To print your design with special finishing such as foil or raised gloss, follow these steps to set up your document with the necessary spot colours and layers. We recommend using a vector-based program like Adobe Illustrator.
Step 1: Set Up Your Layers
Open your vector-based program (e.g., Adobe Illustrator).
Create two layers in your document:
Name the top layer ‘Finishing’.
Name the bottom layer ‘Artwork’.
Step 2: Create a New Spot Colour
Open the Swatches panel.
Create a new swatch and name it ‘Finishing’ (case sensitive).
Set the colour type to ‘Spot Color’.
Set the colour values to:
Cyan (C): 0
Magenta (M): 50
Yellow (Y): 100
Black (K): 0
Download the swatch from here - Pre-made Swatches
Step 3: Create Your Design
Place your printed design elements on the ‘Artwork’ layer.
For elements that you want to be foiled or raised gloss, do not represent them on the ‘Artwork’ layer.
Create the special elements as solid vector shapes separately and place them on the ‘Finishing’ layer.
Apply the ‘Finishing’ spot colour to the special finish shapes.
Step 4: Overprint
Select the special elements on the ‘Finishing’ layer.
Go to the Attributes menu.
Choose ‘Overprint Fill’.
Step 5: Export Your File
Review your design to ensure everything is correctly set up.
Export your file as a PDF.
Use the PDF/X-4:2010 preset for best results, as it maintains the spot colour information needed for printing.
Need more information about White Underpin printing? - What is white underpin?
Looking for instructions on how to set up White Underpin printing or a KissCut shape? - How to Set Up a Custom Shape Label with Special Finishing and Selective White