Ultra violet coating (UV coating) is featured on the front of business cards and postcards from Spotlight Strategies. UV coating is a high-gloss liquid compound coating that is dried with ultraviolet light. The UV finish enriches the vibrancy of colors and the crispness of text and logo designs, and it also serves as a protective layer that is resistant to tearing, smudging, scratching or corner bending.

The soft matte finish on the back is subtle and smooth – which is easy to write on if needed.

Minimum of 300dpi for printing.

The three most popular sizes for personalized notepads are 4″ x 6″, 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ and 8 1/2″ x 11″.

The most common card stocks used for postcards are:

• 100# stock coated on both sides: The most popular postcard stock.
• 100# stock coated on one side: Well suited to mailing.
• 12 pt stock coated on both sides: a premium paper with a high luster finish.

Postcards are found in three common sizes: 4″ x 6″, 5″ x 7″ and 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″.

These are the U.S. Post Office requirements to keep in mind when designing an envelope:

All mail pieces 1/4″ thick or less must be rectangular in shape, at least 3 1/4″ high and at least 5″ long.

Any mail piece less than 4 1/4″ in height must be at least .007″ (7 pt.) thick.

Any mail piece greater than 4 1/4″ in height or 6″ in length must be at least .009″ (9 pt.) thick.

The address window on a typical business envelope measures 4 1/2″ x 1 1/8″.

Business envelope sizes are referenced by a number such as #9 or #10. The chart below indicates the most common sizes in use today:

Size Width x Length

• #6 3/4 3 5/8″ x 6 1/2″
• #7 3 3/4″ x 6 3/4″
• #7 3/4 3 7/8″ x 7 1/2″
• #8 5/8 3 5/8″ x 8 5/8″
• #9 3 7/8″ x 8 7/8″
• #10 4 1/8″ x 9 1/2″
• #11 4 1/2″ x 10 3/8″
• #12 4 3/4″ x 11″
• #14 5″ x 11 1/2″

Standard sizes for catalogs and booklets are 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, 8 1/2″ x 11″, 8 1/2″ x 11 and 11″ x 17″.

No. White is not generally considered a printing color as typically the paper itself will be white. If a colored paper (something other than white) is chosen, then white becomes a printing color if any text or graphics require it.

Some of the common methods of binding books and other multi-page documents include:

Perfect binding: Gluing the outside edges of the pages together to create a flat edge.

Saddle-stitch binding: Using staples along the folds of the pages to bind them together.

Spiral binding: Wires in a spiral form threaded through punched holes along the binding edge of the papers. Allows the document to lay open flatly.

Plastic comb binding: Similar to spiral binding but using a tubular plastic piece with teeth that fit through rectangular holes punched into the binding edge.

Three-ring binding: Holes are punched into the pages and fitted into a binder.

Case binding: Sewing the pages together and then attaching them to a hard cover.

Materials for labels and their application include:

Paper, High Gloss: Use when you need good printability. Keep in mind that it cannot be written on easily by hand.

Vinyl: Use vinyl for outdoor environments, or if applying a label to a vinyl surface.

Acetate: Use when the label needs to be transparent.

Mylar/Polyester: Best for applications where the label needs to be applied to an object with sharp, angular corners.

There are four popular sizes for sticky notes: 3″ x 3″, 3″ x 4″, 3″ x 5″ and 4″ x 6″.

Pantone colors refer to the Pantone Matching System (PMS), a color matching system used by the printing industry whereby printing colors are identified by a unique name or number (as opposed to just a visual reference). This helps make sure that colors turn out the same from system to system, and print run to print run.

Halftone printing converts a continuous tone (solid areas of black or color) photograph or image into a pattern of different size dots that simulate continuous tone. When examining the page closely, you will see a series of dots spaced slightly apart. At a normal viewing distance, however, the spacing between dots becomes essentially invisible to the eye and what you see is a continuous tone.

Color separation is the process of separating a colored graphic or photograph into its primary color components in preparation for printed reproduction. For example, to print a full color photo with an offset printing press, we would create four separate printing plates each accounting for one of the four basic printing inks (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) needed to reproduce the image.

As the paper is fed through the press, each single-color plate puts onto the paper the exact amount of ink needed at exactly the right spot. As the different colored wet inks are applied, they blend together to create the rich and infinite pallet of complex colors needed to reproduce the original image.

In the digital age of printing, it means that an image file submitted for printing is ready to be transferred to the printing plates without any alterations.

Uncoated stock paper is comparatively porous and inexpensive, and is typically used for such applications as newspaper print and basic black-and-white copying. Coated stock, by contrast, is made of higher quality paper having a smooth glossy finish that works well for reproducing sharp text and vivid colors. It tends to be more expensive, however.

The basis weight of a given grade of paper is defined as the weight (in pounds) of 500 standard-sized sheets of that paper. With that in mind, here are different examples of paper grades and their respective basis weights:

Bond: Most commonly used for letterhead, business forms and copying. Typical basis weights are16# for forms, 20# for copying and 24# for stationery.

Text: A high-quality grade paper with a lot of surface texture. Basis weights range from 60# to 100# with the most common being 70# or 80#.

Uncoated Book: The most common grade for offset printing. Typically 50# to 70#.

Coated Book: Has a glossy finish that yields vivid colors and overall excellent reproduction. Basis weights range from 30# to 70# for web press, and 60# to 110# for sheet press.

Cover: Used in creating business cards, postcards and book covers. Can be either coated or uncoated. Basis weights for this grade are 60#, 65#, 80# or 100#.

The technology of design, layout and printing has come a long way to the point where much of the work is done in a WSYWIG (What You See Is What You Get) digital environment. However, there are sometimes noticeable differences in color calibration and spatial conformity from monitor to monitor and consequently from screen to print.

The process for minimizing any variance begins with adjusting your monitor for optimal color and clarity according to the manufacturer’s recommendations as outlined within its product manual or website. Doing this will alleviate a number of potential issues.

Beyond that, for the greatest conformity in color from screen to print, there are tools available that will ensure exact color calibration. Perhaps you have already invested in such a tool. If so, let us know what you use and we’ll work with you to achieve the best results. If you are considering investing in a color calibration tool, talk to us first and we’ll be happy to offer our advice.

The Portable Document Format (PDF) is generally the preferred file format for submitting a document for printing as it works with virtually all professional printing and digital output devices. By design, a PDF file incorporates the information needed to maintain document consistency from system to system. Most other file formats such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Microsoft Word are easily converted to PDF format.