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One of the
leading causes for order delays and extra charges throughout the
CD and DVD industry is artwork that isn’t supplied correctly.
This issue can be split into two separate areas: The first of
which being the actual design components of the artwork and then,
secondly, the physical dimensions of the design (ie: length x
width). Contrary to the popular saying, ‘size’ it would
appear, actually matters, and a graphic design template will help you on your way to successfully
submitting your artwork.
One of the most
common misconceptions about designing for CD or DVD manufacturing
or duplication, is that there is an industry ‘standard’
whereby all suppliers of discs and related packaging use the same
sizing guidelines and have the same requirements. This couldn’t
be further from the truth as it is very common to find variations
between different vendors.
Therefore, choosing which vendor you
are going to use should take priority over finalizing your
artwork. Once you’ve decided on the company who will manufacture
your discs, download the applicable graphic design template for your needs and then finish off your
design.
A good template
should show you a number of visual references:
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Crop
marks: These are fine black lines generally located at the
corners of the template and they will actually print, so
don’t move them, removed them or change their colour values.
The crop marks are used to line-up the cutting blade that will
trim the print down to its finished size.
-
Keylines:
These are used as guidelines to provide you with a visual
reference of where the page will be cut, folded, perforated,
etc. Keylines are for visual reference only and will not
actually print but they are much easier to use as reference
points than the crop marks.
-
Bleed:
If your design is supposed to touch the edge of the finished
product (as represented by the keylines and crop marks) you
must extend, or ‘bleed’, your design 1/8” past that
finished edge. Your graphic design template may provide you with a separate keyline
to give you a visual reference of how far to bleed the design.
Due to variances and tolerances in the cutting process, bleed
ensures you won’t see white unprinted paper or board-stock
running along the edge of your print.
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Gutter:
A common design mistake is to crowd the finished edges or
folds with text and graphics - the result of which negatively
affects the visual appeal and legibility of your design. If
you look at a book or magazine you will notice that there is a
significant border that frames any non-bleeding text and
imagery from the edge of the page and folds. This border is
called ‘gutter’. In the CD and DVD manufacturing industry
an absolute minimum gutter of 1/8” is generally advised but
you may want to experiment and increase it to 3/16” or
1/4" or greater.
Using
the correct graphic design template will help you to create a design that’s right, but
before you finalize your design it’s always recommended to
create a printed mock-up of your artwork. Print it and use the
crop marks to trim it to size, then fold it or assemble it using
tape or staples as required. This is the best way to determine if
your design really works as intended. Is the text large enough to
read? Have you used enough gutter? Did you create bleed in all the
appropriate areas? Does the design look… ‘right’?
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