Artwork Guidelines for Custom Tape – Send Files Like a Pro
Artwork Guidelines
Format & Bleed
Format rules
Colors & Engraving
Color rules
Monster Möh recommends:
Check first, print second –
the data check before you order
Not sure whether bleed, resolution and color mode are right? Upload your file to the data check. The control monsters look it over before you order and come back with honest feedback: good to go, almost there, or let's fix this together.
That way no card ends up in a wallet with a cropped logo or a pixelated photo. No blind flight, no monster surprise after production.
File Format –
Vector preferred, pixels tolerated
In short
Our favorite: a print-ready PDF (PDF/X-4 or PDF/X-1a) with embedded fonts and 2 mm bleed all around. Also welcome: .ai and .eps.
Photos and gradients are no problem in card printing – as long as they come in at least 300 dpi at final size.
Send us your artwork as a vector file whenever possible. Logos, type and frames stay razor-sharp, whether on PVC, wood, carbon or metal. Here's what the print monsters accept:
| File format | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| First choice | PDF/X-4 or X-1a, fonts embedded, bleed included | |
| .ai | Welcome | Adobe Illustrator, fonts outlined, images embedded |
| .eps | Welcome | Encapsulated PostScript, pure vector, fonts outlined |
| .jpg, .png, .tiff | Fine for photos | Min. 300 dpi at final size, CMYK – for logos and text please use vector |
| .docx, .pptx, .xlsx | Not print-ready | Office files aren't artwork – our design service can help |
Technical must-haves
Resolution at least 300 dpi (600 dpi for fine detail) · Fonts embedded or outlined · Color mode CMYK · Type no smaller than 6 pt · Lines no thinner than 0.25 ptWhat works, what doesn't:
This works every time
- Vector file (.pdf, .ai, .eps) at artwork size 89.6 × 58 mm
- CMYK, spot colors as named solid colors (Pantone C / HKS)
- Photos at 300–600 dpi, embedded
- Important elements at least 3 mm from the card edge
- Backgrounds and solid areas extended into the bleed
- Fonts embedded or converted to outlines
- Front and back as separate pages (for 4/4)
What doesn't work on cards
- RGB data without conversion to CMYK
- Bitmap images below 300 dpi (pixelation alert)
- Even borders and frames – die-cutting has tolerances, so edges end up looking crooked
- Placeholders for punch holes, chips or finishing right inside the artwork
- Hairlines under 0.25 pt and type under 6 pt
- Text and logos too close to the cut edge
- Crop marks, registration marks or color bars inside the artwork size
Format & Bleed –
Your design, positioned to the millimeter
In short
Final size 85.6 × 54 mm (ISO CR80) · Artwork size 89.6 × 58 mm (2 mm bleed per side) · Safe zone 3 mm · Corner radius approx. 3 mm – unsure? Just send the file to our data check.All Cardmonster cards are produced in the international credit-card format ISO CR80: 85.6 × 54 mm with rounded corners. That's exactly the size of the bank, insurance or loyalty card in your wallet – which is why your card fits every card holder, every reader and every purse. More on formats and material thicknesses on our card formats page.
Because cards are die-cut from a sheet, there's a small tolerance. To avoid a white sliver at the edge, we need 2 mm of bleed all around – so your artwork size is 89.6 × 58 mm. Extend backgrounds, solid areas and photos into that margin. Anything that must never be cut off (logo, text, QR code) keeps 3 mm away from the cut edge.
- Final size: 85.6 × 54 mm – the size of the finished card
- Artwork size: 89.6 × 58 mm – the size you set up the file at
- Safe zone: 3 mm inward from the final size – where logo and text live
- Corner radius: approx. 3 mm – the die does the rounding, nothing to set up
- Punch hole / chip / magnetic stripe: select in the configurator, don't draw into the artwork – we position it and mark it in the proof
You don't need to set up a cut line or crop marks. The print monsters take care of that – and you get a proof with cut contour and safe zone up front, so you can see exactly where the card ends.
Colors –
CMYK for print, black for the laser
We print four-color in CMYK – single-sided (4/0) or double-sided (4/4). Photos, gradients and fine halftones are no problem: what's built cleanly on screen comes out rich and detailed on the card. Provided you set up your file in the right color space.
Need to hit a brand color exactly? Then define it as a named spot color (Pantone C or HKS) instead of mixing it in CMYK only. We'll get as close to the reference as possible. Find our color overview on the Pantone colors page.
Important: no RGB, no screen black
We can convert RGB data, but neon green and glowing blue lose out in the process – that's physics, not a monster curse. Convert to CMYK yourself and judge the colors beforehand.
Black: text and fine lines in 100% K. Large black areas as rich black (e.g. C 50 / M 40 / Y 30 / K 100), otherwise they look gray. White isn't printed – white is the card itself.
Laser engraving isn't a color. Everything that should be engraved goes in as vector in 100% black – no gradients, no halftones, no shadows. Engraving is “on or off”; the result comes from material contrast, not from ink. What that looks like per material is right in the next section.
Materials & Methods –
Print or engrave, you decide
PVC, wood, carbon or metal: every material can be printed four-color (4/0 or 4/4) or, alternatively, laser-engraved on one side. The artwork rules for print are the same on all materials – CR80, 2 mm bleed, CMYK, 300 dpi. The differences are only in the look and in engraving.
| Material | Print 4/0 · 4/4 | Laser engraving (one side) | Monster tip for your artwork |
|---|---|---|---|
| PVC | Yes | Yes | Full-bleed designs and photos pop hardest on white PVC. White is the card itself – don't set it up. |
| Wood | Yes | Yes | The grain stays visible – light and pastel colors get lost on dark wood. Engraving comes out darker than the wood. |
| Carbon | Yes | Yes | Dark base: light designs and clear contrast win, fine dark details vanish into the weave. |
| Metal | Yes | Yes | Engraving is the royal discipline here: logo and type as clean vector shapes, no tiny details. |
How to set up engraving artwork
- Vector only: the laser follows paths, not pixels. Logos and type must be vector, fonts outlined.
- Single color: everything to be engraved in 100% black – the engraving comes from material contrast, not from ink.
- No gradients, halftones or shadows: engraving is “on or off” – the laser can't reproduce soft transitions.
- One side: engraving is single-sided. Want content on both sides? Combine engraving on the front with print on the back – just deliver two separate pages.
- Have fine detail checked first: very thin lines and tiny type can fill in depending on the material – send us your design, the laser monster gives honest feedback.
Details on engraving, hot foil stamping and varnish are on the finishing & personalization page.
Spot UV Varnish –
Gloss exactly where you want it
For spot UV varnish, set up the varnish areas as a separate spot color (e.g. “UV varnish”, 100%, set to overprint) on its own layer – exactly on top of the elements that should shine. The rest of the file stays regular CMYK print.
Rule of thumb: don't make varnished type and lines too small, the varnish doesn't like very fine detail. Tone on tone is the understatement trick: a logo varnished in the card color – it appears in the light and vanishes in the shade. The data monster checks during the data check whether the varnish and print layers are cleanly separated.
Proof & Approval –
Your card, your call
After the data check you get a digital proof from us: your design on the card, with cut contour, safe zone and – if selected – marked punch hole position, chip and finishing. So you see exactly what will end up in the wallet later.
Changes? No problem – we adjust and send you the next proof. Production only starts once you shout “Approved!” You can show your card only after that – but with a good feeling. 🐉
No vector? Our design service helps
From phone photo to print-ready card
All you have is a JPG, a PNG or the logo from an old Word file? No drama – the graphics monsters in our design service turn it into a clean vector file that scales without loss and that the laser monster likes too. You get print-ready artwork back – including correct bleed and safe zone.
Little monster hint: the cleaner your source file, the faster the turnaround. A high-resolution logo gets you there quicker than a pixelated mini icon. Just send us what you have – we'll get back with an honest assessment.
More information
Data check
Not sure whether bleed, resolution and color mode are right? Upload your file to the data check – the control monsters check it and come back with honest feedback before you order.
Customer service
Questions about materials, finishing or special requests? Our customer service helps personally – from the first idea to approval. Monster-strong advice instead of being left alone.