) with two outer facing and two inner facing panels.

Panels: describes the number of printable page surfaces. In CD insert printing, a page will have two printable panels: An outside-facing panel and inside-facing panel.

Tray and Traycard: The tray is the part of the jewel case that actually holds the CD in place. The printed insert that is behind it (visible from the back of the jewel case and creates the spines seen on the sides of the case) is called the traycard. Our standard packages come with a gray tray and a single-sided, full color traycard. We offer options that allow the substitution of a clear tray and B&W inside-traycard artwork as well as packages with double-color (4/4) traycards and a clear tray.

Insert Basic Dimensions

Basic Insert Printing Dimensions for
Front Insert and Traycard

The basic individual panel dimensions are the same no matter how many panels your insert is. The only thing that changes is which edges are the trimmed edges. Notice that the traycard also includes spines, which are visible on the sides of the jewel case (left and right sides when looking at the front of the CD case).

Our Artwork Crew has put together complete template and specification packages here. We recommend that designers of all experience levels review this important information.

Things That Will Make Your Project Better

• Be sure you exported your files to the TIFF or EPS formats without any further compression (i.e.: no LZW or JPEG? These will add "fuzziness" to your completed print - even if it's not visible on a monitor). Note: Compressed files such as *.zip and *.sit are not the same thing as using file compression within a program such as PhotoShop.
• If you are converting any graphics/images from RGB to CMYK, it is really important to print them out on a very good color printer (most home printers won't do, even in a pinch) to see what the image really looks like. Take your stuff to a Kinko's or similar place and have them output on the best commercial color laser printer they have.
• Don't put important things on/very near trim lines or on the fold lines (unless you are sure you want to do that).
• If this is your first project it is well worth the investment of consulting with an experienced designer. You are spending good money on your project, and the difference between nice and wow could just be buying an hour of their time.
• Proofread, proofread, and proofread again. We will not catch any typos - we aren't looking for them. Why? Think how many unique ways there are to spell the most common names - and what about the uncommon ones? And when is "phat" not "fat"?
• Don't get "pixel fixated" - have someone not so close to your project take a look at your work. It is very easy to spend mucho time on things so small that you are the only one who really sees them.
• We have no idea what you really want the insert to look like unless you send us a good proof. Unless you send us a recognizable color match or dye-sub print, we will not be able to use your proof for color proofing, but we will know what you thought the insert should look like. If you use a professional designer, be sure they provide you with adequate proofs of your project so you won't be surprised.

Please download and review our complete printing specifications here. If you need additional information, please feel free to contact us.