PrintRuler

Bleed & safe-area calculator

Enter your finished (trim) size and bleed. We'll show the full artwork size and the safe area to keep text out of the cutter's path.

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Card bleed is most often 1.5 mm; some printers use 2 mm. (Bigger 3–5 mm bleeds are for bound booklets, not cards.) Keep important elements inside a ~3 mm safe area.

How bleed and safe area work

Your trim size is the finished piece (89 × 54 mm is the Malaysian card standard). Bleed extends the artwork past the trim so the guillotine can drift slightly without leaving an unprinted edge. The safe area is the inner margin where text and logos should stay.

How to use

  1. Enter your finished (trim) width and height in mm.
  2. Set the bleed (1.5 mm is common) and the safe margin.
  3. Read the full artwork size and the safe-area diagram.

FAQ

How much bleed do I need?

For business cards, 1.5 mm of bleed on every edge is the most common; some printers ask for 2 mm. (Larger 3–5 mm bleeds are for bound booklets and multi-page publications, not cards.) Always follow your printer’s own spec.

What is the safe area?

The margin inside the trim where text and logos should stay — usually about 3 mm in. Anything outside it risks being trimmed or looking cramped.

Why does bleed matter?

Cutting is never perfectly precise. Bleed extends the artwork past the trim so small shifts still leave colour at the edge instead of a thin unprinted sliver.