Beef Up Your Business Cards With These Plug-ins

Standard business cards are typically rectangular, 2 x 3.5 inches on white stock. The only thing that differentiates them from other business cards is the information and graphics. Adding custom finishes to your business cards bring them to life. The combinations are endless, but by using just one finishing option your business cards will be “Slicker than a harpooned hippo on a banana tree” (not entirely sure what that means but it seems to get the point across that your business cards will stand out!).

These Cards Mean Business

Embossing

Embossing your business cards is just awesome. This method has many variations from blind embossing to multi-level embossing to embossing with foil stamping. It gives your business card dimension, it makes you want to look at it from different angles. But best of all, if used correctly, it’s classy.

Foil Stamping

Foil Stamping enhances your business cards by reflecting light in the area where it is foil stamped. This reflection attracts the eye of the viewer. Foil is available in many metallic colors and even holographic patterns…if you want your business card to pop, this is the way to go!

Spot UV Coating

Spot UV coating creates a reflective mirror-like sheen only in areas where it is designated, hence the name “Spot” UV. By using a spot UV layer on your business card, you can intensify the visibility of a certain graphic or even create a graphic out of the spot UV itself on a solid background. The example above have the 7 A.M. logo using this method so that the logo is only visible when angled to a light source. Very creative!

Custom Die Cut

Custom die cut business cards are the epitome of customization! The shape of your business card can be made to just about anything. Match the shape of your logo or product or you can add special folds to really make your business cards unique. Give them something they will never forget!

Pantone (PMS) Colors

If branding is important to your company, making sure your brand is recognizable and memorable can be as easy as selecting a specific Pantone color for consistency This color is used throughout all of your marketing collateral and anywhere your logo/brand is displayed. Many (if not all) of the major brands do this. One of the most used examples is Coca-cola’s red.

A Custom Combination of Finishes

The more of these finishes you use on your business cards, the more they will stand out in a stack. I don’t think there’s any way of overdoing it. When used correctly your business cards will serve as a sales tool and conversational piece that can get the ball rolling on a new sale. Use them to feature a new product or to show prestige that reflects on your business. The variations and possibilities are endless.

Creating Die Lines for Custom Die Cut Printing in Adobe Illustrator

This post is best suited for graphic designers who will be working on a die cutting project and/or those of you who simply like to know how to do stuff.

Creating a die line for die cutting can be pretty simple or can be quite difficult, all depends on your design and some planning beforehand can come in very handy later on.

First, I want to make it clear that die cutting thin lines is not always a good idea. Thin lines in a die create thin cuts in the paper that can easily bend or rip off. Sometimes it’s unavoidable such as die cutting hair or thin fonts but if possible, always try to use thick locks of hair or bold type if your die cut is typography-based.

Custom Die Cut Hang Tags

For this tutorial we are going to create a Die Cut Hang Tag. Many clothing manufacturers use hang tags to brand their merchandise and sometimes include information about the product or the company on the back or inside if it is a folding hang tag.

For this tutorial, we will use a fictitious Clothing Brand called mmprint.

Our goal is to have a finished hang tag where we will die cut the mmprint with the white Stroke around it. Leaving the grey area (which for purposes of this tutorial is simulating the paper) by using a die cutter such as our Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress.

The Right Tools

The die line must be made using a vector design program such as Adobe Illustrator or InDesign. A die maker uses a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine which uses CAD software to send the design commands to the CNC machine.

Since the CNC is computer controlled, it requires vector lines to operate. Raster lines are created using blocks which then create jagged edges along the perimeter of the line.

Preparing the Artwork

Creating the die line for the mmprint hang tag should be rather straight forward and simple. We used Century Gothic Bold for the text and made an offset path to make it thicker, then added a 3pt. Stroke around it. All we really need to do is make a line that goes around the entire perimeter of the white Stroke.

Sure, you can show off your Pen tool skills and trace the whole thing but working efficiently is key for a designer and when you have other projects to move on to, time is important.

At this point in our design, our stroke is an effect applied to the object. When you select the object with the black arrow, you will see that the selection line is located within the stroke. Since we need the die line to be the outside edge of the stroke, we have to make the stroke an object itself.

Select the mmprint object then click Edit>Copy then click Edit>Paste in Front

With the new object selected, click Object>Expand

While still selected, click the Unite button in the PathFinder tab (Window>Pathfinder)

Now you should have the outline of the object that is completely white, which notably is the shape that will remain in the sheet of paper once the mmprint is die cut out…

Now just 2 more steps.

While our new white object selected, all we need to do is give it a 1pt. stroke (I chose orange so it stands out) and remove the fill color.

Here is the result:

The orange line is the area where the die cut will be made

Cleaning Up

The final step is to convert the orange color we selected into a PMS color that we will call “Die Line”.

The purpose of making the die line its own PMS color is so that it separates correctly when making plates. The CMYK parts separate accordingly for printing and our “Die Line” PMS will separate as one separate plate for the die.

Here is how it’s done:

With the Die Line Layer selected, Double click the Orange color in your Swatches Panel.

Change the Swatch Name to “Die Line”, change Type to “Spot Color” and click OK

Notice the Orange color swatch has a White corner with a Black dot in it…this means it has been converted to a PMS color

Tips and Tricks

It’s always a good idea to consult with the printer/die cutter before you spend a lot of time on your design. Discuss and if possible, show a sketch or basic artwork of your die cut to get feedback on what may or may not work.

As a graphic designer/consultant, you are hired to be efficient and work within budgets.

To save on die charges, you can always use a pre-made Die Cut shapes and customize only the printing.

We offer a nice selection of pre-made die cut shapes:

Take the Design Even Further

When budget is not an obstacle, take your creativity to the next level with Foil Stamping and Embossing.

At this point you can design a hang tag with all the bells and whistles that people may possibly keep. Hang tags create an amazing opportunity to spread your branding with the very merchandise that you sell. Make your hang tag reflect the quality of your company and your product.

So how do you prepare the design for foil stamping and embossing?

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Complementing Innovation: Taking a Step Back to Take a Step Forward

These days it’s hard to keep up with the advancement of technology, whether in our personal lives or in business. Seems that before we even become accustomed to a new product or system there is another that replaces it.

At The Marsid-M&M Group we are always trying to stay on the cutting edge of technology, but recently we decided to take a different approach…

We decided that in order to move forward we had to take a step back in time, to our roots one might say.

-Barry Caputo, Co-owner

The evolution of print has brought upon us a new age where digital printing, short runs and variable data have become a large part of our everyday business. We realized that these customers were in need of more finishing options than we previously offered while keeping costs down and still manage to deliver a quality product.

So we hired Heidi and gave her an office:

Heidi is a Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress. She's hardworking, precise and classy; she's tough. Been around the block, but still in great shape. Our BizHub Digital Presses say she's quite the cougar.

Heidi Finds a New Home

The Heidelberg Windmill Letterpress made it’s first public appearance in 1913.

The beauty before you in the image above was manufactured in August of 1969. She had lived in San Diego, California for many years where she printed all types of advertisements, brochures and stationery. She was one of 10 Heidelberg Windmill Letterpresses which were all lined up in a row. She worked very hard for 10 hours every day and 10 hours every night with very little rest; as did her 9 sisters sitting beside her on the long and narrow concrete floor that she called home.

Right after her 15^th birthday in September of 1984, the factory that Heidi worked in was shut down. People said, “It was because there were newer types of printing presses called Offset Machines that could run faster and produce better and cleaner printed work.” Heidi then sat idle on that cold concrete floor with no electricity or oil for almost two years… Read the full story written by very proud owner, Sid Halpern.

A Windmill of Opportunity

Die Cutting and Foil Stamping are only a few of Heidi’s traits. With a few add-ons she can also print color, emboss, score, perforate and number.

At this time we use her for Die Cutting, Foil Stamping and Scoring:

Card Stock Scoring

Custom Die Cutting

Custom Foil Stamping / Die Cut

Vision Becomes Reality

Our goal was to offer more custom finishing options to our customers with low minimums and make it available for digitally printed materials. We also envisioned a whole new line of products that we could offer in addition to our standard printed materials.

Well, we’re the type of company that doesn’t let good ideas go by the wayside so we went gung-ho, full speed ahead and there was no stopping us.

Over the next few months we will be adding a slew of new products to our website that provide a foundation for your own new ideas that are only limited by creativity.

The Benefit is Clear: Stand Out from the Rest

Die Cut Business Cards

We all know in business it’s very important to make a great first impression. Most first business meetings begin with a handshake and an exchange of business cards.

A well crafted business card is as firm a statement as is a firm handshake.

We currently offer these standard die-cut business cards that you can pick from and you can always request a quote for custom die cutting to your specific shape:

Feel free to download our Die Cut Business Card Templates.

Die Cut Desk Calendars

Calendars offer 365 days of steady promotion and you only pay for them once!

Standard calendars are made to be hung on a wall but Die Cut Desk Calendars are made to stand on a desk which makes them more accessible.

Your company name and contact information will be displayed at all times at arm’s length.

Die Cut HangTags

Boost the value of your product with custom Die Cut Hang Tags. A great way to include your branding and a description of the product or instructions on how to use it.

Many standard shapes are available or you can always go a little further and customize the shape for a truly unique finish!

Feel free to download our Die Cut Hang Tag Templates.

Die Cut Bookmarks

Still a very popular product, die cut bookmarks make effective and simple promo products that everyone likes. Add a custom shape and a tassel to make it even more attractive.

Lamination, UV coating, Aqueous coating also available.

Die Cut Gift Card Holders

Retail establishments can really benefit from our custom printed die cut gift card holders. Make your gift cards more presentable by providing a safe and secure holder that can be customized with your artwork.

Great for branding and promotions.

What Die Cut products would you like to recommend we offer in the future?

Heidi Finds A New Family at The Marsid M&M Group

Heidi was born in August of 1969. She had lived in San Diego, California for many years where she printed all types of advertisements, brochures and stationery. She was one of 10 Heidelberg Windmill Letterpresses which were all lined up in a row. She worked very hard for 10 hours every day and 10 hours every night with very little rest; as did her 9 sisters sitting beside her on the long and narrow concrete floor that she called home.

Tragedy

Rebirth

In July of 1986, Henry Jenkins, a reverend from a small church in Los Angeles, found Heidi listed in a newspaper advertisement. He journeyed to San Diego with a large moving truck and brought her back to his garage in L.A.. He fed her oil and gave her electricity which made Heidi so happy. The reverend’s wife came to the garage once a week, always on Wednesday, to clean her and rub her down with a very soft cloth. Heidi was finally at work again; her new job was to print small prayer books and song sheets for Reverend Jenkins to distribute to his parishioners. After many years, the good Reverend took ill and was forced to make a change. On February 17, 2007, Reverend Jenkins and his wife closed their church and moved to a small town in Mexico where they became missionaries. Heidi now needed a new home. She still had so much life in her.

Heidi was found by an adoption agency in Jamaica, New York called Crystal Graphics. The company was owned by a man named Mr. Bally, who knew that although he would probably be keeping Heidi for a while; he was sure he would eventually find her a good home. He cleaned Heidi from top to bottom and made sure she looked good. He then covered her with a big green tarp with the words “WINDMILL 13X18” on it. Trying to find new parents that were qualified was not an easy task. People would come to look at her, but no one seemed to have the right use for Heidi. After many months of deliberation, Mr. Bally decided to convert Heidi into a Die Cutter and Foil Stamper. In November of 2011, after the conversion was complete, she received a new coat of paint and was ready to go. Again the green tarp was put back on Heidi to keep her protected and safe, but it now had the words “FOIL STAMPING / DIE CUTTING” added to her description.

A New Home

It was about this time that Sid Halpern, the president of The Marsid M&M Group a very progressive “State of The Art” commercial printer, decided to compliment his offset and digital capabilities and bring “in house” Foil Stamping and Die Cutting to their growing list of clients. Mr. Halpern found Heidi advertised by Mr. Bally on eBay and decided to make a visit to the Jamaica, New York warehouse to see her. He lifted the green tarp and was immediately impressed! Heidi was clean and beautiful, filled with oil and ready to go to work with all her new capabilities. The deal was made and the adoption finalized! A few days later, December 10, 2011, Heidi was on Mr. Bally’s delivery truck heading to her new home in Carle Place, New York!

Wow! Heidi was amazed when she arrived. Mr. Halpern had built her a very special private room with an arched doorway! He installed new crown moldings and had pictures of Benjamin Franklin and Johannes Guttenberg on the wall above her. There was a vintage California Job Case to her left and an authentic composing stick to her right! There were even a few antique hymns engraved in copper on the wall. Heidi thought she remembered printing with those back when she was with Reverend and Mrs. Jenkins in L.A.. Heidi was so proud and now felt so useful in her new home with all of the shiny new offset and digital printers! Mr. Halpern was very good to her; he treated her as part of his FAMILY. He bought her all new tools and was so excited to watch her Die Cut and Foil Stamp new jobs every day. It didn’t take Heidi long to realize she would never again be on a delivery truck!

Custom Die Cutting – Shaping the way you do business

Custom Die Cutting is the process of using metal dies to cut paper and many other substrates into custom shapes. Since the standard guillotine cutter can only make straight cuts, this process allows us to customize the shape of printed products from the default square cut.

Stand out from the rest

A great way to make a business card stand out in a stack is to have a custom shape. Round corners and angled corners are also die cuts although they would only be considered “custom” if you require a specific radius or angle which requires a custom die to be made. Generally, a printer that offers round cornering and angled corners will have standard size dies in their possession.

Custom die cut brochures offer the most real estate for your products or service offerings. A brochure with an outside-the-box shape will catch the eyes of consumers and will surely be picked up over other brochures in the same area.

Custom Die Stickers are incredibly useful for labeling certain areas, promoting products, displaying warnings or just getting your name out there…

The pockets of a presentation folder can be die cut to custom shapes as well. Creating an aesthetically pleasing die cut on your folder can increase the chance of a customer keeping the folder and using it for their own purposes, this gives you exposure to whomever the customer is around.

Bookmarks are great marketing pieces and can be die cut to any shape. A preferred and very popular shape is a simple rectangle with rounded corners.

Many products require custom shaped packaging which then also requires custom die cut product inserts which enable recognition and branding of the product inside of the packaging.

Tag: custom die cut