How do I set up design files for foil, embossing, varnishing, and scoring?

Adding embossed images, varnish, folds, scores, and foils can make your printed products stand out. Leave a positive impression with embossed business cards and presentation folders. Say hello to friends with scored and folded greeting cards and invitations. Make your product shine on store shelves with foiled packaging sleeves.

Products with certain additional finishing procedures need specific files. Design files for these products need to include separate layers for printed artwork and the finishing procedure. Here’s how to set your files up for these exciting additions.

Set Up Your Printed Design Base

On a new layer, create your unique product design. This is the layer where you should put anything you want printed in CMYK. Double-check our File Set-up Checklist to make sure your design is press-ready. Pay close attention to bleeds.

Design Your Foil, Varnish, Embossing, or Scoring

On a separate layer, create your design for foiling, varnishing, scoring, etc.

We recommend using Adobe Illustrator or similar design software to create a vector version of your desired shape. Please create the design on its own layer. The design should be made with a 100% magenta outline or fill to make it stand out from your printed design.

Depending on which finishing procedure you have chosen, these magenta shapes will be folded, scored, embossed, foiled, etc.

Greenerprinter also offers free templates for many folded products. They include the necessary bleed and safety margins. These templates are a great place to start when creating products with folds or scoring.

Your design file should have 2 layers: one with the finishing procedure design and one with the artwork. Please clearly label these layers.

Export your PDF

You can export your PDF like normal, but make sure that “Create Acrobat Layers from Top-Level Layers” is turned on. For more information about how to export PDFs, please read our How do I export a PDF? article.

Submit PDF

You are now ready to submit your PDF for a job with special finishing procedures!