Artwork & Pre-Press · Quick guide
Bleed, Trim and Safe Areas on Packaging
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Bleed is artwork extended beyond the cut line so that no unprinted edge appears if the cut moves slightly; on folding cartons it is typically 3 mm. The trim, or cut line, is where the board is cut, and the safe area, typically 3–5 mm inside every cut and crease line, is where text, logos and barcodes must sit. The exact values for your box are confirmed on the dieline we supply.
These three zones are the simplest part of packaging artwork to get right, and among the most common reasons files are sent back.
Bleed, trim and safe area defined
| Zone | What it is | What goes there |
|---|---|---|
| Bleed | Artwork extended past the cut line | Background colours, images and patterns only |
| Trim (cut line) | Where the board is cut by the die | Nothing should depend on landing exactly on it |
| Safe area | A margin inside cut and crease lines | Nothing important sits outside it |
| Crease line | Where the board folds | Treat as an edge: no text or fine detail on it |
The dieline for your box shows the cut lines as solid lines and crease lines as dashed lines, and usually marks the bleed and safe lines as well. Our guide to what a dieline is explains each line type.
Typical values in millimetres
The figures below are typical starting points used across the industry. They vary with the board, the construction and the production process.
| Box type | Bleed beyond cut line | Safe area inside cut and crease lines | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folding carton | 3 mm | 3 mm, ideally 4–5 mm near folds | The most consistent tolerances |
| Corrugated mailer box | 3–5 mm | 5 mm | Thicker board moves more at folds |
| Rigid box wrap | Wrap includes a turn-in, often around 15–20 mm, plus bleed | 5 mm or more from board edges | Corners are folded, so keep detail away from them |
| Sleeve | 3 mm | 3–5 mm, more near the seam | Check alignment across the glued seam |
| Window or other cut-out | 2–3 mm into the aperture | 3–5 mm around it | Keep text clear of window glue margins |
Why bleed is needed
Printing and cutting are separate operations. The printed sheet is fed into the die cutter, and although registration is precise, the cut can land slightly to one side of where it was drawn. If the artwork stops exactly at the cut line, even a fraction of a millimetre's movement leaves a thin white sliver of unprinted board along the edge.
Bleed removes that risk. Because the colour already extends past the cut, a small movement simply trims a little more or less of the bleed, and the edge still looks solid.
Bleed is only needed where artwork touches an edge. If a panel has a white background and the design sits well inside the edge, no visible bleed is required on that edge, but the file should still be set up with a bleed area in case the design changes.
Why the safe area matters as much
Movement works in both directions. The cut that can drift outwards can also drift inwards, and anything sitting right against the edge can be clipped. The safe area gives important content a margin of protection.
Creases need the same treatment. Folding is less precise than cutting, and panels can finish a little wider or narrower than drawn, especially on thicker board such as corrugated. Text sitting on a crease can wrap around a corner or break across the fold. Keep it back by the safe margin on both sides of the crease.
Special cases
Rigid box wraps
A rigid box is covered with a printed paper wrap that is glued to the greyboard. The wrap is larger than the outside of the box because it turns over the top edge and continues down the inside wall. This extra paper is the turn-in allowance, often around 15–20 mm, and the artwork must continue across it so the inside rim looks finished. The corners of the wrap are folded, so keep detail away from them. See our rigid boxes page for how the construction works.
Mailer box insides
On a mailer box, inside panels appear upside down on the flat blank, and the inner walls meet at folds rather than cut edges. Apply the same safe margin to every fold, and bleed backgrounds across folds so the inside reads as one surface. Our guide to printing inside boxes covers inside print in more detail.
Windows and cut-outs
Every cut-out is a cut line, so artwork around a window needs bleed into the aperture. Keep text and barcodes back from the window, and remember that the film on window boxes is glued around the aperture on the inside.
Glue areas
Bleed stops where glue areas are marked on the dieline. Ink and lamination on a glue flap can weaken the joint, so those areas are usually left clear.
How to set up bleed in your file
- Open the dieline for your job at 100% scale.
- Set the document bleed to the value shown on the dieline.
- Extend every background colour, image and pattern to the bleed line, including around internal cut-outs.
- Mark the safe area as a guide on a non-printing layer.
- Move all text, logos and barcodes inside the safe area and away from creases.
- Check glue areas are clear where marked.
- Export the PDF with the bleed included.
For the rest of the file set-up, see preparing print-ready artwork.
Bleed and safe area checklist
- The bleed value matches the one shown on your dieline.
- Backgrounds reach the bleed line on every cut edge.
- Every internal cut-out has bleed into it.
- No text, logo or barcode sits outside the safe area.
- Nothing important sits on or across a crease.
- Borders are either generous or removed.
- Glue areas are left clear where marked.
- Rigid wrap artwork continues across the turn-in.
- The exported PDF includes the bleed.
Common mistakes
Artwork stopping at the cut line. The most frequent issue. It leaves white slivers on edges whenever the cut moves.
Bleed added to the outer edges only. Windows, handle holes and thumb notches are cut lines too.
Text right against a fold. Folds move. Keep text back by the safe margin on both sides.
Thin borders on edges. Any movement makes them uneven. Use a wide border or none.
Using a general value instead of the dieline. Typical values are a guide; your dieline is the specification.
Forgetting the rigid box turn-in. Artwork that stops at the top edge of a rigid box leaves a bare rim inside the lid and base.