We love making custom books with an organization’s logo or emblem on the cover – no better way to have your book look like it was hand-crafted for your business! This is a quick guide to help get your art ready to have a metal die created for embossing.
The file requirements for the die-maker are:
- hi res file (min 300 dpi)
- vector
- file extension ends in .ai or .eps (please note: converting a non-vector file to .ai / .eps file will not work as we need a vector file)
- 100% black and white art (no colors/shades of gray) – what is black is what is embossed on your book with a single color or no color (blind embossing)
And the result is great!
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Need more specifics, here is a guide we found that is pretty self-explanatory. To see it, click here.
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Need more assistance? We probably can help.
A. CONVERTING a color vector file to black & white:
We can convert most color VECTOR files to black & white at no additional cost. Here is an example:
- File we received.
- We received the file as a hi res vector file that was not in 100% black and white, so we made a quick correction that is no cost to the customer. We converted the file to 100% black and white. Because the file was vector, we were able to “highlight” the design, then select it to be in all black.
- This is an example of a logo die-ready. The art is 100% black and white.
B. Non-Vector Art:
When a file is not in vector, we cannot change the color. See how the design elements cannot be “highlighted” in blue like the previous example – only the full design could be highlighted. This is because the file has been flattened/saved as a non-editable file and it cannot be edited.
In this case, we simply need a vector, hi res file and we can convert it to 100% black and white for you for free (as long as it it not too complicated). The file your graphic designer created is most likely what we need. They should retain a vector version of the art so please ask for that.
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C. Challenges with Specific Art Styles: Some designs pose challenging for embossing and the final result may be less than perfect:
1) Art that is hand-drawn with a lot of detail can be challenging to emboss. The lines won’t be as sharp and some faint lines may not appear at all. Before we emboss with this kind of art, an understanding that subtleties in the final result is a necessity.
2) Art that is primarily black with touches of white may not be possible to emboss. Since the black is where the embossing/color will go, the small spaces of white (no color/embossing) may not appear. It is recommended that a negative of the art is made, so that what you see here in black becomes white (and white becomes black) so that the embossing is high quality.
