How to Set Up Artwork for Plastic Card Printing
Getting a plastic card printed is straightforward. Getting the artwork right — so it actually looks like you intended — is where most people trip up.
This guide covers everything you need to know before you send your files: bleed, resolution, colour mode, and safe zones. Follow it and you'll avoid the most common reasons artwork comes back for correction, or worse, prints wrong.
We manufacture all our plastic cards in England, so when we say we've seen these mistakes before, we mean it.
The Four Things That Matter
If you get these 4 things right you are onto a great start with getting your artwork just right!
Bleed — Don't Skip It
Plastic cards are printed on large sheets then cut down to CR80 size (86mm × 54mm — the same as a standard bank card). Cutting isn't pixel-perfect. There's a small amount of natural movement, typically around 1–2mm.
If your artwork has no bleed, you'll get a white or coloured border along one or more edges.
Here's what to do:
- Add 3mm bleed on all four sides. Your artwork file should be set up at 92mm × 60mm.
- Extend your background colour or design elements right to the edge of the bleed area — not just to the card edge.
- Bleed is not visible on the finished card. It's just insurance against the cutter.
Common mistake:
Designing to exact card size (86 × 54mm) with no bleed, then wondering why there's a white line on the finished card.
Resolution — The Right Number Is 300dpi minimum
Screen resolution and print resolution are not the same thing. A design that looks sharp on your monitor at 72dpi will print blurry.
Set your document resolution to 300dpi (dots per inch) at the final print size.
What that means in practice:
- If you're working in pixels, your artwork should be at least **1039 × 638px** at 300dpi for a full-bleed card.
- If you're using vector software (Illustrator, Inkscape), resolution is less of a concern — vector artwork stays sharp at any size. Just make sure any raster/photo elements embedded in your design are also 300dpi.
Never scale up a low-res image to make it fit
Scaling up a 72dpi screen-grab to 300dpi doesn't add detail — it just makes a blurry image bigger.
A quick check: In Photoshop, go to Image > Image Size and look at the resolution figure. In Illustrator, check the resolution of any embedded raster images via the Links panel.
Colour Mode — CMYK, Not RGB
Screens display colour using RGB (red, green, blue light). Printing uses CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black ink). They're different colour systems, and colours can shift when converted.
Set your document to CMYK before you design, not as an afterthought.
Key points:
- Convert to CMYK early. If you design in RGB and convert at the end, bright colours — especially vivid blues, greens, and oranges — can shift significantly.
- Black text and lines: Use 100% K (black) only, not rich black (C:60 M:40 Y:40 K:100). Rich black on small text looks blurry at the edges.
- Rich black for large solid areas: For full card backgrounds or large shapes, a rich black mix gives deeper, more even coverage. Ask us if you're unsure which to use.
- Spot colours: If you're working with a specific brand colour and Pantone accuracy matters, contact us before setting up your artwork. Standard card printing is CMYK; Pantone matching is a separate conversation.
If you only have an RGB file, we can convert it — but be aware colours may not match your screen exactly.
Safe Zone — Keep Important Content Away From the Edge
Bleed handles the outside edge. The safe zone handles the inside.
Keep all text, logos, and anything critical at least 3mm inside the finished card edge.
Why? The same cutting tolerances that require bleed on the outside mean content too close to the edge risks being cropped. A phone number or logo edge that sits 1mm from the card edge is a risk.
In practical terms:
- Your finished card is 86 × 54mm
- Your artwork with bleed is 92 × 60mm
- Your safe zone is 80 × 48mm — centred within the finished card
Most design templates (including ours) show inner boundary. Stay inside it.
File Formats We Accept
- PDF (preferred — embed all fonts, flatten transparencies)
- AI (Adobe Illustrator — outline all fonts)
- EPS
- PSD (Photoshop — 300dpi, CMYK, flattened or with layers clearly labelled)
- TIFF (300dpi, CMYK)
We don't accept Word files, PowerPoint, or low-resolution JPEGs exported from Canva. If that's what you've got, we can help — but expect a conversation before we can print.
Summary Checklist
Before you send your artwork, tick these off:
- [ ] Document size: 92mm × 60mm (card size plus 3mm bleed all round)
- [ ] Resolution: 300dpi minimum
- [ ] Colour mode: CMYK
- [ ] Background and design extends to bleed edge
- [ ] All text, logos, critical content inside the 3mm safe zone
- [ ] Fonts embedded or outlined
- [ ] File format: PDF, AI, EPS, PSD or TIFF
Not Sure About Your File?
Upload your artwork when you place your order and we'll check it before it goes to print. If there's a problem, we'll tell you exactly what needs fixing — we don't just reject files without explanation.
We manufacture in England, check every order manually, and won't put artwork to press if something looks wrong.
Find out more about our loyalty card printing
Artwork setup guide FAQs
What size should my artwork be for plastic card printing?
Your artwork document should be set up at 92mm × 60mm — that is the standard CR80 card size (86mm × 54mm) plus 3mm bleed on all four sides.
What resolution should plastic card artwork be?
300dpi at the final print size. For a full-bleed card with bleed included, that is a minimum of 1039 × 638 pixels in raster terms. Vector artwork (AI, EPS) does not have a resolution limit.
Should plastic card artwork be CMYK or RGB?
CMYK. Set your document to CMYK before you start designing. Converting from RGB at the end can cause colour shifts, particularly with vivid blues, greens, and oranges.
What is bleed and why does it matter for card printing?
Bleed is extra artwork that extends beyond the finished card edge. Cards are cut from larger sheets and the cutter has a small tolerance of 1–2mm. Without bleed, you risk a white or unintended colour border appearing along the edge of your finished cards.
What is a safe zone on a plastic card template?
The safe zone is the area at least 3mm inside the finished card edge where all important content — text, logos, barcodes — should sit. Content too close to the edge risks being trimmed off during cutting.
Can I send a Word or Canva file for plastic card printing?
Not directly. Word and PowerPoint files cannot be used for print production. Canva files exported as high-resolution PDFs at 300dpi in CMYK can work, but quality varies. Contact us before sending if you are unsure — it is better to check upfront.
