Stamp Specification: Our standard packing specification is to send stamp sets with a printed acetate sheet showing your design. The clear sheet is printed in black and attached to the stamps, for an additional charge we can print this sheet in color. We offer a full packing service option you can send us your header cards already printed and we can pack them with your stamps or we can print the inserts in house as needed. Inserts / header cards are charged at an additional rate. Please see price list for full prices. If you wish to pack the stamps yourself we can ship them with the printed sheet only and include your bags separately. If you have a special packing requirement such as barcode labels or packing into inner bags in certain quantities, please contact your account manager who will provide a quote for the additional work. Inserts / Header Cards: An insert or header card is a piece of card stock printed in either full color or black and white, which fits into the bag with the stamps. Our standard paper stock is 80lb cover with a smooth (non-glossy) finish. Your insert design should include your company logo and brand information as well as information about how to clean the stamps. For insert sizing please see dimensions on page 2. At the end of this guide is an example of a 4x6 sized stamp insert. Please read the insert artwork guidelines for more information. Templates: When sending designs you can either send us one single design or a mix of different designs; we call this a mixed negative. At the back of this guide is an example of our 4x4 size (6 per 8x12 sheet) which shows you how we lay the designs out on an 8x12 template. We manufacture from 8x12 as well as 16x24 templates and then cut and finish to the required size. Each block on the template shows the space for each design. For more template examples of the most popular sizes, please download Templates Note: You do not have to use our templates but can simply send us your file and state in the email if the file should be made into a mixed sheet with other images, or if the images are to be placed on the same sheet repeated. A mixed negative gives you the ability to order multiple designs and still meet our minimum quantities. On a mixed negative all of the designs need to be the same size. For example, 4-4x6 designs make one 8x12 sheet. If you want 2 4x6 designs and 1 6x8 design, you have to order as one 8x12 sheet and cut the designs apart yourself. However, if you then need to order a different quantity of each of the sheets, a new origination charge may be payable. Our minimum is 10 8x12 sheets or equivalent in the smaller sizes. If you order 10 x sheets of the mixed negative which contained 6 different 4x4 designs, this will give you 10 of each design and a total of 60 stamp sets.
Clear Stamp Dimension Guide Artwork Size Finished Stamp Size Bag Size Insert Size 8x12 7.7 x 11.2 8.5 x 11 8 11/16 x 11 15/16 N/A* 6x8 5.4 x 7.7 6 x 8 6 ½ x 9 ½ 6.25 x 9 6.5 x 9.25 (w/bleed) 4x6 3.7 x 5.4 4 x 6 4 ½ x 7 ¾ 4.25 x 7 4.5 x 7.25 (w/bleed) 3x4 2.6 x 3.7 3 x 4 3 5/16 x 5 1/8 3.25 x 5 3.5 x 5.25 (w/bleed) 2x3 1.7 x 2.56 2 x 3 2 ½ x 3 ½ 2.25 x 4 2.5 x 4.25 (w/bleed) 4 x 4 3.7 x 3.5 4 x 4 4 3/8 x 6 ½ 4.25 x 5 4.5 x 5.25 (w/bleed) 2 x 6 1.75 x 5.4 2 x 6 2 ½ x 3 ½ 2.25 x 7 2.5 x 7.25 (w/bleed) 4 x 8 3.5 7.7 4 x 8 4 5/16 x 9 ¾ 4.25 x 9 4.5 x 9.25 (w/bleed) *Inserts for these sizes not currently done. However if you are interested in having inserts with this size, please email us on the below email address to discuss pricing and sizes. info@photocentricusa.com
Artwork Guidelines: Please send artwork files to: artwork@photocentricusa.com Below is a list of requirements to follow when creating and submitting artwork. If you have any questions regarding the requirements please email: artwork@photocentricusa.com Feature of the artwork Requirements Resolution of artwork Artwork needs to be a minimum of 300 dpi. Any lower quality artwork we will be unable to make the artwork at a good enough quality to produce stamps. Artwork Size The artwork size needs to be no bigger than the artwork size stated in the clear stamp dimension guide on page 2. Artwork File Mode Artwork needs to be sent in as a black and white image. If the artwork is supplied in greyscale it will be converted to black and white and a loss of definition will occur. Scanned drawings need to be scanned in a low resolution to avoid dirt marks; also make lines as dark as possible. File Formats Tiff, Jpg, PNG, PDF, Ai, Eps, Cdr, PSD (ensure artwork is flattened, no layers) Minimum Line thickness 0.3mm, if lines are close together the line can be thinner at around 0.2mm. Separation between images ¼ separation between each image to allow room to produce the base/ mask of stamps. This also ensures that the stamps do not form together during the manufacturing process. Separation Guide Document outlining the individual stamps on a set (See figure 1 on page 4). Please send this as a separate file from the artwork file. Sending in artwork Please send artwork to artwork@photocentricusa.com as an attachment in an email or via a link to a file sharing site such as Dropbox. Avoid embedding artwork into the email as this will result in a loss of resolution.
Sending in inserts If you require inserts please attach them with your artwork files and tell us how you would like them packaged. Insert sizes can be found under the clear stamp dimensions guide on page 2 Figure 1-Separation guide example If at any point you wish to make changes to your designs, the changes must be sent in writing. Please make clear the exact changes to be made as this will prevent delays. The easiest way is to print out the old file, circle what has changed, and email it back to us along with the new files clearly marked. The artwork department will then amend your files and send you a new proof to approve. Once approved, the old file in our system will be deleted.
The Stamp Ordering Process: Everything can be done easily online at www.clearstampmaking.com. Please register when ready. 1) Your account will be activated within 24hrs after registering 2) You simply upload your artwork and artwork separation file under the artwork submission section 3) Your designs are then emailed to artwork@photocentricusa.com The artwork department will check your files and email you a negative plus mask for approval as a PDF document. Figure 2 shows an example of how the proof will look. The white area is the mask, which separates the stamps and gives the stamp its floor. Please allow 48hrs for the proof to be emailed to you. Note: We cannot proceed with your order until you have sent us written confirmation of approval for all designs Figure 2 - Example of approval file you will receive once artwork is made and emailed to you 4) Place an order on your account 5) If you require a sample, please specify on the order, in the notes section, how many samples are required and of which design. Please also advise if you want us to hold the order until sample approval or if we can proceed with making the main order with the samples to come out beforehand. 6) We will confirm a delivery date once the order has been submitted. 3 4 weeks maximum depending on the size of the order (we aim for 2 weeks). The website will
specify the lead time we are currently working to. You do have the option to select a delivery within 1 week (7 working days) which will incur a 10% express charge. Templates for Artwork: Below is an example of the 4x4 template we have available. Each size we manufacture has its own template which is downloadable. Place your artwork into the spaces provided to ensure that the artwork is the correct size. If you require any of these templates they can be found on the following link: http://www.photocentricgroup.com/#!downloads-for-us/csvpp
Templates for Inserts: Below is an example of a 4x6 insert template. Each size stamp set has a corresponding insert template which is downloadable. Place your insert artwork into the space provided to ensure that the artwork is the correct size. All templates can be found on the following link: http://www.photocentricgroup.com/#!downloads-for-us/csvpp