Trim size is the piece after cutting. Bleed extends artwork beyond that boundary. A safe area keeps important content inside. Confirm requirements with your print provider; they depend on the process.
Geometry, not a production specification
For an 85 × 55 mm finished card with an example bleed of 3 mm on each side:
- Outer width: 85 + 2 × 3 = 91 mm.
- Outer height: 55 + 2 × 3 = 61 mm.
An inner safe inset of 4 mm gives 77 × 47 mm. It does not enlarge the document. The 3 mm and 4 mm values illustrate the arithmetic and are not a specific printer’s requirements.
An inch example: a 3.5 × 2 in trim rectangle with 0.125 in example bleed becomes 3.75 × 2.25 in. Again, verify actual requirements rather than treating this as universal.
Layout changes
Enter the outer size in the planner when each piece needs that complete rectangle. The tool does not create bleed; it places the rectangles you supply.
For 91 × 61 mm on A4, 10 mm margins and 3 mm gaps give 8 original-orientation pieces or 6 rotated. This differs from 9 smaller 85 × 55 mm cards without bleed.
Before exporting, confirm trim, bleed, safe area and required marks, and inspect your software’s export area. Outline templates are not finished artwork. Do not add bleed automatically to pre-cut labels: check the supplier and test alignment.
References and scope
The numerical examples are our own. Check a physical print on your own equipment.