Wax Seal Artwork Guide

Document setup is an essential step in designing your Premade Wax Seals so that your artwork is also ready for engraving and stamping! Note, for Wax Seal orders from Artisaire Studio, we do require all designs to be submitted in a vector format. (Pro Tip: You can tell if an image is a vector if you are able to zoom all of the way in and no pixilation is visible).  

When you are preparing your designs, there are some important considerations and recommendations to remember to create the most beautiful Custom Wax Seals:

When you've opened your vector-based graphics software of choice (we recommend working in Adobe Illustrator), your first step should be creating your document in the scale of the product's dimensions. Artwork that goes to the edge of the seal base should utilize a bleed.

By default, if your design only contains a single color/swatch, these will be engraved to a single depth. However, we are able to do multi-depth engravings -  these must be indicated through provided swatches ("Spot Colors") which have been assigned specific names and CMYK values (grayscale will not be recognized to indicate multiple depths). To set up your document for a multi-depth design:

• Set Document to CMYK Color Mode: File > Document Color Mode > CMYK Color

• Create Swatches: Navigate to Window > Swatches to open the swatch panel, and click the + icon to create a new swatch. Set the Color Type to "Spot Color", then populate the Swatch Name and CMYK values based on the tables below

• Assign swatches to vectors: Select your vector artwork then select the swatch from the Swatches or Properties panel.

Please note, that grayscale designs do not translate into 3D or multi-depth artwork. We require swatches to create multi-layer wax seals.

2 Layer Wax Seals

3 Layer Wax Seals

For the best wax seal results, we recommend keeping the following guidelines and design recommendations in mind while you're preparing your artwork for engraving and stamping:

If any of your design touches the edge of the wax seal base, we recommend extending the artwork generously into the bleed to ensure the clearest and smoothest final impression in wax. 

Any central design assets and all text should be kept within the safety margins of the file to make sure that they are engraved and not interrupted by the edge of the die. We use these safety guides to keep your wax seals looking their best!

Before you save your file, it is especially important that you have embedded all fonts/converted to vector outlines to ensure that the appearance of your text is preserved during file transfer and to prevent delays! 

We recommend using a font size of at least 8pt for your designs; however, character proportions, weight, and case type can mean that your text may still not completely meet this and other requirements. While text may look large enough to be legible when zoomed in on your screen, this can often translate very differently when in scale to the true product. 

Our engraving methods can create engraving channels that are far too thin for wax to enter, so we suggest using a line width of 0.5pt to 1 pt for the clearest final impressions. For important design elements, we recommend sticking to a 1pt linework thickness or more, but for fine details and backgrounds, 0.5pt is fine! 

Use high-resolution images for sharp and clear prints. Check image dimensions and resolution to avoid pixelation or blurriness. Stock photos and illustrations should be licensed properly.

Before sending your file to the print provider, make sure your artwork is ready for production:

Once you've finished designing and are almost ready to save, be sure to embed any used fonts (convert to vector outlines). Best practice is to embed any fonts while you work to ensure that any text you've used appears the same after file transfer, as unembedded fonts commonly are displayed incorrectly in graphics software or can prevent import for our Production Artists, which can cause delays to you receiving your order.

If you're using Adobe Illustrator, fonts can be converted to vector outlines by selecting the text and choosing Type > Create Outlines in the menu bar.

For your design files, please hide any of the template guides or rulers used to position your design. This is to ensure that multiple layers are not merged during the saving process. 

If you've prepared multiple designs in the same document, please save each of the designs in your order as a separate file for the easiest and most accurate file preparation process. 

• Saving Your File in an Engraving-Ready Format ((PDF Setting PDF/X-4:2008): Navigate to File > Save As and set "Save As Type:" to "Adobe PDF" then in the Save Adobe PDF dialog box change "Adobe PDF Preset" to "PDF/X-4:2008" then click "Save PDF"

Taking these recommendations, requirements and considerations into account while preparing your designs for your Custom Wax Seal order is the first step to ensuring your are receiving the highest quality products from Artisaire Studio. An effectively designed file is always the first step to receiving your premade seals without delays!