We will be using OvernightPrints.com to order postcards for this project. As mentioned previously, they offer a short run of 25 postcards for $8.95 plus shipping. We will order the postcards in enough time to avoid paying for rush shipping or fast turnaround- this is a good practice, as it saves money and leaves you the option of re-printing the postcards in case something goes wrong the first time around.
There are numerous considerations in ordering postcards, but the most important thing to keep in mind is the standard resolution of 300dpi for print. The finished image for the front of your postcard must be 300dpi at 4.25” x 6.25”. You will be ordering 4” x 6” postcards- the extra quarter inch will allow for ‘bleed’ in the postcard. More on that later. Here are the basic steps to start creating your postcard.
1) Go to www.overnightprints.com
2) On the main page, click on Design Guide on the header menu.
This will bring you to a page with a list of possible design programs for your postcard. Click on Adobe Illustrator in the list of programs.
3) Scroll down to 4” x 6” Postcard in the menu of templates. Click on “Download Start File.” This will download a copy of the Illustrator template file to your computer, which you can then modify to create your postcard.
4) Open the 4”x 6” Postcard file in Adobe Illustrator. There are lots of useful instructions embedded in the file. Make sure to read them over. The file is built with multiple layers, each with a different set of information. Depending on the design of your postcard, you will use these templates to lay out your design, and then delete the layers with the template information once the design is complete.
5) Initially, the template opens showing the Safe Zone (red), the Trim Mark
(blue), and the Artboard (black). Overall dimensions for your design on the front of the postcard should be 6.25” x 4.25.” This will allow your design to seamlessly cover the front of the postcard. Your entire design should fit within the red Safe Zone, but you should extend your background image or color all the way to the edge of the artboard to ensure the edges are uniform.
6) If you are simply using a bitmap image for the front of the card you can produce a file in Photoshop that is 6.25” x 4.25” at 300dpi, and upload it without using a template.
7) If you are using Illustrator to create the front of your card, turn off visibility for all layers except Design (the eye icon in the Layers menu) and lay out the front of your card in the Design layer. When you are finished, turn on the Safe Zone layer to check that your design fits in the Safe Zone, make any changes needed, and then delete all layers except the Design layer by dragging them into the trashcan at the bottom of the Layers menu.
8) Go to File: Save As and save your file as “PostcardFront.ai” or something similar.
9) Open the “4x6” Postcard” template file with Illustrator again. This will bring up the file so you can lay out the back of your postcard. This is slightly more complicated, as the back of the postcard must meet USPS regulations in order to go through the mail.
10) Turn off visibility for the Safe Zone layer
11) Turn on visibility for the Postal Regulations layer. This will show you the area you can use for text on the back of your postcard. You cannot place text or designs in the red area of the card. Yellow areas can be used for your design. All images and text on the back of your postcard must be black and white.
12) Turn off visibility for the Postal Regulations layer, and lay out your design in the Design layer. Once you’ve completed your design, turn on the Postal Regulations layer again to check that your design fits in the yellow area. Make any changes necessary, check again, then delete all layers except the Design layer, by dragging them into the trashcan at the bottom of the Layers menu.
13) Save your file as “PostcardBack.ai” or something similar. Now you’re ready to upload you files and order your card. We will cover this in class next week, and I will go over the process again on November 18th when we order our cards in class.
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