Image to Vector - Fine Tuning your Vector for Specific Print Finishes

A print ready vector is very useful for Embossing, Debossing, Spot UV and Foiling. Examples of most of these finishes can be seen on greeting cards.
Here, we explore some of the different types of print finishes available and how we go about fine tuning your Vectors using our experience to manually build a future proof Vector.
Print finishes have been used by our customers to deliver to individuals, charities, businesses of various sizes, government and the British Royal Family (including Prince Charles and Prince William).

Embossing and Debossing

Embossing is a process of stamping a logo into an object - for example, business cards, certificates and leather/PVC products such as belts, wallets and shoes. Debossing is when you stamp in the reverse side - so that the logo looks raised. In both cases the logo to vector conversion process only has to produce a vector that is one colour. The most important quality of the print ready vector is that the thickness of the lines isn't too thin for the relevant stamp - otherwise, in some instances, it can cause the stamp used to emboss/deboss to break.

Spot UV

Spot UV is typically done on printed matt laminated card where the area that has be Spot UVed becomes shiny while the remainder remains matt. Like most of the finishes on this page, it is used to give the end product a more expensive look. Many people also apply these finishes as a security feature - for example on tickets. Where it would cost the end user far more to reproduce "unofficial" tickets due to the price of some of the finishes involved.

"Hot" Foiling

"Hot" Foiling (including clear foil - which to a point can emulate Spot UV) is when a clear or coloured foil (like an aluminium foil) is heated on to the material. Attention has to be paid to very thin lines which could break. This is where manually converted image to vector is very useful. Manual conversion will ensure that in the image vectorization process thin lines will not break, even when the print ready vector is scaled up or down. Manual conversion will also ensure that thin lines will always give the appearance of what they represent, for instance an A will always look like an A, even if the lines are thin. You cannot be sure that thin lines will be preserved if you pass your image through software that will automatically convert image to vector.
With embossing/debossing and hot foiling, complicated images are simplified into 1 colour (in the case of foil printing using multiple colours - more than 1 colour will be used to identify the colour of the foil the printer must use).
If you need more information or advice about any print finishes (including the ones mentioned above), then please call us on 020 8050 1445 or email us support@printanyfile.com.
If you have a logo or an image that you need to converted to a vector then please visit our homepage.
(Prices start from just £19.99)