How to prepare your Adobe InDesign file for a business card printer

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This webpage is a small bit of information on how to prepare an Adobe InDesign business card file for a commercial printer. Whilst the graphics are from an Apple/Mac computer, it should still be a good representation of what a PC's screen would lookn like.

 

Create a New Document

When it comes to creating business cards files, Adobe's InDesign software is one of the world's best programs, and your file can be correctly set up in three steps.

To create your file just click on "File", then place the 'mouse' on "New" (File > New).

A dropdown menu should appear. Select "Document" (File > New > Document).

Your moniter should now have an image that is similar to the next screen shot.

 

You now proceed through the aforementioned three steps:

  1. Enter the exact size that you want your finished business card to be — the number "1" in the above picture points to where the size should be entered. TheInternetPrinter's standard business cards are always 90mm x 55mm.
  2. Create a safety margin of 5mm — the number "2".
  3. Create a "bleed" of 3mm — the number "3.

Click the "OK" button.

You will be presented withy a screen that is similar to the below image.


You now create the file that you want. However, please be aware of the following three points:

  • The red "A" points to a black box. The black box is the place where we will trim your business card.
  • The green "B" points to an inner box. This inner box is the safety margin box. You MUST keep all important images and text within this inner box.
  • The yellow "C" points to an outer box.  This outer box is the bleed, and if you are going to have any background colours or images that are going to print to the very edge of the business cards, then you MUST have those background colours and images continue to the past the edge of the business card to the bleed box.

 

Examine the next image closely. What you will notice is:

  • The background colours go right out to the outer bleed line — this is the correct thing to do.
  • The text goes past the safety margin line — this is WRONG.

Bleeds

Make sure you understand what bleeds are BEFORE you start creating your artwork.

Imagine the following:

  • You have a business card, your background colour is gold, and you want that gold to go right to the very edge of your finished business card.
  • You set up your artwork, and the gold background colour stops at the place where the business card is to be trimmed (i.e.: at the line marked with the red "A" above).
  • You send your InDesign file to TheInternetPrinter to have it printed.
  • TheInternetPrinter prints your business card on a big A2 sheet with lots and lots of other business cards.
  • TheInternetPrinter then cuts out all the business cards from that big A2 sheet.
  • TheInternetPrinter's card trimmer in just 0.5mm out when it trims all the business cards out of the big A2 sheet.

If the above happened, then your business card would have the gold background colour going right to the edge of your business card on three sides, but there would be a white strip along one side that measured 0.5mm. Your card would not look very professional.

Imagine the same story again, but this time you have the backgound colour continue past the trim line (i.e.: the line marked with the red "A" above) to the safety margin line (i.e.: the line marked with the yellow "C" above). There would be no white line on one side, as TheInternetPrinter's card trimmer would always be trimming into printed paper.

 

So, the solution is simple: if your business cards has a background colour or image that will go to the very edge of the finished business card, then you MUST have bleeds on your business cards file, and those bleeds MUST be included on all four sides. 


 

Borders and Safety Areas

Business cards are printed on large A2 sheets and then cut to size. This is a purely mechanical process, and there can be errors of up to 1.5mm.

Therefore, if you placed your text and logo too close to the edge of the file and TheInternetPrinter's press and card trimmer were out of balance by 1mm, then your business card might look unbalanced — for instance:

  • Your address on one side of the card might be 1mm from the edge of the card; and
  • Your telephone number and E-mail address on the other side of the card might be 3mm from the edge of the card.

So, it is essential that your design has the important text is at least 5mm inside the trim line. Your card will then always be symmetrical in appearance.

 

Why High Resolution files are important on business cards

Never use images that you have found on the Internet.

The Internet uses images that are set at 72 dpi (72 dots per inch). These images look great on the Internet, but they will ALWAYS become blurred or pixilated if you print them on paper.

If you want your business card to look professional, then any image that you use MUST be at least 300dpi (300 dots per inch).

Also, please note that you CANNOT change a low resolution image to a higher one by changing the dpi (dots per inch) in your imaging software — you cannot change a 72dpi image into a crisp and clear 300dpi image, all you will get is a blurred or pixilated image that is set at 300dpi. 

If your only choice is between a low resolution 72dpi image and having no image at all, then have no image at all.

 

Types of business cards printed

TheInternetPrinter offers four types of business cards: