Illustrator CS3 — How to create a business card file for a commercial printer

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This page is a brief description on how to create an Adobe Illustrator CS3 business card file for your printing organisation.

If you want to ensure that your business card will be exactly what you want, then have a read of our How to Prepare Your Files page — that page has a lot more information on what to do (e.g.: grammar, folding, etc).

This page is set up for customers whom use an Apple-Mac, but those of you using PCs will find the process almost the same.

If you are using Adobe Illustrator CS4, then you should read the How to set up a business card file in Adobe Illustrator CS4 page, because Adobe Illustrator CS4 is different to Adobe Illustrator CS3.

 

Create a New Document

Illustrator CS3 is a very good program when it comes to creating business cards files, and setting up the file takes only a few easy steps.

To start, just click on "File", then place the 'mouse' on "New" (File > New). Click "New"

 

You will then get a file that is similar to the picture immediately below (but there will NOT be any read arrows).

 

You then:

  • Name your file. Please give the file a 'meaningful' name. Do NOT just name it "Business Cards", as your commercial printer get many business card printing jobs. Try to name the job so that the name:
    1. Tell's your commercial printing company whose job it is; and
    2. Tells your printer what type of job it is. In this case, it is a Business card.
  • Set up the size of the finished business card. TheOnlinePrinter's standard business cards are 90mm x 55mm. If you want your business card to be smaller, then put is the exact size that you want them to be.
  • Choose the "colour mode". Commercial printers normally print in one of two 'colour modes', and those 'colour modes' are: RBG or CMYK. Check which 'colour mode' your printer uses. TheOnlinePrinter uses the CMYK colour mode.
  • Last, select the file's resolution. Almost all commercial printers use 300 dots per inch (also called DPI or PPI). If you are goinf to have your business card printed by TheOnlinePrinter, then you must select 300dpi.

 

You then click "OK", and you will get a screen that look similar to the below picture.

The black box in the above picture is the size that your finished business card will be.

 

Next, add ruloers to the page. Simply select: "View" and a dropdown menu will appear. then place your mouse over "Show Rulers" and click.

 

You will then get a screen that is similoar to the below image (but without the red arrows).

What you should notice about the above picture is that the top and left-hand rulers have the number "0" on the extreme left of your card (see red arrow at top) and at the extreme bottom of the business card (see red arrow at bottom).You should also see thast the card is 55mm high (see left-hand ruler), and 90mm wide (see top ruler). This means your finished business card will be 55mm x 90mm.

 

You now need to add your 'bleed lines'. Click here to find out more about bleeds.

Place your mouse on the top ruler, hold down the mouse, drag the mouse down to 58mm, then release the mouse. A line should appear accross the page at that 58mm mark.

Place your mouse onto the top ruler a scond time, hold down the mouse, and drag the mouse down to -3mm. A line should then appear below the black box.

You then do the same thing on the left-hand ruller, by dragging the mouse to -3mm the first time and to 93mm the second time.

The picture below attempts to graphically show what will happen.

 

  

You now have to put in the safety margin lines. These are ceated in the same way as you create the bleed lines, but the safety margin lines are placed 5mm inside the black box.

The picture below is an attempt to graphically show you how the safety margin lines are placed upon your business carcd files.

 

You can now start creating your business card file on Adobe Illustrator CS3.

When you create your file, please make sure that:

  1. All background colours and images that you want to print to the very edge of your business card file MUST go all the way out to the bleeds lines. The gold abd green background colours in the below picture go all the way out to the bleed lines.
  2. All important text and images stay inside the safety margin lines. In the below picture, all the text and the company logo are inside the safety margin lines.

Good luck with you business card file.