Tap Packaging Solutions offers design and engineering services to help
you with your packaging project. Our team will help take your project to
completion from any stage in the planning process. We offer design
services from concept to finished art, cad, quoting, sourcing,
production, packing, fullfillment, and delivery. Contact us today to
discover all the possibilities of working with our team. A Tap sales or
customer service representative will work with you and the design team
to help with communications through all stages of project development
and completion. Visit the Contact Us page to find links to our sales and sales service representatives.
Capabilities
Extensive library of folding carton diagrams produced in Cimex CAD
system. Samples are created on our Mimaki sample cutter to provide near
press quality samples for folding and fitting of products. Die diagrams
may be provided in many formats such as DXF, AI, and PDF. The lines
within these drawings must consist of stroke only. Drawings consisting
of filled lines will not be accurate for cutting or sampling purposes.
Graphic Design Capabilities
Our in-house design capabilities include concept work, brochure/ad
design, packaging design, logo development, art production, and other
design functions. We can use pre-created elements or work with our
customers to develop original art for most applications. We use and are
fully conversant with the Adobe Creative Suite.
All Files Accepted
All PC & Macintosh files compatible with the Adobe Creative Suite.
All Quark files through version 7. Artwork provided should be layered
files, CMYK formatted and 300DPI minimum at 100% print size. This will
ensure we have total control over the file output allowing the best
quality to be produced.
Fonts
Fonts should be provided when native files are supplied. We cannot edit
PDF’s that are supplied without font files. Open type fonts are the
best solution for cross platform artwork (PC to Mac). If the fonts are
not available they should be made into vector paths. Indesign and
Illustrator have tools that allow font conversions. This will remove the
ability to edit any text in the files so use with caution.
Color Art for Print Process
Color art may be provided in Vector or Rasterized formats. The layout
should consist of a 1-up version that includes .125" bleed extending
beyond the cut lines. Please include your cutting dieline in position
with the color artwork (place dieline on separate layer, do not embed
into artwork).
Camera Ready Art for Foil Stamping/Embossing
Camera ready art is crisp, clean art provided by the client to
reproduce their logo or studio name in either a die or print process.
Camera ready means it can be reproduced by scanning to a digital file
without any alterations or clean up by an artist. Camera ready art may
also be provided in a digital format (a high resolution scan - 1200dpi @
100%) of line art, or created in a vector based program such as Adobe
Illustrator. Photographs, faxes, gray scale scans, jpegs or other
rasterized files are not acceptable for die art.
When
creating text stamping art, font sizes should not be less than 10pt for
smooth SBS stocks and 12pt for rough or recycled stocks. This will reduce
the chance of those letters filling in during the stamping process. The
style of font may also make it easier/harder to stamp. Serif fonts such
as Time New Roman are more difficult to stamp compared to Sans Serif
such as Arial. This can be very important when dealing with small
cartons or small areas of coverage.
Embossing artwork should be reviewed prior to the order being placed.
This will ensure the customer will receive the desired effect on their
finished product.
Blind Emboss – The embossed area does not line up or match to any
printing or stamping processes. This will generally give you the most
noticeable emboss effect with words and logos on a product.
Register Emboss - The embossed area will match to a printed or stamped
logo area. Generally you will lose detail using a flat or raised round
style. Adding texture or detail to the logo will greatly increase the
effect.
Image Embossing – We recommend using sculpted embossing dies for
detailed images. This is the most detailed and can add a sense of
realism to the feel of their product.
File Transfer Protocol (“FTP”)
We will setup a custom username and password for each customer when
possible. This will give the customer direct access to only their files
and not the entire FTP site. This will ensure that only their files are
being viewed at the time of login.
Prepress
Our prepress team can assist in preparing production files
for your customer. We can color correct and adjust color builds to help
achieve the desired look on press. Our proofer is calibrated to our
presses so you see what will come off the press before starting
production.
Our 2 & 5 Color Heidelberg presses offer the best
in printing quality. We offer a varied range of print screen
resolutions and coatings to be used on projects. Traditional AM
screening is offered along with Hybrid screening to enhance those deep
dark shadows yet
keep the highlights clean and sharp. (Screen
Platerite 8300E Javelin CTP – AM Screen (traditional dot) Max 200 LPI,
FM & Hybrid Max Screen 400)
Each plate verified with IC2plate
reader to ensure plate is developed properly. We use Fuji LHPJ 40”
printing plates that offer extended run lengths (up to 75000+
impressions) and exceptional color balance. The Heidelberg Computer
Process Control (“CPC 21”) automatically adjusts ink levels to guarantee
continuous color consistency throughout the job.
Trueflow 3 RIP –
Adobe Core PDF based RIP. What is a RIP? Raster Image Processing is the
process of taking any form or artwork whether vector or raster and
transforming into dots for printing. Any color below 100% coverage will
consist of these small rows of dots to produce a printed piece.
EFI Color RIP proofing solution – Provides quality image and color control for outputting proofs to match press output.
Epson 7800 24” proofing media calibrated to match G7 color standards of Heidelberg 5 Color.
Epson 9600 42” proofing media for mockups and soft proof samples.
Communicate with the Design & Engineering Team: Design & Engineering hours of coverage: 6am to 6pm EST
E-mail Dielines & Files (under 5MB
Prepress@tappackagingsolutions.com
Max Wallace – Design Manager 216-535-0325
We welcome all questions and conference calls with your customer when
needed. At any point feel free to contact any one of us for assistance.
800-827-5679.
