Bleed & Safe Zone Guide for Packaging Artwork
Enter your trim size to get the exact artboard size with bleed, the safe area for text and logos, and the pixel size you need at 300 ppi. Use presets for boxes, labels and rigid box wraps, check your image resolution and download a template.
- Bleed, trim and safe area in in, mm and px
- Image resolution check, in your browser
- Free SVG guide template
Your artwork sizes
Artboard size with bleed
8.25 × 10.25 in
2,475 × 3,075 px at 300 ppi · 7.6 megapixels
- Trim size (finished)
- 8 × 10 in · 2,400 × 3,000 px
- Safe area (keep text and logos inside)
- 7.75 × 9.75 in · 2,325 × 2,925 px
- Bleed on every side
- 0.125 in (1/8 in) · 38 px
- Safe margin inside the trim
- 0.125 in (1/8 in) · 38 px
- Artboard edge to safe area
- 0.25 in (1/4 in) · 75 px
Set this up in your design app
- Adobe Illustrator: File > New. Width 8 in, height 10 in, Bleed 0.125 in on all four sides. Add guides 0.125 in inside the artboard for the safe area.
- Adobe InDesign: File > New > Document. Width 8 in, height 10 in; under Bleed and Slug, Bleed 0.125 in on all sides; Margins 0.125 in. Export the PDF with "Use Document Bleed Settings" ticked.
- Adobe Photoshop: File > New. 2,475 × 3,075 px at 300 ppi (8.25 × 10.25 in). Then View > Guides > New Guide Layout (View > New Guide Layout in older versions): margins of 38 px for the trim line and 75 px for the safe area.
- Any app: Make the page 8.25 × 10.25 in, extend backgrounds to the edge, and keep important content 0.25 in in from the edge. Or download the SVG template and place it on a top layer.
About these sizes
- Starting points from common printer guidelines. Always follow the dieline or template for your exact box or label; it wins over any general rule.
- Pixel sizes are rounded to the nearest pixel. Keep the same safe margin from fold lines as from cut lines.
Use your results
The template is an SVG file at the real print size with bleed, trim and safe area on separate layers. The quote button copies your specification for the Packaging Specifications field; nothing is sent until you submit the form yourself.
View the full specification
BoxNovo artwork bleed and safe zone specification Product: Folding carton or retail box Trim size (finished): 8 × 10 in · 2,400 × 3,000 px Bleed: 0.125 in (1/8 in) on every side Artboard with bleed: 8.25 × 10.25 in · 2,475 × 3,075 px Safe margin: 0.125 in (1/8 in) inside the trim; safe area 7.75 × 9.75 in · 2,325 × 2,925 px Resolution: 300 ppi at print size Extend backgrounds to the artboard edge. Keep text and logos inside the safe area, away from cut and fold lines. Follow the printer’s dieline where it differs. Calculated with https://boxnovo.com/tools/bleed-safe-zone-guide/
Guide preview
Corner close-up
- Bleed: extend backgrounds to this edge
- Trim line: where it is cut
- Safe area: keep text and logos inside
Artboard with bleed
About these results
- Presets are starting points taken from common packaging and label printer guidelines. The dieline or template for your exact product always comes first.
- Sizes are exact; pixel sizes are rounded to the nearest pixel at the resolution you choose.
- Everything runs in your browser. Sizes and images you check are not saved or uploaded.
What are bleed, trim and safe zone?
- Bleed
- Artwork that runs past the trim line and is cut off. Cutting and folding machines are never perfectly exact, so backgrounds and images that touch an edge must extend into the bleed. Without it, a slight shift leaves a thin white line along the edge.
- Trim line
- The line where the sheet is cut. On packaging it is the cut line of the dieline. The finished size of your box panel, label or insert is the trim size.
- Safe zone
- The area inside the trim line, also called the live area or safety margin, where text, logos, barcodes and other important content belong. Content outside it can be cut, or wrap around a fold.
Artboard = trim + 2 × bleed · Safe area = trim − 2 × safe margin
Worked example
An 8 × 10 in carton panel with 1/8 in bleed needs an artboard of 8 + 2 × 0.125 = 8.25 in by 10 + 2 × 0.125 = 10.25 in, which is 2,475 × 3,075 px at 300 ppi. With a 1/8 in safe margin, text and logos stay inside 7.75 × 9.75 in, or 1/4 in from the artboard edge. In metric, an A4 sheet (210 × 297 mm) with 3 mm bleed becomes 216 × 303 mm.
Bleed and safe zone by packaging type
| Product | Bleed | Safe margin |
|---|---|---|
| Folding carton or retail box | 1/8 in (3 mm) | 1/8 in (3 mm) |
| Corrugated mailer or shipping box | 1/4 in (6 mm) | 1/8 in (3 mm) |
| Product label or sticker | 1/16 in (1.5 mm) | 1/16 in (1.5 mm) |
| Insert, sleeve, card or flyer | 1/8 in (3 mm) | 1/8 in (3 mm) |
| Rigid box wrap (turn-in) | 3/4 in (20 mm) | 1/8 in (3 mm) |
1/8 in (3 mm) is the most common bleed. Printers often ask for more on corrugated board, which moves more when it is cut, and less on small roll labels. A rigid box wrap is different: the paper folds over the board edges, so it needs a turn-in of several times the usual bleed. Your box maker’s template shows the exact amount.
Common sizes with bleed
| Trim size | Artboard with bleed | Pixels at 300 ppi | Safe area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 × 2 in | 2.25 × 2.25 in | 675 × 675 px | 1.75 × 1.75 in |
| 3 × 2 in | 3.25 × 2.25 in | 975 × 675 px | 2.75 × 1.75 in |
| 4 × 3 in | 4.25 × 3.25 in | 1,275 × 975 px | 3.75 × 2.75 in |
| 4 × 6 in | 4.25 × 6.25 in | 1,275 × 1,875 px | 3.75 × 5.75 in |
| 5 × 7 in | 5.25 × 7.25 in | 1,575 × 2,175 px | 4.75 × 6.75 in |
| 8 × 10 in | 8.25 × 10.25 in | 2,475 × 3,075 px | 7.75 × 9.75 in |
| 8.5 × 11 in | 8.75 × 11.25 in | 2,625 × 3,375 px | 8.25 × 10.75 in |
| 105 × 148 mm | 111 × 154 mm | 1,311 × 1,819 px | 99 × 142 mm |
| 148 × 210 mm | 154 × 216 mm | 1,819 × 2,551 px | 142 × 204 mm |
| 210 × 297 mm | 216 × 303 mm | 2,551 × 3,579 px | 204 × 291 mm |
How to set up bleed on packaging artwork
- Start from the dieline. Place your printer’s dieline on its own top layer and never move or resize it.
- Extend every background past the cut lines by the bleed amount, including on panels that meet at a fold.
- Keep text and logos inside the safe area, away from cut lines, fold lines, glue flaps and areas that are hidden when the box is closed.
- Use images at 300 ppi at their printed size. Enlarging a small image does not add detail.
- Export a print PDF with bleed included, in CMYK unless your printer asks for something else, with fonts outlined or embedded.
Print-ready artwork checklist
- Bleed added on every printed edge; no white gaps at the artboard edge.
- Important content inside the safe area, also clear of fold lines.
- Images at 300 ppi or more at print size, embedded rather than linked.
- Colours in CMYK, with any spot colours named as your printer asks. Use the CMYK, RGB & HEX Converter to check colour values.
- Fonts converted to outlines or embedded.
- No very small type or hairlines. Printers set their own minimums; small type around 4–5 pt and lines under about 0.5 pt can print poorly.
- Dieline on its own layer as a named spot colour, set not to print.
Related tools and packaging
- Label Size RecommenderFind a label size for your product.
- CMYK, RGB & HEX ConverterConvert screen colours for print.
- Box Size CalculatorWork out inside and outside box sizes.
- 3D Packaging Design & Mockup GeneratorPreview your design on a box.
- Custom corrugated boxesPrinted shipping and mailer boxes.
- Packaging EstimatorRequest a quote and send your artwork.
Bleed and safe zone FAQ
What is bleed in printing?
Bleed is extra artwork beyond the trim line that is cut off after printing. It stops a thin white edge from showing when the cut is slightly off.
How much bleed do I need?
1/8 in (3 mm) on each side is the most common requirement. Corrugated boxes often need 1/4 in (6 mm), small roll labels may use 1/16 in (1.5 mm), and rigid box wraps need a much larger turn-in. Follow your printer’s dieline.
What size is my artwork with bleed?
Add the bleed twice to each dimension. An 8 × 10 in design with 1/8 in bleed becomes 8.25 × 10.25 in, which is 2,475 × 3,075 px at 300 ppi.
What is a safe zone?
The area inside the trim line where text and logos are safe from being cut off. With a 1/8 in safe margin, an 8 × 10 in piece has a 7.75 × 9.75 in safe area.
Is 3 mm the same as 1/8 inch?
Nearly. 1/8 in is 3.175 mm. Metric printers usually ask for 3 mm and US printers for 1/8 in; either works for most jobs.
Do I need bleed if my design has a white border?
Not if nothing printed touches the edge. If any colour or image reaches the trim line, add bleed.
Does bleed apply to fold lines?
Bleed is for cut edges. Along fold lines, keep the artwork continuous across the fold and keep important content one safe margin away from it.
What resolution do I need for packaging printing?
300 ppi at the printed size is the usual requirement. Some label printers prefer more for very fine detail.
How do I check my image resolution?
Choose the image in step 4. The guide divides its pixels by the printed size, including bleed, and shows the effective ppi. The image stays on your device.
How do I add bleed in Illustrator or InDesign?
Set the document to the trim size and enter the bleed in the Bleed fields when you create it. Export the PDF with the document bleed settings turned on.
How do I add bleed in Photoshop?
Photoshop has no bleed setting, so make the canvas the full size with bleed and add guides at the trim and safe lines. The guide gives the exact pixel values.
Can I send my artwork with a quote request?
Yes. The BoxNovo quote form accepts JPG, PNG, PDF, AI, EPS or ZIP files up to 10 MB. Paste the specification from this guide into the Packaging Specifications field.