Bleed: artwork that extends past the cut
Bleed is extra artwork that runs beyond the cutline. If the die lands slightly off, the edge of the box still shows your colour or pattern instead of a thin white sliver of bare board.
- Standard bleed: 3 mm in metric markets, ⅛ in (3.175 mm) in the US. Some printers ask for more on corrugated or large-format jobs.
- Where it applies: every outer cut edge of the blank, including tuck flaps, dust flaps and the glue flap edge. It does not apply across creases, where artwork simply continues.
- Background elements only: extend colour fields, photos and patterns into the bleed. Text and logos never belong there.
DielineKit draws the bleed contour on its own layer at the offset you set (3 mm by default), so you can see exactly where the artwork has to reach.
Safe zone: keep important content inside
The safe zone (sometimes called the safety margin or live area) is a buffer inside every cut and crease. Keep text, logos, barcodes and regulatory information at least 3 mm (⅛ in) inside it. A larger margin looks more intentional on small cartons, where a fold slightly off-centre is easy to notice.
Areas that need special treatment
Glue flap
Adhesive grips bare board much better than ink, varnish or lamination. Ask your printer whether the glue area should be a knock-out: no ink and no coating where the glue flap bonds to the inside of the opposite panel.
Creases and folds
Board stretches and cracks slightly along a crease. Avoid placing fine text, thin lines or barcodes across one. Dark solid colours across folds can also show white cracking on heavier boards; a matte finish or a lighter colour near the fold reduces it.
Barcodes
Put barcodes on a flat panel, away from creases and edges, with the full quiet zone (blank margin) the symbology requires. Print them in a single dark colour on a light background so scanners read them reliably. Our free barcode and QR code generator makes EAN and UPC barcodes at their true print size and checks the colours for you.
Tuck flaps and dust flaps
These are hidden once the box is closed, but are often visible when it is opened. Many brands print a simple pattern or message there. Keep the tuck's friction-lock area free of heavy coatings, which can make it slip.
Artwork checklist before sending files
- Artwork is placed on the dieline at 1:1 scale; the dieline sits on its own, non-printing layer.
- Background artwork extends to the bleed line on every outer edge.
- Text, logos and barcodes sit at least 3 mm inside cuts and creases.
- Glue areas are kept free of ink and coating if your printer requires it.
- Images are at least 300 ppi at final size; text is outlined or fonts are embedded.
- Colours are CMYK or named spot colours as agreed with the printer.
- You have folded a printed proof, or checked the artwork wrap in a 3D folding preview, to confirm which way each panel faces.
Exporting from DielineKit? The export guide explains how the PDF layers for cut, crease and bleed are separated.