Stafix® Designing Guidelines
As the designer, it is good to be aware of the special requirements that need to be taken into consideration when designing artwork on Stafix®.
Sheet Size and Bleeds
Although the sheet is 480x650mm, the maximum printable area on Stafix® sheet is 450x640 mm. Please confirm the size of the artwork before you start designing the layout. The bleeds should be 3-5 mm over the clean-cut sheet size. If the work will be die-cut, the cutting lines should be included in the artwork. The margins and die cutting lines should always be in respect to the post-press requirements.
Post-Press
Stafix® can be die-cut and kiss-cut, please avoid long thin shapes because they might curl away from the surface. Avoid sharp corners because they might cause the film to tear. Please consult your printing house for post-press possibilities.
Software
Use only software that is compatible with creating press-compatible digital artwork. Confirm the compatibility with your printing house beforehand.
The Use of Pictures and Other Graphics
Be sure that the resolution of the pictures you are using is sufficient. Sufficient accuracy for shade pictures, printed on Stafix®-film, is 300 dpi (dots per inch) and for line art pictures 1200 dpi. In four-color printing the colors should be in CMYK- format.
The maximum ink density on Stafix®-film should not exceed 270%. Heavy deposits of ink near the edges of the artwork should be avoided to prevent film from curling or rippling. Leave a white border if possible. Ink density can be easily checked with Adobe Acrobat. Advanced > Print Production > Output Preview. Choose SC Paper ECI as the simulation profile.
Please do not use hairlines in your design; always determine a point value for the line. The smallest recommended line weight for one compact color is 0.15 pt. If you are using lines that are rasterized, negative or contain more than one color, please use a thicker line e.g. 0.25 pt.
The recommended minimum font point size for one color text is 6. The font point size of 6 is also suitable for text built on more than one color and negative text.
Installation and Using the Profile on the Workstation
When designing artwork on Stafix®-film you should use the ISO-standard color separation profile sc_paper.icc. When making a print ready PDF be sure to embed/include the color profile.
The maximum TAC (Total Area Coverage) in the profile is 270%
- Download the file sc_paper.icc
- Save the file (sc_paper.icc) according to the instructions below:
- Mac OSX > Library/ColorSync/Profiles
- Win NT4 > Windows/System32/Color
- Win 2000 and XP > Windows/System32/spool/drivers/color
- Win Vista > Right mouse click on sc_paper.icc and click “Install Profile”
Use of the profile:
Photoshop CS4: Convert all pictures to the common profile:
- Go to: edit > convert to profile
- Select the profile suitable for Stafix (sc_paper.icc) in the category; ”destination space”
InDesign CS4:
- Go to: edit > convert to profile
- Select the profile suitable for Stafix (sc_paper.icc) in the category; ”destination space”
Illustrator CS4:
- Go to: edit > Assign profile...
- Select the profile suitable for Stafix (sc_paper.icc) in the profile: SC Paper (ECI)
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Go Bananas! Stafix Ltd. Konttisentie 8 D, 40800 Vaajakoski, Finland | Ph. +358 50 551 5660 | E-mail: info@stafix.fi
