Frequently asked questions

There are many reasons, but one of the most important is our experience. With over 15,000 orders a year, we know what is important. We accompany you from the idea to the finished application - saving you time, money and effort.

Our broad product range and personal on-site support offer you tailor-made solutions and fresh ideas. You also benefit from continuous innovation and further development. See for yourself: Give us the chance to inspire you with a test order!

It's simple: Call us directly! We will find the ideal solution for your requirements together in a personal consultation: +49 89 613007-0

Our experienced consultants will be happy to visit you on site free of charge and without obligation.

We offer you a variety of inspiring application examples and success stories from different industries. Be inspired by innovative solutions and get new ideas for your own projects, which we will be happy to implement together with you.

View inspirations for signs and emblems

Sure. We will send you a layout approximately 2 to 3 working days after your request. As we produce each project individually for you, we do not offer standardized original samples in advance. At the same time, we are happy to create a customized sample series for you at a fair price. This way you can ensure that all aspects of your order meet your expectations.

You are already supplied, but would like to buy at better conditions next time? No problem! We will be happy to help you optimize your products and provide you with a non-binding quote.

Simply send us the product specifications, ideally together with an original sample.

Often the best savings can be achieved by redesigning - sometimes a different adhesive or an alternative material is enough. Benefit from the many years of experience of our experts.

Once the order has been placed, we convert your ideas or files into printable graphics. The supplied files often require post-processing, which we carry out using the latest IT and software technology and our many years of expertise.

Within around 2 to 3 working days, you will receive a layout for approval. As soon as this is done, we start the print preparation, which includes the color separation and/or the panel layout, depending on the printing process.

The costs for print preparation are clearly stated in the quote or order confirmation and are only incurred once, which saves you money on repeat orders. We archive your file and the print films for ten years so that repeat orders can be placed during this period without any additional costs.

After your design approval, we start production immediately. We allow 15 to 25 working days for the first order, depending on which tools are required.

You will find the exact date in your order confirmation. Your repeat orders will then reach you more quickly: usually within 8 to 15 days.

RATHGEBER ships your delivery ex works by DHL as standard. We use a forwarding agent for larger shipments. Changes are of course possible on request.

Your personal contact will be happy to help you at any time. You will find the name and contact details (telephone, e-mail) at the top of the letterhead or in the e-mail signature.

We do not offer a fixed express service, as our customers' wishes are often very individual. Nevertheless, we have already made the impossible possible on several occasions. Which delivery times are feasible depends on the type of product and the current capacity utilization of our production.

Resolution / line widths:

Digital printing:

• 300 dpi for color and grayscale images
• 600 dpi for line images

Images from the Internet are generally not suitable, as they often only have a resolution of 72 dpi.

Stroke widths:

• Positive lines (printing process in which writing or drawing becomes visible by being printed with ink itself, but its surroundings are left out) require a minimum thickness of 0.15 mm.
• Negative lines (printing process in which lettering or drawings are visible because their surroundings are printed with ink but they themselves are left blank) require a minimum thickness of 0.2 mm.
• Font sizes below 5 points should be avoided

Fonts:

• Fonts must be converted to paths. If this is not possible, please also send us the font used.

File formats:

• Recommended file formats Ai, PDF, EPS

Image data:

• Image formats (e.g. jpg, png, tiff) are not suitable for screen printing; a high resolution is required for digital printing. The images must be embedded. Please clarify this in advance with your contact person.
• Microsoft Office data: are not suitable for creating high-quality print data. You are nevertheless welcome to supply this data. Additional costs will then be incurred for data preparation.

Other file formats:

• If you have DXF data for technical drawings, please also send this to us

Data quality

There are two different graphics, which we distinguish from each other below:

Vector data (screen printing):

• Vector graphics consist of lines, curves, circles or rectangles that can be changed in color, shape, line width and contour. They are particularly suitable for logos, illustrations, technical drawings and lettering.
• Advantage: Infinitely scalable without loss of quality.
• Disadvantage: No display of color gradients or photorealistic details possible.

Pixel graphics/image data (digital printing):

• Pixel graphics consist of individual pixels arranged in a grid, e.g. for images, color gradients or complex graphics.
• Advantage: Detailed, photorealistic representation.
• Disadvantage: Enlargement leads to loss of quality (visible pixels).
• Print format

Cropping for images with a margin:

• Due to cutting tolerances in production, a bleed allowance of 1 mm is required all the way around. This area is cut off during further processing.

Safety margins:

• Important elements (text, graphics, logos) that should not be trimmed require a safety margin of at least 1 mm from the edge.
• Outer edges must also be at least 1 mm thick.

Printing process

Screen printing:

• In screen printing, ink is printed onto the material to be printed using a rubber squeegee through a fine-mesh fabric. Areas that are not to receive ink are sealed with a stencil, making them impermeable to ink. Vector data is particularly suitable for this process.

Digital printing:

• In digital printing, the print image is transferred directly from a computer to the printing press without the use of a fixed printing form (e.g. a screen). Both vector and pixel graphics can be used here.

Colors

The color result may vary depending on the material. Please ask your contact person for advice.

Digital printing:

• Color mode: CMYK
• RGB data is automatically converted to CMYK. Special colors (e.g. HKS, Pantone) are also converted. Please note that converted colors can never correspond 100% to the original, as their color gamut is outside the four-color printing range.

Screen printing:

• Include the exact color specifications in your data or provide them to your contact person.
• Special colors: HKS/PANTONE/RAL
  Special colors enable the representation of colors that lie outside the color gamut of conventional four-color printing (CMYK). Color fans define colors worldwide using unique numbers.

RATHGEBER is the first climate-neutral company in its sector. This means that we calculate our CO₂ emissions and offset them by purchasing emission certificates so that the atmospheric CO₂ balance is maintained. With every purchase from the RATHGEBER Group, you automatically support international climate protection projects. On request, we will issue you with a certificate documenting the amount of CO₂ offset.

Find out more about our climate protection measures and CO₂ offset projects here

RATHGEBER is working to continuously reduce its product carbon footprint (PCF). Through targeted measures such as:

• Energy savings in production
• Improvements in the quality of processes and products
• Use of environmentally friendly materials
• More precise calculation of PCFs

the emission per item is reduced. When using secondary data, we add a "safety margin" for CO₂e emissions, as this data usually has higher values than primary data. Through a more precise database and increased use of primary data, we expect a continuous reduction in the CO₂e footprint of our articles.

RATHGEBER calculates the Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) on the basis of consumption data and specific emission factors. The CCF comprises all CO₂ emissions generated within a defined period and defined system limits.

This covers all emission sources: Scope 1 (direct emissions), Scope 2 (indirect emissions from energy consumption), and Scope 3 (indirect emissions along the supply chain). It is important to us to ensure comprehensive recording of all emissions in order to enable complete and honest offsetting.

We calculate the CO₂ emissions of our products in accordance with the international standard of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. An external partner checks the calculations and takes care of climate compensation - so you can be sure that the information is reliable and completely climate-neutral.

We calculate the CO₂ emissions of our products in accordance with the international standard of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. An external partner checks the calculations and takes care of climate compensation - so you can be sure that the data is reliable and completely climate-neutral.

All our products are climate neutral (*). This means that you can purchase items without having to include additional emissions in your carbon footprint.

In addition, we offer more sustainable alternatives under the Green Label product line, such as our polyester films (R-PET) with a recycled content of up to 90%.

(*) As we cannot produce completely without emissions, we achieve "climate-neutral" status by purchasing climate protection certificates that offset unavoidable emissions. These projects help to save CO₂ elsewhere in the world.

A direct comparison of the durability of our products is difficult, as the Green Label products are based on different base materials and therefore behave differently. It is therefore not possible to generally determine whether the more sustainable materials have a shorter or longer service life.

We have not defined any strict criteria for Green Label, as these would not be generally comparable for all products. The aim is to offer more sustainable properties compared to existing alternatives.

Decision criteria are, for example:

• Avoidance of environmentally harmful materials
• Recyclability
• Resource-saving processing

RATHGEBER is actively involved in social issues and offers employees numerous options such as job bikes and active breaks. It also supports fundraising campaigns, such as at Christmas time. RATHGEBER promotes sport and culture by sponsoring TSV Haching, for example, and by supporting educational institutions.

For our comprehensive commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we were one of only twelve companies worldwide to receive the SDG Pioneer Award in 2024. This award recognizes our many years of work in the area of sustainability and our early involvement in the UN Global Compact. The SDGs are 17 goals defined by the United Nations to address global challenges such as poverty, inequality, climate change and environmental degradation by 2030 and promote sustainable development for all people.