Neck area
Cans go through a necking and flanging process after printing, which means that the very top edge of the graphic will be partially hidden when the cans are seamed at the filling location. It is therefore important that no text is positioned within the ‘no text’ area as indicated at the edge of the artwork templates.
Overlap
During printing, the left and right-hand sides of the artwork will meet in the overlap area. For technical reasons, this overlap area must be kept free from any text, barcode and image elements. It is also important to ensure that only elements of the same colour meet in the overlap areas to avoid ink contamination.
Base area
During printing, the cans are mounted on one of 24 – 36 mandrels, with a slight tolerance in the height, the printing height can differ from can to can. For this reason, a safety area of 3mm at the base of the artwork must also be kept free of text.