Getting your logo badge-ready.

Vector is best. Vector files are drawn with mathematical curves rather than pixels, so they scale to any size without going soft or jagged. Most company logos were originally made as vectors, so it is worth asking whoever designed yours.

Send us one of these

• PDF - most preferred. Handles both vector and image content and opens anywhere.
• AI - Adobe Illustrator, maximum flexibility for us.
• EPS - the long-standing vector standard.

We can usually work with these

• PNG, JPG, TIFF, PSD - these are bitmaps, made of pixels. Fine if the resolution is high enough, but they cannot be scaled up without losing quality.

If you only have a bitmap, it must be at least 300 DPI at the finished badge size. A logo pulled off a website is usually 72 DPI and will print blurry.

We print using CMYK inks (cyan, magenta, yellow, black). Your screen shows RGB light, which can display some bright colours that ink physically cannot reproduce. That is why a vivid blue on screen can print slightly duller.

We will convert RGB artwork for you, but converting it yourself first means you get to see and approve any shift rather than being surprised by it.

• Photoshop: Image › Mode › CMYK Color
• Illustrator: Select All, then Edit › Edit Colors › Convert to CMYK

Pantone matching

If your brand runs on specific Pantone (PMS) colours, tell us the codes - either inside the file or in your enquiry. We match Pantone as closely as possible on solid, flat areas of colour. Gradients and blends have limits, so ask us if your logo relies on them.

There are thousands of fonts and no printer holds them all. If we open your file and the font is missing, the text silently substitutes into something else. The fix is to convert text to outlines before sending, which turns letters into shapes that cannot shift.

• Illustrator: Type › Create Outlines
• InDesign: Type › Create Outlines
• Photoshop: Layer › Type › Convert to Shape

Always keep your own copy with live text, in case you need to edit it later.

Minimum text size on a badge

• Printed badges: 6pt minimum, though 8pt reads far better at arm's length.
• Engraved badges: 10pt minimum for fine detail.

Badges are read from a metre or two away. Sans-serif fonts and generous weight work much better than fine serifs at this size.

Badges are cut to size after printing, and cutting varies by up to 1.5mm. Two things protect against that.

Bleed

Extend any background colour or image 3mm beyond the cut line. Without bleed, a slight cutting shift leaves a thin white edge along one side.

Safe area

Keep logos and text at least 3mm inside the cut line. Anything closer risks being trimmed.

Custom badge shapes

We cut badges to suit your logo with square or round corners as standard. If you want a shape of your own, include the cut line as a separate vector path in the file so we know exactly where to cut.

With your enquiry. The quickest route is the upload on the badge enquiry page - attach your logo and name list as you fill it in and they stay attached to the job, so nothing gets separated.

By email. Files under 10MB can go straight to engraving@packprod.co.nz.

Large files. Anything bigger, send via WeTransfer, Dropbox or Google Drive and email us the link.

Whichever route you use, tell us the quantity, the names for each badge, and any deadline you are working to.

• Artwork that meets these guidelines: no charge.
• Artwork needing changes to make it printable is charged at $15 + GST per 15 minutes.
• Original design work is quoted on the job.

If your file needs work, we will tell you what it needs and what it will cost before doing anything. Nothing is charged without your say-so.

• Low resolution. Zoom to 100% - if it looks soft on screen it will look worse in print.
• Missing fonts. Outline them and the problem disappears.
• RGB artwork. Convert to CMYK early so you see the colour shift yourself.
• No bleed. A white sliver along one edge, and no way to fix it after cutting.
• Text too close to the edge. Trimmed letters on an otherwise good badge.

We check every file before it goes on the machine and will come back to you if we spot any of these. We never print something we think will disappoint you.