Print-production tools, free to use.

Raster export at 300 DPI: 1125 × 675 px with bleed (trim 1050 × 600 px). Kolt standard: 0.125" bleed and 0.125" safe margin on all products; 0.25" bleed and 1" safe on banners and large format.

Tapered containers: measure the diameter at the top and bottom of the label area; if they differ by more than 1/8", use a shorter label or ask us about a contour (curved) die. Squeeze bottles and pouches: keep the label 3/8" from any seam or curve.

Supply pages as single pages in reading order (not printer spreads). Saddle-stitched books need a page count divisible by 4; perfect-bound books only need an even count, but 4-up saves money. Cover files: for perfect binding, use the spine width above in a single wrap-around cover spread.

Common picks: 100# gloss text ≈ 148 gsm · 14pt cover ≈ 350 gsm (130# cover) · 16pt ≈ 400 gsm · GF Smith Colorplan 540 gsm ≈ 200# cover.

Every template is a vector PDF with trim, bleed and safe-zone guides at exact size — open it in Illustrator, InDesign, Affinity or Canva (import as PDF), design on top, hide the guide layer, export. Need a size that isn't here? Type any dimensions on a product page's Templates tab.

We're a production-only facility — every order ships (no walk-in pickup), so Houston-area orders usually arrive the morning after production. Need it sooner than the range shown? Use the rush option above, then send the specs — we'll confirm a firm date within two business hours.

Aqueous coating

A fast-drying, water-based clear coat applied on press for scuff resistance and a gloss, satin or matte look. Cheaper than UV or lamination. Learn more →

Bleed

Artwork extended 0.125" (0.25" on large format) past the trim line so no white edge shows after cutting. Learn more →

Blockout

An opaque core layer in 18oz vinyl that stops light passing through — required for double-sided banners. Learn more →

BOPP

Biaxially oriented polypropylene — a waterproof, tear-resistant label film in white, clear or silver. Learn more →

Caliper

Paper thickness in thousandths of an inch (points). 14 pt ≈ 0.014" ≈ 350 gsm. Learn more →

Case binding

Hardcover binding: sewn or glued text block set into rigid boards wrapped in cloth or printed paper. Learn more →

CMYK

Cyan, magenta, yellow and black — the four process inks that build full-colour printing. Learn more →

Coated (C)

Paper with a clay surface (gloss, silk, matte) that keeps ink on top for sharp, saturated colour. Pantone 'C' references are for coated stock.

Colorplan

GF Smith's through-dyed uncoated board in 55 colours and weights to 700 gsm — the luxury stock for letterpress, foil and duplexing. Learn more →

Creep

The outward push of inner pages in a saddle-stitched booklet; compensated by shifting margins page by page. Learn more →

Deboss

An impression pressed into the paper (down). Emboss is raised (up). 'Blind' means no ink or foil in the impression. Learn more →

Die-cut

Cutting a custom shape with a steel-rule or laser die — labels, folders, hangers, shaped cards. Learn more →

Dieline

The vector outline of cuts, folds and perforations, supplied on its own spot-colour layer set to overprint.

DPI / PPI

Dots (pixels) per inch — image resolution at final print size. 300 for close viewing, 100–150 for banners. Learn more →

Duplex

Two sheets glued back to back to make one thick card — often two different colours, showing a coloured edge. Learn more →

Dye sublimation

Printing dye onto transfer paper and heat-pressing it into polyester fabric — the process behind fabric banners and SEG. Learn more →

EDDM

Every Door Direct Mail — USPS bulk postcard program by carrier route with no mailing list required.

Edge painting

Colouring the cut edge of thick cards with a Pantone ink, gilt or foil.

Emboss

Raising part of the sheet with a male/female die for a sculpted logo or pattern.

Foil stamping

Pressing metallic or pigment foil onto paper with a heated die — real gold, copper, silver or holographic finishes. Learn more →

Gang run

Printing several jobs on one sheet to share cost — the economics behind trade printing.

Grommet

A metal eyelet set in a banner hem for rope, bungee or zip-tie mounting; standard spacing every 2 ft. Learn more →

GSM

Grams per square metre — the international paper weight. 350 gsm ≈ 14 pt cover. Learn more →

Hem

A folded, sewn or welded edge on a banner that doubles its strength and holds grommets.

Imposition

Arranging pages on the press sheet so they fall in order after folding and trimming.

Keder

The silicone or PVC bead sewn to a fabric graphic that presses into an SEG frame groove. Learn more →

Kiss cut

Cutting through the label face only, leaving the backing intact — how sticker sheets and roll labels peel.

Kraft

Unbleached brown paper; in labels, a recycled uncoated stock with a natural, handmade look. Learn more →

Lamination

Bonding a plastic film (gloss, matte, soft-touch) to the sheet for durability and feel.

Letterpress

Relief printing that presses an inked plate into soft paper for a tactile impression; best in one Pantone colour. Learn more →

Mesh banner

Perforated 70/30 vinyl that lets ~30% of wind through — for fences, scaffolding and open sites. Learn more →

Overprint

Printing one ink on top of another instead of knocking it out — required for dielines and spot-finish layers.

Pantone (PMS)

The Pantone Matching System of numbered spot-colour inks mixed to formula for exact, repeatable colour. Learn more →

Perfect binding

Softcover binding where page edges are milled and glued (PUR or EVA) into a wrap-around cover with a square spine. Learn more →

Pole pocket

A sewn sleeve at the top and/or bottom of a banner for a rod or pole; 2" fits a 1" pole, 3" fits 1.5".

Preflight

Checking a file for fonts, resolution, colour mode, bleed and layout problems before it goes to press — Kolt does it free on every order. Learn more →

Proof

A PDF (soft proof) or printed sample (hard proof) you approve before production; approval starts the clock.

PUR

Polyurethane reactive glue — the strongest, most flexible perfect-binding adhesive; lays flatter than EVA.

Registration

Alignment of multiple colours or passes to each other; letterpress tolerance is about 1/64".

RGB

Red, green, blue — the light-based colour model of screens. Must be converted to CMYK or Pantone for print. Learn more →

Rich black

Black built with CMY under the K (C60 M40 Y40 K100) for a deep, even solid. Never use it for small type.

Saddle stitch

Folded sheets nested and stapled through the spine — booklets up to roughly 64–92 pages. Learn more →

Safe zone

The area 0.125" (1" on banners) inside the trim where all text and logos must stay. Learn more →

Scrim

The polyester mesh reinforcing inside vinyl banner material that gives it tear strength.

SEG

Silicone edge graphics — fabric prints with a silicone bead that snap into a slim aluminum frame, lit or unlit. Learn more →

Self cover

A booklet whose cover is the same paper as the inside pages; 'plus cover' uses a heavier cover stock.

Silk / satin

A coated paper finish between gloss and matte — low glare, good colour, the default for brochures.

Smyth sewn

Signatures sewn through the fold and to each other — the most durable book binding, lies flat. Learn more →

Soft-touch

A velvety matte lamination; luxurious but fingerprint-prone on dark colours.

Spine

The bound edge of a book; its width depends on page count and paper caliper. Learn more →

Spot colour

A single pre-mixed ink (usually Pantone) printed as its own plate rather than built from CMYK. Learn more →

Spot UV

Glossy UV varnish applied only to selected areas for contrast against a matte sheet.

Step and repeat

A backdrop with logos repeated in a grid for event photography — printed on glare-free fabric. Learn more →

Tension fabric

Stretch polyester finished as a pillowcase or with a silicone edge to fit a frame drum-tight. Learn more →

Trim size

The final cut size of the printed piece.

Turnaround

Production time in business days from proof approval to shipping; excludes transit. Learn more →

Uncoated (U)

Paper with no clay coating — absorbs ink, softer colour, writable. Pantone 'U' references apply.

Unwind direction

Which edge of a roll label comes off first — matters for automatic label applicators.

UV coating

A liquid coating cured instantly with ultraviolet light for a high-gloss, hard finish.

Variable data

Printing where text or images change per piece — names, numbers, QR codes — from a spreadsheet.

White ink

Opaque white printed as a spot layer, under colours on dark or clear stock or alone for text on black. Learn more →

Wind slits

Half-moon cuts sometimes made in solid banners to relieve wind — they weaken the banner; use mesh instead.