How to set up artwork for letterpress printing

It’s easy to set up files for letterpress printing. It’s generally no different than setup for offset printing. Here are a few key pointers to remember:

Font Sizes

Minimum font size is 6pt, and a minimum line weight is .25pt.

Outlines

Please convert all text to outlines. We operate in a Microsoft Windows environment, so we cannot open Mac fonts.

File Formats

Accepted file formats include .PDF, .AI, .INDD, and .TIFF

Solids and Halftones

Most letterpress artwork you see is printed as a solid. Letterpress can also print halftones, just like an offset press. The only difference is that we prefer to use a wider line screen to avoid over-inking. 85lpi works best. The actual halftones are generated when we print your artwork to film. This affect can be used to achieve different color densities on a one-color print, or to print photograph. Four-color process is also possible, with very interesting results.

Die Lines

For die cutting, please include your die lines as a blue outline, registered with your print artwork.

For additional help, please call us at (318)290-3133 for free advice.