Bleed and safe area on labels: the 2 mm that saves a run

Digital die-cutting is precise, but not micron-perfect. The web moves slightly on the roll, so the artwork must tolerate a sub-millimetre shift without showing it. That's what bleed and safe area buy you: the tolerance production needs.

Bleed: 2 mm around the cut contour

Bleed means the background and any element touching the edge extends 2 mm past the cut line. Without it, the slightest shift shows a white sliver on the edge. That's not a cutting fault, it's a file fault: there's no coloured artwork to cut into.

Safe area: 2-3 mm inside

Text, logo, barcodes and anything that must not be clipped stays at least 2 mm inside the contour, 3 mm on wrap-around bottle labels. On round labels the eye instantly catches text that isn't concentric, so we ask for 3 mm there.

The cut contour: how to deliver it

• Vector, on a separate layer named "CutContour".
• Dedicated spot colour set to overprint so it doesn't print.
• One closed path per label, no duplicate overlapping lines.
• Rounded corners with at least 1 mm radius; a perfectly sharp corner lifts in handling.

Quick checklist before sending

• PDF/X with 2 mm bleed included, not just marked.
• Fonts converted to outlines or fully embedded.
• Images at 300 dpi minimum at final size.
• CMYK, not RGB. Text black: 100% K, not rich black.
• Lines thinner than 0.2 mm thickened, otherwise they drop out.
• Barcode on a light background with a clear quiet zone.