Bleed & Safe Zone: Setting Up Print-Ready Box Artwork

Bleed and safe zones are the two margins that keep your box looking clean – no white slivers at the edge, no text trimmed off. This article goes deeper than the setup section of our main artwork and dieline guide.

The three lines

• Trim line – where the box is actually cut, the finished edge.
• Bleed – background art extended past the trim (commonly ~0.125″) so no white shows if the cut shifts slightly.
• Safe zone – an inner margin where you keep logos and text, so nothing important sits near the cut.

How much bleed to allow

About 1/8″ (0.125″) of bleed is standard for boxes. Extend any background color or image all the way to the bleed line – never stop it exactly at the trim, or a slight cut shift will leave a white edge.

Keep content in the safe zone

Pull logos, text, and anything you cannot afford to lose inward, away from the trim – especially near folds and edges. The rule of thumb: background to the bleed, important content inside the safe zone.

Not set up to do this?

Our free design team handles bleed and safe zones for you – just send a logo and brief. See dieline templates for where artwork goes.

Get print-ready artwork

Send what you have and we will make it press-ready. Start with our artwork guide, then request your free quote or contact our team.