Gloss

You must use the spot color Gloss from our “Special” swatches available for download here.

The Gloss swatch is used for Candy Gloss (Hi-Gloss) and Matte Gloss.

All objects filled with the Special Gloss must be placed in the layer labeled “gloss”.

Candy Gloss (Hi-Gloss)

The hi-gloss coating that makes your product SHINE.

Spot gloss or all over gloss = SAME PRICE
Available as an UPGRADE on: CLEAR Acrylic & PRINTED wood

Standard (and FREE) on: Black and White Acrylic

Matte Gloss

The matte gloss coating is an added layer of protection and presents as a matte finish.

Spot gloss or all over gloss = SAME PRICE

Available as an UPGRADE on: CLEAR Acrylic & PRINTED wood

White Ink

You must use the spot color white from our “Special” swatches available for download here.

All objects filled with the Special White must be placed in the layer labeled “white”.

When choosing the regular white (#FFFFFF or C=0, M=0, Y=0, K=0), this tells us to not lay ANY ink down in those areas.

Wood

If you want to mask the colour of the wood or the subtle grain or want to ensure that your lighter colors are not lost, you will need to add our spot white to your design.

Clear Acrylic

When printing on clear acrylic, you have the option to have your design transparent or opaque or a mix.

Transparency – We recommend only having your cmyk-front layer print but you are welcome to experiment if youd like. Keep in mind if you have conflicting colors on the front layer and back layer-be sure they dont clash or mix awkwardly. If you want to see how certain colors mix, you could purchase 2 of our color management clear acrylic palettes and stack them on top of each other to view exactly how your color will appear.

Opaque – simply make sure all elements in your white layer cover all elements printed in your cmyk-front and cmyk-back layers.

Mix – Only create shapes in your white layer which you’d like to affect elements printed in cmyk-front and cmyk-back layers.

Black Acrylic
Without white ink, colors will not show on Black Acrylic.

Duplicate elements that are printed in the cmyk layer, place them in the white layer and fill all with the Special White.

White Acrylic

There are 2 options available for the White Acrylic:

Option 1: No white ink_this is standard as the material itself fills any white areas of your print. This presents as a softer, vintage look.

Option 2: white ink (upgrade)_adds a white ink layer behind your colors to present a more vibrant print.

Note: Regardless of which option you choose (with or without white ink), it is recommended that you at least set up your files for the white ink application. Doing this provides an opportunity to print across other mediums where the application of white ink is required, and could result in a surprise charm for your efforts.

Clear Setup

Gloss layer

Should either contain spot or full gloss shapes (both are shown in layers palette image to display the differences in appearance) using the gloss color fill with no stroke. Gloss swatch can be found in the “Special” swatches available for download here.

CMYK2-back layer (on clear acrylic only)

Should contain the design for the back of your piece. Be sure to take special care that your image lines up precisely with the design on your front layer. This can be best achieved most easily by simply duplicating the CMYK front layer, renaming the copy as CMYK2-back. If you’d like the back of your print to appear to be the “back” of a character, for instance, simply chage features in the CMYK2-back layer.

*All text in this layer should appear to read left to right. Be sure to convert all text to outlines by selecting the text and clicking Type from the top menu, then “Create Outlines”. This preserves the appearance of all text even when we do not own the same fonts.

White layer 

should contain shapes which define placement of white ink using the white ink swatch found in the “special” swatches (for download here) and no strokes. We suggest full fills on black acrylic(you may simply duplicate the shape used for full gloss and fill with the white swatch).

CMYK-front layer

Should contain the design for the front of your piece. This is due to the fact that your image is printed on the back of the clear acrylic and is intended to be viewed from the front.

*All text in this layer should appear to read backwards. Be sure to convert all text to outlines by selecting the text and clicking Type from the top menu, then “Create Outlines”. This preserves the appearance of all text even when we do not own the same fonts.

Cut layer

Cut lines must be set to .001 stroke and the color must be CMYK red. For How-To make cut holes, click on the HOLES section above.

Cut Only

For a cut only file, your layer palette will consist of only one layer entitled “cut”.

This layer will contain only objects with no color fill and a stroke set to .001 in CMYK Red.

For guides on how to create holes for jewelry, click HOLES above.

The outer circle is .20 in.

The inner is .085 in.

Make sure you have enough of a connection between your tab and your piece.

🙂 The more contact the stronger the tab.

🙁 Too little contact could lead to breakage.

Hold shift and select the outer circle and your main shape, then click Unite on the pathfinder toolbar.

4. DONE!

Your shapes are combined and you’re done!

Add a circle that’s .085 in., ensure you have enough space surrounding the hole for durability and you are done!