Thermographed Business Cards
Thermographed business cards took a bit of a dip a few years back, but now seem to be making a return to favour for many.
Due to the way these cards are produced, (by the way, thermo can also be used on letterheads, compslips etc.), means there are a few rules that need to be followed.
Thermo Process
The business cards are printed in the normal way on a lithographic press, and a fine powder is applied to the ink, while still wet. The cards are then run through a UV (ultra-violet) device that 'cures' the ink/thermo combination, leaving the ink sitting proud of the card surface.
| Fig. 1. |
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Thermo Limitations
Thermo powder can only be applied to spot colours, or 'solid' inks. Where a tint has been used, or for instance a multi-coloured logo then thermo is not possible.
In Fig 2. below a circular tint (20%) of the main maroon colour has been used. This can not be thermo'd.
In this example, the tint would need to be printed alone, the card would then be put through again and thermo added to 'Your company logo here'. |
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| Fig. 2. |
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If a laminated card is required then again, thermo is not possible.
Due to the processes involved, please allow extra time for delivery of your cards. Thermo is not an ultra-quick process.
Common uses
Thermo lends itself to many types of print work:
Business Cards
Letterheads
Compliment Slips
Dinner Invitations/Birthday Invites
Postcards
etc. etc.
Supplying artwork for thermography
As mentioned earlier, thermo will only work with spot colour jobs so please do not supply artwork in CMYK (4 colour) format. We'll also need to know what Pantone colours have been used. Generally speaking, jpegs, tiffs, pngs etc. are not usable, (unless provided in a single colour) as these file types are generally used in 4 colour work. An ideal format is an Adobe Illustrator vectored eps file, with colours shown as Pantone colours.
If you have any doubts at all about the suitability of your artwork then please email across a copy and one of us will take a look and let you know if it's suitable or not. Either way, we'll do our best to help where we can.
If you'd like to receive a quotation, or simply request some sample thermo cards then please get in touch either by filling out this short enquiry form below or telephoning us on the number shown below.
Don't forget, thermo can be used on other products, not just business cards. |
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