Artwork Guidelines and EPS-Format License Plate Layout Templates

Standard no-charge colors vary depending on the type of license plate ordered. Links to the relevant color charts are provided below for each plate item number.

To qualify for our $50 order discount you must use a template below to prepare digital print-ready art, and follow the artwork requirements. The templates are intended for either professionally trained graphic designers or those with equivalent experience, and you should follow standard industry trade practices for preparing your file to qualify for the discount. These are covered in the artwork requirement links further below, but the main requirements are:

• Professionally drawn and built vector paths and objects that color-separate cleanly and can be trapped easily.
• Use of defined color swatches, consistently applied, that enable proper color separation.
• All fonts converted to outlines/paths.
• Bitmap (pixel-based) artwork used only for process-color files, with one specific exception for spot-color files (covered in the relevant artwork guidelines).
• Mounting holes do not punch through critical artwork unless you notify us it’s okay in advance, so we don’t spend time to fix.
• Save or export the file in Adobe Illustrator .ai or .eps vector format, any version up to CS4. (CS5 not yet supported.)
• Include a JPG, PNG, or PDF version separately for visual reference, so we can verify that your vector .ai or .eps file opens and displays correctly.

The idea is that you should have enough experience with professional graphics file preparation that you readily understand how to meet the outlined requirements, to save us the majority of the file prep work we would otherwise perform. If you, or any outside designer you may have worked with to create your art, are not familiar with what vector artwork is, it’s unlikely your artwork will qualify for the discount. If you’re unsure about anything, ask ahead of time — we’re more than happy to answer questions about artwork. Ensuring properly built art is in everyone’s best interest in saving time and money, not to mention seeing that your artwork gets printed as intended.

We will in some cases give partial discount credit, at our discretion, depending on how much time your file saves us, even if it does not fully meet the requirements, so it’s not an “all or nothing” proposition. But be reasonably certain you have the know-how before investing your time. Normally this means you’re skilled with a vector-drawing program like Adobe Illustrator, FreeHand, or CorelDraw. Or Photoshop may be used to prepare artwork for process-color output, but the art should still be placed and cropped as it is intended to print in one of our vector templates, and saved as a vector .ai or .eps file.

Be sure to choose the appropriate layout template for the item number you’re ordering. Templates contain plate and mounting hole outlines, and specify margin areas to aid in making allowances for art placement. (Exact plate size, corner radius, mounting hole shape/size, and margin requirements vary depending on the item number.)

Important: Plate artwork submitted using a template to qualify for the order discount is printed “as is,” and does not receive our “before and after” design service.

Standard full-size plastic auto plates

#40235, #40255: 12x6” Spot-Color Screen-Printed Polyethylene Plastic License Plate

• Standard ink colors.
• Artwork requirements for spot-color screen-printing.
• Printed on white bla nks, but can be printed full-bleed, so any other background color is available using ink (which counts as an ink color for pricing purposes).

  (40255-template-01-eps.zip)

#40257: 12x6” Full-Color Digitally Printed Polyethylene Plastic License Plate

• Printed in full photographic color, so standard ink colors do not apply.
• Artwork requirements – Follow our resin-printed process-color guidelines, with these two exceptions: With the commercial UV-cured inkjet output used to produce these tags, there is no need to be concerned about the minimum reproducible feature size for vector art (other than for visibility at a distance), or the reproducible tint range.
• Printed on white bla nks, but can be printed full-bleed, so any other background color is available using ink.

  Same template as #40235 and #40255 above (40255-template-01-eps.zip)

Standard full-size aluminum auto plates

#40031, #40033: 12x6” Spot-Color Screen-Printed Embossed Aluminum License Plate

• Standard ink colors.
• Artwork requirements for spot-color screen-printing.
• 11 different tag-bla nk colors available for item #40031 at no extra charge, including painted gold, painted silver, and natural aluminum. Item #40033 comes in deluxe gold or silver only (both with a near mirror-like surface).
• Outer printing margin requirement of 1/4”.

  (40031-template-01-eps.zip)

#40066, #40067: 12x6” Full-Color Resin-Printed Aluminum License Plate

• Printed in full process-color, so standard ink colors do not apply.
• Artwork requirements for resin-printed process-color.
• Printed on white reflective sheeting permanently affixed to aluminum. Can be printed full-bleed, so any background color can be achieved using ink, including dense high-gloss black.

  (40066-template-01-eps.zip)

#40124: 12x6” Spot-Color Screen-Printed Flat Aluminum License Plate

• Standard ink colors.
• Artwork requirements for spot-color screen-printing.
• Normally printed on white bla nks. Black bla nks available for extra charge (see price chart).
• Outer printing margin requirement of 3/16”.

  (40124-template-01-eps.zip)

Oval and capsule-shaped
full-size aluminum auto plates

#40035: 12x7” Oval-Shaped Spot-Color Screen-Printed Embossed Aluminum License Plate

• Standard ink colors.
• Artwork requirements for spot-color screen-printing.
• 4 different tag-bla nk colors available at no extra charge: white, black, painted gold, and natural aluminum.
• Standard outer printing margin of 1/4”, but can be printed full-bleed at no additional charge.

  (40035-template-01-eps.zip)

#40037: 12x6” Capsule-Shaped Spot-Color Screen-Printed Embossed Aluminum License Plate

• Standard ink colors.
• Artwork requirements for spot-color screen-printing.
• 11 different tag-bla nk colors available at no extra charge, including painted gold, painted silver, and natural aluminum.
• Outer printing margin requirement of 1/4”.

  (40037-template-01-eps.zip)

Half-size aluminum auto plates
for fire departments and EMS

#40012: 12x4” Half-Size Spot-Color Screen-Printed Embossed Aluminum License Plate

• Standard ink colors.
• Artwork requirements for spot-color screen-printing.
• White tag bla nks only, 3/16” outer margin required.

  (40012-template-01-eps.zip)

#40063: 12x4” Half-Size Full-Color Resin-Printed Aluminum License Plate

• Printed in full process-color, so standard ink colors do not apply.
• Artwork requirements for resin-printed process-color.
• Printed on white reflective sheeting permanently affixed to aluminum. Can be printed full-bleed, so any background color can be achieved using ink, including dense high-gloss black.

  (40063-template-01-eps.zip)