Because we want your passes to turn out as best as possible for you, and it is impossible to ensure that your passes remain aligned exactly as displayed on screen, we have a few tips outlined below for passes that contain borders and elements that need to remain in perfect center.
Unfortunately, shifting is a normal, natural, and expected outcome of printing, since printing deals with physical materials, which move in a physical space.
When printing plastics, there can be a maximum of up to 1/8" shift in any direction from the final cutline displayed on screen, which is why in printing, you'll need an extra 1/8" of bleed.
ISSUE #1: INTERNAL FRAMES AND BORDERS
We understand the appeal of a border running parallel to the cutline of your passes, as it can contain the design elements well, and sometimes provide a nice, elegant look.
Unfortunately, while borders look nice on screen, they are at risk of having unintended, negative outcomes after production.
Containing the border within the art safe area will ensure that it does remain on your final pass; however, it does not guarantee that it remain centered, after production.
If a design must have lines that run parallel to the final cutline, we recommend placing them at least 1/16" inside of the art safe area, so that it has more breathing room on the left and right of the pass.
*Note, the templates are not on the final product, and are here for illustration purposes only.*
The red line on each image delineates the center of the pass, and is not part of the artwork.
ON SCREEN DISPLAY - BEFORE PRODUCTION
POTENTIAL RISKS AFTER PRODUCTION - UP TO 1/8" shift to the left
You will notice while none of these images have remained at perfect center, the version to the far right has the least noticeable shift, since there is not an internal frame that is dependent on remaining perfectly in the middle.
While the border is retained in both the first and second setups, since it was within the art safe area, the gap between the edge of the pass and the border is very apparent, because of the shift to the left in production.
This results in more of the left-hand bleed showing on that side of the pass than the right.
ISSUE #2: PERFECT CENTER PASSES
For the same reason that internal borders are problematic, designs that require an absolute perfect center are impossible to guarantee, since some shifting does occur in production.
The best solution for passes with a central design is to reduce the size of the elements that should appear in the center. While shifting will still occur, this will widen the margins on either side of the element, so that any shifting will be less noticeable, since there is more breathing room on each side.
ON-SCREEN DISPLAY BEFORE PRODUCTION - PERFECT CENTER
POTENTIAL RISKS AFTER PRODUCTION - UP TO 1/8" shift to the left
All printers would love if no shifting occurred in production and the final product would look exactly as it does on screen.
Since that isn't a possibility, in order to reduce the appearance of shifting, it's best to work within the confines of creating an optical illusion of equal space by reducing the size of the centered elements.
This allows the eyes to better balance the image and make the design seem more centered in cases where production shifted in any given direction.
Please take into consideration these elements when placing your pass order, as reprints with the same design will yield nearly identical results each time, unless there is a design modification.
For more information about setting up your artwork for production, check out our other resources here!
If you will need additional assistance from any of our customer service representatives, please reach out here, and we will be glad to assist you however we can!
