Letterpress is a unique form of printing that entails a bold, debossing impression onto heavyweight paper. In this process, letterpress elements are printed first and digital elements are printed after.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
(NEW!) LETTERPRESS PALETTES
- You can download pantone palettes for each of our categories/verticals here
(Note: we currently have Grad and Holiday available. We will continue to add more as Challenges are launched) -
If you want to use Minted’s approved Pantone colors when designing in Adobe Illustrator, please import the provided .ase file by doing the following:
From the Swatches Panel in Illustrator: Open Swatch Library > Other Library > select ‘MintedLetterpressSwatches.ase
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
- Letterpress artwork should be vector-based and set in PMS (Pantone Matching System) colors, while digital elements should be in CMYK.
- Only the front of your design will include letterpress elements, and these elements cannot be customizable (unless you are designing a Letterpress Wedding Invitation, in which case all elements are letterpressed).
- Digital elements and letterpress elements cannot overlap. Please note that digital elements include photos.
- Do not include textures or effects (i.e. overlay, opacity, objects set to multiply, etc.) on letterpress areas, but be creative in combining letterpress and printed artwork.
- [Updated 10/2] All letterpress elements must be at least 0.125'' away from digitally printed artwork.
- Line width should be at least 0.25 pts for letterpress artwork.
- Be aware of overprinting. When two colors overlap it is called overprinting. Letterpress inks are transparent, and will multiply when overlapped. Be mindful of this when designing with two or more colors.
- Avoid using fine lines or small artwork as knockout elements (i.e. white on a colored background).
NOTE: Given the different methods of printing, it is difficult to match Pantone letterpress colors with digitally printed CMYK elements. Because of this, we suggest using a different but coordinating color for accessory pieces, including wedding websites.
CORRECT FILE SET-UP
When preparing your files for your winning design, place all letterpress artwork within the “letterpress” layer. If your design only uses one letterpress color, leave layer “color 2” blank.
ADDING SWATCHES TO ILLUSTRATOR
If you want to use Minted’s approved Pantone colors when designing in Adobe Illustrator, please import the provided .ase file by doing the following:
From the Swatches Panel in Illustrator: Open Swatch Library > Other Library > select ‘MintedLetterpressSwatches.ase
Comments
0 comments
Article is closed for comments.