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

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What appears below is just a brief description on how to prepare an Adobe InDesign CS3 business card file for a commercial printer.

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.

 

Create a New Document in Illustrator

InDesign CS3 is a great program when it comes to creating business cards files, and setting up the file takes only three easy steps.

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

A dropdown menu should appear and you choose on "Document" (File > New > Document).

Your screen will then look similar to the below picture (but there will be no red arrows or numbers).

Now for the three steps:

  1. Enter the exact size  in the size that you want the finished job to be. In the above example, we are setting up a business cards file and, with TheOnlinePrinter, the standard finished size is 90mm x 55mm.
  2. Put in the "Safety Margin" size of 5mm. Make sure any impofrtant images and text is kept INSIDE that safety margin box.
  3. Put in a 3mm bleed. Make sure ALL the bleed boxes are filled with the numeral "3"

You then click "OK", and the will look similar to the below picture (but without the arrows and letters).


When you work on your InDesigtn CS3 business cards file you MUST understand the following:

  1. The "Black" box (the red "A" points to it) is where your job will be trimmed — your business card will be cut along those black lines.
  2. The "Pink/Purple" box is the safety margin area (see the green "B" in the above image). Keep ALL important images and text within this box. More about the safety margins is written below.
  3. The "Black" box is the bleed box (see the yellow "C" in ther above image). Anything that you want printed to the very edge of your finished business card (e.g.: a background colour or photograph) must extend to AT LEAST that outermost box. They can go further out if you wish, but they MUST GO TO AT LEAST THE EDGE OF THE BLEED BOX. More about bleeds is written below.

 

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

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

Bleeds

Please keep bleeds in mind when you are designing your artwork. If your business card is going to have a white border, then bleeds are not required. However, if your business cards will NOT be white on all four sides, then you MUST include bleeds on your business cards file, and those blleds MUST be included on all four sides.  With InDesign, this area should be extended past the page borders and out to the bleeds lines (the outer-most red line). The bleeds MUST extend AT LEAST 3mm past the edge of the printed page.

The subject of bleeds is so important that we have written a separate page devoted to it. Click here to read all about bleeds, why you may need them and how to create them.

Borders and Safety Areas

The printing and cutting processes has a mechanical tolerance of up to 2mm. So, if you have a border in your artwork, it is essential that your design has at least 5mm of white space from your border to the trim line. If your border is less than the 5mm, then your job might lose its symmetrical appearance.

If your job is bigger than a business card, then we suggest your border is about 7mm.

It is also essential that no text or essential parts of your artwork come within 3mm of the trim line.  Again, due to the mechanical tolerance during the printing and trimming processes, any content within 3mm of the trim line may be cut off. In fact we advise that any essential text and images should be placed at least 5mm from the edge of the finished product.

 

Image Resolution

Do not use images that you have found on the worldwide web. Almost all of those images have a resolution of 72 dots per inch (72dpi or 72 pixles per inch), and they result in blurred or 'pixilated' images being printed.

If you want your printed product to look professional, then all of your images must be at least 300dpi at the final output size. 

DO NOT attempt to change a low resolution image to a higher one by changing the dpi in your imaging software — you cannot change a 72dpi image into a crisp and clear 300dpi image, all you will get is a blurred image that is set at 300dpi.

If you want to see what happens with low resolution files, then visit our image resolution information page.

 

Be careful with Rich Black

If you are going to have your job printed digitally, then do not use "Rich Black", as it can produce a somewhat mottled appearance. We suggest that 100% "K" (i.e.: 100% back) should be sufficient if you order a Fast Digital product.

If you are ordering a Discount Priced product, then we suggest you do use "Rich Black", and your setting for Rick Black should be:

  • Cyan 70%
  • Magenta 40%
  • Yellow 15%
  • "K" (Black) 100%.

 

 

Is this the wrong page? Are you using different software? Try the links below: