Packaging files often come back from prepress for one of two reasons: artwork that stops at the cut line (no bleed) or text that sits too close to it (no safe area). Both are quick fixes once you know what you are looking at.
This guide explains each margin, how big to make it for different formats, how to set it up in your design tool, and what to check before you send the file.
What bleed is
Bleed is artwork that extends past the cut line, usually by 3 mm. Printing presses and cutting dies are precise but not perfect: the sheet can shift by a fraction of a millimetre between printing and cutting. If your background stops exactly at the cut line, that shift shows as a thin white edge. If the background runs 3 mm past, the shift is invisible.
Bleed is for backgrounds, patterns and photographs only. You never put text or a logo in the bleed, because it will be cut off. Think of it as a tablecloth that hangs over the edge of the table: you want it to overhang, but you would not put anything you need on the overhang.
What safe area is
Safe area is the opposite margin: a zone inside the cut line, usually 3 mm to 5 mm, where all important content must sit. The same cutting tolerance that creates the need for bleed can also trim a little off the edge, so text at the edge risks being clipped.
On folded packs the safe area also keeps content away from the edge wrap, where a panel rolls around a crease. A word that sits right against a fold may end up half on the front and half on the side. On boxes, treat every fold line like a cut line for this purpose and keep a safe margin either side of it.
How they fit together: a worked example
Picture the front panel of a box that is 200 mm wide and 100 mm tall on the dieline. With a 3 mm bleed and a 3 mm safe area, this is what you work with:
| Zone | Width | Height | What goes there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bleed edge | 206 mm | 106 mm | Backgrounds and images only |
| Cut line | 200 mm | 100 mm | The finished edge |
| Safe area | 194 mm | 94 mm | Text, logos, barcodes, claims |
Panels that meet along a fold do not need bleed on that shared edge, because the artwork simply continues around the corner. What they do need is a safe margin either side of the fold. Bleed only matters on edges that are actually cut.
How much is enough
These are typical values. Your supplier's dieline and spec always win, so confirm with them before you finalise.
- Boxes, cartons, labels and cards: 3 mm bleed and a 3 mm safe area is the usual starting point.
- Flexible packaging (pouches): 3 mm bleed and a larger safe area, often 5 mm, because film can move more than board. Heat seals are typically 5 mm to 10 mm wide, and nothing important should sit on them.
- Cups and cans: bleed on the top and bottom edges, plus a seam where the wrap meets itself. Treat the seam like a fold and keep text away from it.
- Wrap labels: the seam is either a small gap or a small overlap, depending on the labelling machine. Ask which, then keep critical content clear of it.
- Large-format corrugated: some converters ask for more than 3 mm of bleed. Follow the supplier's dieline if they give you one.
Setting it up
In Illustrator or Affinity, set the document bleed to 3 mm (or whatever your supplier specifies) and show the bleed guides. Extend every background shape to the bleed guide, not just to the edge of the artboard. Then draw a safe-area rectangle 3 mm inside the artboard and lock it as a guide. Keep all text and logos inside it.
For a multi-panel dieline, draw the safe area inside each panel, not just around the outside of the sheet, and add safe margins along each fold.
In Packaroo the bleed and safe area are already marked on every dieline, and the live 3D preview shows how your artwork sits on the pack, which makes it easier to spot a background that stops short or a line of text drifting towards an edge. Every spec pack also includes a prepress report to review before you send files.
Barcodes and legal text
Barcodes need their own clear space around them, often called a quiet zone. The amount depends on the barcode type and size, so check the specification for the code you are using rather than guessing. A barcode should never cross a fold or seam, and it should sit well inside the safe area.
Nutrition panels, ingredient lists and warnings have minimum sizes in most markets. The safe area keeps them away from the edge, but it does not tell you whether they meet the rules, so confirm legal sizes separately for each market you sell in.
Common mistakes
- Bleed on the artboard, not the art. The document has a bleed setting but the background shapes still stop at the edge.
- Images that are too small for the bleed. A photo that fits the cut line exactly has nothing to extend into the bleed. Scale or crop it so it covers the bleed area at 300 dpi.
- Safe area only around the outside. Text sits safely away from the sheet edge but right next to an internal fold.
- Thin borders near the cut. A frame that runs parallel to the edge makes any shift obvious. Either move it well inside the safe area or let it run off into the bleed.
- Different values from different suppliers. Setting up for one supplier's margins and then sending to another without checking.
Quick checklist before you send
- Backgrounds reach the bleed line on all cut edges.
- No text within 3 mm of the cut, or the margin your supplier specifies.
- Nothing important sits on folds, seams or heat seals.
- Nothing printed in glue areas.
- Barcode has its quiet zone and is not on a fold.
- Dieline is on its own layer or spot colour set not to print.
- File is a vector PDF, not a flattened image.
- Spec sheet lists format, dimensions, material and print sides.
Short answers
Is bleed the same as a margin? No. Bleed is outside the cut and holds background only. The safe area is inside the cut and holds important content.
Can I use 2 mm instead of 3 mm? Only if your supplier says so. Most printers ask for at least 3 mm.
Does the bleed show on the finished pack? No, it is trimmed off. It exists so the trim never lands on bare board.
Do I need bleed on a design with a white background? If the background really is unprinted board, a shift will not show. Any colour or image that touches an edge needs bleed.
Does a coloured board need bleed? If the board itself is the colour (natural kraft, for example) and you print nothing at the edge, no. Bleed only applies to printed ink.
Next step
Open a format in Packaroo and design on a dieline with bleed and safe area already marked. You can design and preview in 3D on the free plan. When you are happy, export a spec pack for A$15 and send it to your supplier. Related guide: How to read a dieline.