4.25 by 6 postcard
6 by 8.5 postcard
business card
8.5 x 12 Posterettes
12 x 17 Posters

It is important that your filenames indicate which is the UV coated front of the postcard; ie "front.eps" or "back.eps"

All images must be in CMYK color mode. Grayscale images can be used, but because our press is optimized for four-color output, there may be some output issues. RGB images are not acceptable - if you normally design for web or multimedia, keep in mind that printed output uses a different color model (subtractive rather than additive) and corresponds to percentages of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black inks rather than composite Red Green and Blue monitor light. For this reason, it is strongly encouraged that printed design be done in CMYK, rather than done in RGB and then converted to CMYK after the design is set. The monitor CMYK values are still only emulated compared to the actual printed output, but it gives a much better idea as to color relationships. The optimal way to design for print is to choose colors based on a Pantone to Process swatch book.

We have three card sizes:
• 4.25 inches by 6 inches standard-sized postcard
• 6 inches by 8.5 inches deluxe sized postcard
• 3.5 inches by 2 inches standard-sized business card
We have two poster sizes:
• 8.5 inches by 12 inches Posterette (Package only)
• 12 inches by 17 inches Poster (Package only)

For postcards NO bleed is necessary. Please just build out to the actual dimension of the card. This is because the postcards are gang-run, which means that multiple cards are printed alongside each other on a single sheet of paper. When we cut the sheets down into separate cards, we trim each card slightly inward of its printed edges; this ensures that no individual card ends up with part of its neighbor's design. The template in which the files are placed has a built-in trim line around the border of each file, so there is no need to extend past this with a bleed.
For business cards a .125 inch bleed on each side is necessary if a color other than white is to extend off the four sides. If no bleed is desired (ie, the background of the business card is white), the file may be built to the cut specifications (3.5 inches wide by 2 inches high). This will give us enough tolerance for cutting purposes to ensure that no white borders appear around the edge of your cards.
For Posters or Posterettes. Just like our postcards, please build out to the actual dimension of the poster. When setting up your poster or posterette, it is similar to setting up a postcard, only a larger size. Just like postcards, no bleed is necessary, however it is best to keep all critical information at least 1/4 inch away from the edges. We do recommend using a full bleed of your image on the front of your poster or a minimum of a 3/8 inch border in your design. Smaller borders will not be absolutely even and posters with borders smaller than 1/4 inch will be difficult to cut down correctly. We recommend avoiding borders if at all possible. Posters and Posterettes only have a (client-supplied) 4-color image on the front. A byline is printed on the back with the URL and logo for Rocket Postcards.

Please keep all type a minimum of 1/8 inch away from the edges for both postcards and business cards to ensure no type is trimmed off when the cards are cut. Any type closer than 1/8 inch to any edge is considered a trim violation and a waiver will be required to run your file. Please note this affects borders as well. Exact borders will require placing your standard-sized postcard in a deluxe-sized template, providing crops and bleed, and paying the printing costs for a deluxe size.

Whenever any areas of black are being used (any design element or larger than 20 point fonts), please use a rich black rather than a single-color black. A good mix is 45 Cyan, 35 Magenta, 20 Yellow, 100 Black.

If you are using black type over a colored background in Illustrator or Freehand, please set the type to overprint.
NEVER set white type to overprint. It can cause elements to disappear on press.

If you are an artist or photographer, please read this! Thank you.