Promethean printing file setup & design guide
Use this guide to understand the file requirements for artwork before submitting. Most of the PDF files we receive are from Adobe Illustrator. This guide reflects the Illustrator workflow. If you need assistance with a different workflow, please contact us.
There are guides here for following both our Canon M5/GraphTec workflow and our X-Tool laser cutting workflow.
How to prepare your file for printing and cutting
This workflow is used for prints on all of our flexible media. This workflow supports color and almost all of our media formats.
File type
For the best possible print quality and processing time, files should be sent in PDF format.
We strive to make our workflows as customizable as possible, and we're willing to accept a variety of file formats:
.JPEG, .PNG, .EPS, .TIF, .PSD, and .PDF files.
Please keep in mind that sending any other file format (non-PDF) may increase the processing time and affect the quality of the print.
Sizing
Your art file should be the same size as your physical project. (I.E. if your project is 24in x 24in, your art file should be 24in x 24in.)
Image quality
Your art file should be at a minimum of 300dpi. We cannot guarantee high-quality image printing with anything less than this.
Color Profile
All of your artwork should be in the CMYK color profile, which can be adjusted from the file settings within the Illustrator window.
Select File> Document Color Space. A window will open with a dropdown menu that likely currently says RGB color. Select the dropdown and choose CMYK Color Space.
We will print files sent to us in RGB, but please keep in mind that the color matching will not be exact to your artwork.
Fonts
Ensure that all of your text is converted to shapes. This helps the speed of our print workflow and ensures that your art comes out exactly as intended.
Send us your .TTF font file with your artwork. Even after your artwork has been converted to a PDF, the font file may not load. This allows us to fix any errors quickly and speed up production time.
Bleed
We will not auto-generate bleed for your artwork. Files without bleed will be printed with a white outline. In order to add bleed yourself, simply upsize your design so that your through-cut line has at least 1/8th of an inch of outside space before it reaches the edge of the design's color.
Cut Lines
Within the Canon workflow, we use two different kinds of cut lines: through-cuts and kiss-cuts. These cut lines need to be set up differently from every color within your artwork. In order to set up your cut lines, you need to create two new Illustrator swatches.
For through Cut lines
Create a swatch called "CutContourThru". Set it as a spot color, and make sure the color values are set to 100% magenta, 0% cyan, 0% yellow, and 0% black.
For Kiss Cut lines
Create a swatch called "CutContourKiss". Set it as a spot color, and make sure the color values are set to 0% magenta, 100% cyan, 0% yellow, and 0% black.
Notes about contour cuts
Promethean Printing reserves the right to simplify overly-complex cut lines to maximize the quality of the overall project.
There must be a .25pt radius on all internal curves to prevent issues with the contour cut.
For Holographic Substrates
You have two options when printing on holographic vinyl; Regular CMYK and CMYK + Spot White.
Holographic Artwork in CMYK ONLY
Printing in CMYK will yield no white on your design. Areas that would appear white on traditional white vinyl substrates will appear holographic. The holographic effect will show through most colors. How much holographic material will show through your colors is determined by both the darkness of the color and the opacity it has been set to. Black areas of the design will have little-to-no holographic effect.
Holographic Artwork in CMYK + Spot WHite
If you’d like the color white to appear on your holographic artwork, you’ll set up a CMYK + Spot White file. The white layer will be printed on the holographic material first, followed by the CMYK layer. You’ll add white where you don’t want the holographic effect to show through.
Your CMYK + Spot White file must include layers. Clearly label your white layer as Spot White, and your CMYK layer as CMYK. You should also have a cut line layer.
You will need to create a swatch for your spot white pieces. Create a swatch called "Spot White". Set it as a spot color, and make sure the color values are set to 0% magenta, 0% cyan, 100% yellow, and 0% black.
Make sure the areas you want to print white on are colored with this swatch.
Saving your file for CMYK + Spot White
Save your file as a PDF. Choose Adobe 4 compatibility when saving your PDF to preserve your layers.
Laser Cutting
File Type
The suitable file type for laser cutting and engraving on the xTool is .SVG.
Sizing
Please note that your file must be the same size as your physical project. Resizing your graphic may lead to poor cut quality and misaligned elements.
Setting Up Your Laser Cut File
-Set the width and height of your document to the same size as your project, and set your measurement units to millimeters.
-Assign a specific color to each cut function: (i.e. Red (same color code) for through cutting, and Black (same color code) for engraving.)
-Use the vector tools to create your design, or import a design and use a vectorizing function to make it a vector image and clean it up.
-Set your line widths and fills to the proper requirements for what you’d like each piece to do: 0.01mm lines will cut through, and filled shapes with no stroke will be engraved.
-If you’re adding text to your project, make sure that text is converted into a vector shape.
-Make sure that your file is exported as either an .SVG or a .XCS (X-Tool Creative Space file).
Design Elements
Every detail in a vector file matters. It’s important to understand what these words mean and how our xTool interprets each:
LINES: Lines have specific width and define the cutting path. The laser cutter follows these paths precisely to create shapes and contours.
FILLS: Fills are areas enclosed by lines and filled with some sort of color or pattern. The xTool will interpret these as regions for engraving. The laser moves back and forth across these areas, removing material layers to create the design.
KERF: Kerf refers to the width of the material that is removed by the laser beam during the cutting and engraving processes.
MINIMUM LINE WIDTH: Line widths tell the xTool whether it should cut, engrave, or score.
TEXT: The laser cutter will not process an active text box directly. You must convert text into a shape/cutting path before the xTool will process it.