HOW TO CREATE SPOT UV Files

Creating files for spot UV printing is easy. The instructions are simple to follow. You will need 2 files for each side with spot UV. The first file is your artwork file. It has everything you want seen on your card – all your text and images. Whether you want a pattern for your UV or want to highlight certain items on your artwork, you need to make a Black & White mask. It must be 100% black. These items you have in black will be where the UV coating will be. Make sure you don’t overdo your spot UV. If you go crazy and use too much, your cards will look too gaudy. The items you have made to be spot UV will have that shiny and reflective UV coating. If you want to truly create a elegant and classy look, apply Spot UV to a silk laminated card.

Spot UV coating, when printed on a card, is impossible to overlook. This effect stands out and is immediately noticed. It adds both a textural and visual experience unlike ordinary cards. The idea behind a full color printed promotional card as a marketing tool is to attract positive attention and create interest in your message. Spot UV coating is an affordable technique that separates your promotion from your competition.

Spot UV can add a lot of interest, and can identify the printing as a premium piece of sales and marketing literature in the perception of the reader. The Spot UV technique is achieved by applying a UV gloss coating on top of a polished clay coated paper. This achieves maximum contrast between the highly reflective shiny UV coating and the more light-absorbing clay coated finish, which creates a striking first impression.
spotuveffect
Just remember that to set up files for spot UV, an additional file (mask) must be created for every spot UV side. This mask must be black and white with the area to be UV- SOLID black 100% (no gradients) and the rest which will not have spot UV must be white. Send your grey scale mask file with your CYMK file for printing. Spot UV is so easy to create and it can add a lot of interest. Using Spot UV on your card can identify the printing as a premium piece of sales and marketing literature in the perception of the reader. Try it on your next project and see how much attention it will get you.

CHEAP PRINTING ONLINE

If you only look at the first pages of Google, cheap printing online may not be so cheap. Savvy business owners know the best place to find cheap printing and that is online. The problem is Google lists about 69,90,000 websites using the keyword phrase “cheap printing online” and I’ve never known an online business to tell you they weren’t the best or the cheapest. The truth is the printing services listed on the first or second page often don’t always have the best prices or value.

I choose to use business cards as an example because they are the most common and the cheapest printing product online. The printing services were selected at random from the first pages. To compare apples to apples, all the business card descriptions were the same. The specifications are: 1,000 Standard business cards 2” X 3.5” printed one (4/0) and Standard Business cards printed both sides (4/4) on 14Pt. card stock coated. I used the quantity of 1,000. When you order lower quantities, the unit prices are higher. It takes the same time to setup a large commercial offset printing press whether you print a thousand or ten thousand. The day I wrote this article I goggled the keywords ”cheap printing online”. Here are the results I found.

Company 1 retails 1,000 business cards for $68. They offer a 50% discount and therefore are selling for $34.40. They charge $44.13 for both sides. If you’d like to upgrade to heavier 16Pt card stock, the price is $56.50 and if you add UV coating on both side and the total price is $70.72. Economy turnaround is 5 business days. Shipping cost is determined by zip code.

Company 2 sells 1,000 business cards printed on one side with aqueous coating for $23.70 and with high gloss UV coating the price is 24.95. Add printing to the backside and the price is $37 / with UV on both sides the price is 38.95

Company 3 offers 1,000 business cards printed on one side for $61.96; add UV coating the price jumps to $134.75. Printing on both sides the price is $98.90 and with UV coating on both sides it costs $134.40. Normal production time is 4 business days.

Company 4 offers 1,000 “premium business cards” for 19.99. If you order paper with a “brilliant finish”, it cost $46.23. Add the price to print on the backside is $9.74 more. The total cost is $55.97. I couldn’t find information about the finish, paper weigh, shipping cost or turnaround time on their page.

Color Printing Pros is not on the first 2 pages. We offer 1,000 business cards printed on 14pt or a free upgrade to 16Pt card stock. We also offer free printing on the back of the card and your choice of UV or matte coating is included in price. The price for this full color printing service is $36 whether it is one sided or both. All standard business cards prints in 2-4 business days and shipping is based on zip code.

If you want the biggest bang for your buck, it’s smart to shop around for cheap printing online beyond the first 2 pages. It is never easy to find a gem that offers the best value. Our value includes customer care which is a very important factor in making the right choice. When choosing a printing service you should ask the following questions. Do they check the files before the job is printed? If there’s a problem with your files, will they notify you and tell you what it is. Is the person who answers the phone a knowledgeable print professional? Will you always speak with the same person all the time so that they get to know you and gain an insight to your needs? Color Printing Pros does all of this. They provide value, price and personal care to all our customers.

Beware of cheap printing online discounts and advertised special deals. They usually are offered with low prices because all the value added services most consumers want are not included. Good value doesn’t nickel and dime you into spending more of your hard earned money.

Ask yourself which cheap printing online service would you choose – the ones on the first pages they pull you in with promises of the cheapest price or the company that gives you the best value as well as provides quality and service. I feel you will find Color Printing Pros is the answer.