Elopak products
Pure-Pak® in Litho
Pure-Pak® cartons, with their emotional benefits, functionality and food safety give products a premium appeal for stand out on shelf. The board color is off - white (triplex) and yields a smooth feeling and an excellent printing result.
Designs suitable for our lithographic process can feature high resolution images, detailed vector graphics and color areas as well as finer text.
Clear images, bright colors
The main purpose of EloChrome is to depict vibrant images by producing more accurate colors and offering a wider color gamut compared to a standard CMYK printing process.
Colors created by mixing of 2 or 3 EloChrome inks can be clearer, stronger and brighter when compared to printing with a single spot ink.
Converting colors
Artwork can be delivered using CMYK and/or Pantone spot colors. In all cases, our pre press specialists will convert the delivered colors into EloChrome color build-ups. At the same time we pay special attention to matching the delivered values and/or color targets as closely as possible. Some spot colors, however, can be difficult to match using a standardized extended gamut system such as EloChrome (e.g. pastels, fluorescents and metallics).
We encourage you to contact our repro specialists if considering the use of such tints.
Pantone Guide is used for color matching. The target spot color needs to be available in the Solid Coated Pantone Plus Series Formula Guide.
Process-specific requirements and challenges
Trapping
Even in a high-performance print process such as litho some register variation may occur. Trapping or cutback is applied in order to prevent visible color-to-color register deviation and unsightly white lines in printing. The term trapping relates to instances where two colors meet. The lighter color is slightly expanded into the darker to create an overlap. This yields a darker outline.
Designers are not required to make allowances for trapping in the supplied artwork. Elopak will ensure that the correct process-specific trapping is applied where necessary. Depending on design complexity, trapping or cutback may vary from 0,10 mm up to 0,20 mm.
Adherence to print specification allows Elopak prepress specialists to correctly apply trapping and avoid the side-effects of print-to-print registration variance.
Text requirements
Text can be defined either in a single pure EloChrome color (the safest choice for small texts), or in a combination of colors (maximum 3 colors).
For single-color positive text, we require a minimum 5 pts sans-serif font (minimum line width 0.15 mm). For multicolored text (maximum 3 colors) and negative text on a single-color background, we require a minimum 6.5 pts sans-serif font (minimum line width 0.2 mm). Negative text on a multicolored background requires an 8 pts sans-serif font (minimum line width 0.25 mm). We recommend that text be as large as possible to ensure optimum legibility.
Font
min size
Line
min thickness
Single color positive text
Aa
5pts
sans-serif
0.15mm
Composite color and negative text on a single-colored background
Aa
6.5pts
sans-serif
0.2mm
Negative text on a multi-colored background
AaAa
8pts
sans-serif
0.25mm
All text in the supplied artwork must be converted to paths or outlines. For contingency, please include all used fonts in the delivered artwork package, in case of text corrections at a later stage.
Images and vector graphics
Logos should be delivered as vector graphics. Please make sure that logo text size and line thickness is within the required print specification.
Preferably, images are to be delivered as either .tiff or .psd files, using CMYK color space, and should not be color managed (color profiles need not be embedded). Minimal required resolution is 300 dpiSee more. Please leave image layers unflattened.
File type
extension
.tiff or .psd
Colors
color management
CMYK
Not color managed
Color profiles need not be embedded
Resolution
minimal required
300dpi
image layers unflattened
Show & Tell
The mockups below will guide you through common design elements and help you to better understand Elopak process requirements.
Please pay attention that these requirements are somewhat different for white boards and Natural brown board. Always consider the printed material first before starting the design process.
Summary table
Screen ruling: 141 lpi
Requirements
Notes
Accepted file types
Print files: PDF
Open files: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, ArtPro
Always package links and fonts.
Outline all text.
Document/image color mode
CMYK
No Color conversion.
Don’t include color profiles.
Image resolution
300 dpi
Include layers where applicable.
Illustrator raster effect settings
High resolution 300 ppi
Rasterize gradient mesh objects.
Illustrator PDF compatible file
Yes
PDF compatibility
Acrobat 6, PDF 1.5
Minimum line thickness
Single pure ink: 0,15 mm
Composite color build-up: 0,20 mm
Reversed lines: 0,25 mm
Maximum 3 inks allowed in a composite color build-up.
Minimum text size
Single pure ink: 5 pt sans-serif (stroke width 0,15 mm)
Composite color build-up: 7 pt sans-serif (stroke width 0,25 mm)
Negative text: 7 pt sans-serif (stroke width 0,25 mm)
Maximum 3 inks allowed in a composite color build-up.
Minimum bar code size
Recommended 100% magnification
EAN-13 37.29 x 26.26 mm
EAN-8 26.73 x 21.64 mm
UPC-A 25.93 x 37.29 mm
Elopak will ensure that all bar codes are in accordance with UPC/EAN certification.
Printing of Pantone colors
Not available.
All colors are converted to EloChrome by the Elopak Repro Department.
Elopak’s EloChrome system is fully compatible with Digimarc technology. If you wish to supply a Digimarc enhanced artwork, please contact Elopak Repro for more information on requirements and capabilities.
Color matching
Target prints
If there is a demand for reference color match, a hard copy must be supplied together with the relevant artwork.
If no target print is supplied, the reproduction result will be based on standard Elopak color and dot gain profiles.
If a Pantone Guide is to be used for color matching, the target spot color needs to be available in the Solid Coated Pantone Plus Series Formula Guide.