Page margins and gaps between pieces

The margin reserves space at the page edges. A gap is the space between pieces. The planner uses equal margins on all sides and centres its resulting grid.

Available width

A4 is 210 mm wide. With 10 mm left and right margins, 190 mm remains. Three 60 mm pieces with 3 mm between them occupy:

3 × 60 + 2 × 3 = 186 mm.

There are two gaps, not three: nothing follows the last piece. The centred grid has 12 mm free at each side, slightly more than the minimum margin.

For Letter, 8.5 in wide with 0.25 in on each side leaves 8 in. Three 2.5 in pieces and two 0.125 in gaps use 7.75 in, leaving 0.375 in on each side after centring. These are our examples, not printer specifications.

Column formula

columns = floor((usable width + gap) ÷ (piece width + gap)). Use heights for rows. In the A4 example, (190 + 3) ÷ (60 + 3) = 3.063…: three columns.

Printer margins are another constraint

Choosing zero margin does not enable borderless printing. Check your printer’s usable area and test on plain paper.

For pre-cut labels, measure their actual margins and pitch. The planner creates a centred geometric grid; it does not replace a manufacturer’s asymmetric or product-specific template. If nothing fits, change sizes deliberately rather than silently shrinking your design.