Manufacturing | Microcosm Publishing

Stickers:

Scan image in 400dpi grayscale
Open image in image editing program
Resize image to desired size. Under "Image" select "Image Size..."
- It is unadvisable to increase the size of images; it deteriorates quality. Make sure you scan your image larger than you want the final size to be.
Under "Image" select the sub-menu "Mode" and then select "Bitmap"
- Make sure the Output is set for 400 pixels/inch.
- If your artwork is just line art (no grays) select "50% Threshold" and hit OK
- If your artwork is a photograph or contains grays, select "Halftone Screen"
- Set "Frequency" and "Angle" to 45, and set the "Shape" to Round
- If your artwork looks bad try zooming in and out a few times. If it still looks bad hit undo and go to "Image', "Adjust", and "Brightness/Contrast"
- Up the contrast about 30 points and repeat the previous steps
Under "File" select "Save As"
Choose a filename that uses your name or organization (not sticker1.tif)
Select TIFF and hit OK
Under "Image Compression" select "LZW" and under "Byte Order" select "IBM PC", then hit OK
This should yield a finished graphic that is optimized for printing (and will give you a better idea of what the finished product will look like). The file size should be under 100k

Save the template below to your computer. To do this, right-click (cmd-click on Mac) on the image and select "Save to Disk.." or equivalent.
Open file in image editing program
Create art from scratch on template, or scan art and paste onto template. PLEASE NOTE: Make sure the readable and visible area of your design falls within the INNER CIRCLE. The area between the inner and outer circles is for BLEED, and will not be readable.
Convert mode to "CMYK" if it's color or "grayscale" if it has no colors.
Flatten your image if it has layers before saving. Convert text to outlines if using Illustrator.
Under "File" select "Save As"
Choose a filename that uses your name or organization (not button1.tif)
Select TIFF and hit OK
Under "Image Compression" select "LZW" and under "Byte Order" select "IBM PC", then hit OK
PLEASE NOTE: If you do not want the inner circle of the template printed on your button, please ERASE it before you send your file to us.