Artwork Specifications for Custom Plastic Cards & Promotional Products

Properly prepared artwork ensures your printed cards and promotional items look sharp, accurate, and professional. To help you achieve the best possible results, PermaCard provides clear artwork guidelines for all products, including plastic cards, key tags, postcards, mailers, credentials, and custom-shaped items.

Below you’ll find everything you need to know about file formats, color settings, bleed, safe zones, variable data, and submission requirements.

Accepted File Formats

For the highest print quality, we recommend submitting artwork in one of the following formats:

  • Preferred: Adobe Illustrator (.ai), Adobe Photoshop (.psd), Adobe InDesign (.indd), PDF/X 1a
  • Also accepted: EPS, TIFF, high resolution JPG or PNG
  • Vector artwork is strongly recommended for logos, text, and line art
  • Fonts should be outlined or included with the file

If you’re unsure which format to use, our design team can help prepare your artwork.

Resolution Requirements

To ensure crisp, clean printing:

  • Raster images: 300 dpi minimum
  • Line art: 600 dpi recommended
  • Low-resolution images (72 dpi or web graphics) may appear blurry or pixelated
  • Avoid screenshots, they will not print clearly

Bleed, Safe Zone & Trim Guidelines

Plastic cards and promotional items require proper bleed and safe zones to ensure accurate trimming.

Bleed

  • Extend background colors, patterns, or images 0.125" (1/8") beyond the trim edge
  • This prevents white edges after trimming

Safe Zone

  • Keep all important text, logos, and barcodes 0.125" inside the trim edge
  • Anything outside the safe zone may be cut off

Trim Size

  • Standard plastic card: 3.375" x 2.125"
  • Key tags, postcards, and custom items vary by product

Templates are available upon request.

Color Settings

To ensure accurate color reproduction:

  • Submit artwork in CMYK
  • RGB files will be converted and may shift in color
  • Spot colors (Pantone) can be used when specified
  • Metallics, fluorescents, and specialty inks require approval

If color accuracy is critical, we recommend requesting a printed proof from your Account Manager.

Variable Data Artwork Setup

If your project includes variable data (names, barcodes, QR codes, photos, member IDs, etc.):

  • Provide a CSV or Excel file with clearly labeled columns
  • Ensure data is clean, consistent, and free of extra spaces
  • Indicate where each variable field should appear in the artwork
  • For photos, provide images at 300 dpi minimum
  • Barcodes and QR codes must be sized for proper scanning

Our team will review your data and confirm formatting before production.

Template Downloads

Templates are available for:

  • Plastic cards
  • Key tags
  • Combo cards
  • Plastic postcards
  • Membership mailers
  • Credentials & badges
  • Custom die cut items

Contact our team to request the correct template for your project.

How to Submit Artwork

You can submit artwork in one of the following ways:

  • Upload files through your PermaCard Account Manager
  • Email artwork and data files (if applicable)
  • Provide a link to cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc.)

Our design team is here to help you create print ready files that look great and meet all production requirements. Contact us today to get started.

Click here to download Artwork Specifications.

Artwork Specifications