# Silentt Design

> Print and packaging design studio. We fix files that printers reject (RGB to CMYK, missing bleed, low resolution, missing fonts, wrong size), redraw blurry or pixelated logos as vectors, set labels and boxes up on the printer's dieline (including rebuilding AI-generated mock-ups as real print files), and design new print and packaging. Every job gets a fixed price before work starts; print-ready files usually come back within 24 to 48 hours, quick fixes the same day. Asking a question is free. Print shops can also use us as a white-label design department on a monthly plan.

Website: https://silenttdesign.com/
Prices: https://silenttdesign.com/prices/
Contact: https://silenttdesign.com/contact/ (email, live chat answered by Azaan Ali, the studio's designer, phone and WhatsApp, studio hours in US time zones)
Founder: Azaan Ali, brand identity, layout and packaging designer. Clients across the US, UK and the Gulf (current totals under "Studio facts" below).
Studio location: Gujrat, Pakistan. Clients in the United States, United Kingdom and the Gulf.
Full text of the site in one file (studio facts, services, prices, every problem page's answer, the glossary and every blog post): https://silenttdesign.com/llms-full.txt

## Who it is for

- Small product brands (food, cosmetics, candles, supplements, Etsy and Amazon sellers) whose label or box file was rejected by the printer, or who have an AI mock-up but no printable file.
- Local businesses (restaurants, salons, contractors, shops) with a blurry logo, an old menu or a sign that needs a proper file.
- Anyone printing once (events, weddings) with a Canva or Word file the printer won't accept.
- Print shops, sign shops and print brokers who want a white-label design department: https://silenttdesign.com/print-shops/

## How it works

1. Send the file, a photo or just the idea through the chat or by email, with where it will be printed and when you need it.
2. A designer replies in the chat with a fixed price, usually within minutes. Nothing starts until you accept it.
3. You get a print-ready PDF made to the printer's specs, plus the source file and a short note of what was changed. You own the artwork.

## What every file is checked for

Bleed and safe margins; CMYK color with spot colors where they matter; 300 ppi images at the printed size; fonts outlined or embedded; dielines, cut and fold lines on their own layers; total ink coverage; barcodes at a scannable size with their quiet zone.

## Case studies

Real print jobs, each showing the file setup, the finished artwork and what was fixed. Index: https://silenttdesign.com/work/

- [Fresh Nutrition business card](https://silenttdesign.com/work/fresh-nutrition-business-card/): Full-bleed pattern reverse on uncoated stock, printed
- [KOMYO business card](https://silenttdesign.com/work/komyo-business-card/): File setup through to the printed card in hand
- [Saffron fold-out menu](https://silenttdesign.com/work/saffron-fold-out-menu/): Bilingual multi-panel menu, over a hundred dishes on one folded sheet
- [Shibuya takeaway menu](https://silenttdesign.com/work/shibuya-takeaway-menu/): Typographic cover on dark stock, the counterweight to Saffron
- [Takmeel highway billboard](https://silenttdesign.com/work/takmeel-highway-billboard/): One campaign relaid for a 50′ printed board and a digital screen
- [DeMori car mat box](https://silenttdesign.com/work/demori-car-mat-box/): A rebrand and a production rescue in the same job
- [Principles of Design calendar](https://silenttdesign.com/work/principles-of-design-calendar/): Self-initiated concept piece. A 13-page A4 set held on one grid
- [Takmeel Cybertruck wrap](https://silenttdesign.com/work/takmeel-cybertruck-wrap/): Concept to production files to a wrapped vehicle on the road
- [TSAÔCAA event canopy](https://silenttdesign.com/work/tsaocaa-event-canopy/): 3m × 3m canopy, vector artwork through to a street festival
- [Mobile King storefront](https://silenttdesign.com/work/mobile-king-storefront/): Twin sliding doors, with the middle crop set up front
- [GameMaster board game box](https://silenttdesign.com/work/gamemaster-board-game-box/): AI images of a box that did not exist, rebuilt on the printer’s dielines
- [Beautie Inc carton](https://silenttdesign.com/work/beautie-inc-carton/): A full ingredient list and a scannable barcode on a 20mm panel
- [Phone Zone seasonal storefront](https://silenttdesign.com/work/phone-zone-seasonal-storefront/): Christmas takeover of the same unit as Mobile King

## Studio concepts

Self-initiated pieces with invented brands, built to real print specs and shown as 3D renders from the print files. Not client work.

- [Low Tide paperback cover](https://silenttdesign.com/work/low-tide-paperback-cover/): A KDP wraparound cover, with the spine sized from the page count (240 pages, 0.540 in)
- [Mesa Clayworks product catalog](https://silenttdesign.com/work/mesa-clayworks-product-catalog/): A 24-page saddle-stitched catalog, with gutter margins and creep allowed for
- [Sorrel trade show booth](https://silenttdesign.com/work/sorrel-trade-show-booth/): A 10 × 10 ft booth: backwall at 1:10, counter and roll-up banner
- [Pip & Peel counter display](https://silenttdesign.com/work/pip-peel-counter-display/): A countertop display box and its packs, laid out on one dieline

## More

- [Prices](https://silenttdesign.com/prices/)
- [For print shops: white-label design](https://silenttdesign.com/print-shops/)
- [About the studio and founder](https://silenttdesign.com/about/)
- [FAQ](https://silenttdesign.com/#faq)
- [Terms of service](https://silenttdesign.com/terms/)
- [Privacy policy](https://silenttdesign.com/privacy/)
- [Blog: print-ready file and packaging guides](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/)
- [Contact: email, live chat, phone, hours and office](https://silenttdesign.com/contact/)
- [Full text of the site: facts, services, prices, fixes, glossary and blog](https://silenttdesign.com/llms-full.txt)
- [Free print-ready file checker (PDF and images)](https://silenttdesign.com/tools/print-ready-checker/)
- [Free DPI and print size calculator](https://silenttdesign.com/tools/dpi-calculator/)
- [Free print template maker: bleed, trim, safe area and folds](https://silenttdesign.com/tools/print-template/)
- [Free tool to add bleed and crop marks to a PDF](https://silenttdesign.com/tools/add-bleed/)
- [Free barcode and QR code maker for print (EAN-13, UPC-A, EAN-8, Code 128, QR)](https://silenttdesign.com/tools/barcode-generator/)
- [Free box dieline maker for tuck end cartons](https://silenttdesign.com/tools/box-dieline-generator/)
- [Free book cover size calculator: spine width and full KDP paperback cover with bleed](https://silenttdesign.com/tools/book-cover-calculator/)
- [Free RGB and HEX to CMYK converter, both ways, with a print warning and rich black values](https://silenttdesign.com/tools/rgb-to-cmyk-converter/)
- [Free GSM to lb paper weight converter for text, cover, bond, index, tag and bristol, with basis sheet sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/tools/paper-weight-converter/)
- [Free UPC and EAN check digit calculator (UPC-A, EAN-13, EAN-8, GTIN-14), GS1 mod-10 method](https://silenttdesign.com/tools/upc-check-digit-calculator/)
- [Free label size calculator for jars, bottles, cans and tubs: wrap, panel and front labels with bleed, and curved labels for tapered containers](https://silenttdesign.com/tools/label-size-calculator/)

## Studio facts (updated 2026-11-12)

- Print files fixed: 25,463
- Clients: 6,834
- Years in print design: 12
- Founder: Azaan Ali (also known as Azaan Muneer), the studio's only designer
- The numbers above: Azaan’s own record over 12 years of print design: on Upwork and Fiverr, and directly with print shops and clients.
- Azaan Ali on Fiverr: 4.9 from 2,784 reviews (https://www.fiverr.com/azaanmunir, checked 2026-11-10)
- Azaan Ali on Upwork: Top Rated · 100% Job Success · 143 jobs (https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01732d66a9cc633e17, checked 2026-11-10)
- Azaan Ali on Etsy: 5.0 from 24 reviews · 213 sales (https://www.etsy.com/shop/Vinteeze, checked 2026-11-10)
- Email: hello@silenttdesign.com
- Phone and WhatsApp: +92 312 7392600
- Live chat: on every page of the site, answered by Azaan Ali, who does the work. Usually within minutes.
- Email replies: same day
- Office: Office #9, Mobile Market, Ramtalai Chowk, Gujrat 50700, Pakistan
- Contact page: https://silenttdesign.com/contact/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/silenttdesign/
- Clutch: https://clutch.co/profile/silentt-design
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesilenttdesign/
- Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/silentt-design

## Prices (USD, fixed before work starts)

- Ask a question: Free. “Can this be printed?”, “Will my logo work on kraft?” Answered by a designer. Turnaround: Same day.
- Quick file fix: from $10. One simple fix, such as fonts, size or crop marks, on a file that is otherwise finished. Turnaround: Same day.
- No bleed fix: from $20. Bleed added past the trim, with text moved inside the safe area. Turnaround: Same day.
- RGB to CMYK fix: from $20. Converted to CMYK, with your brand colors matched by eye. Turnaround: Same day.
- Low-resolution image fix: from $25. Images rebuilt or replaced so they print sharp at full size. Turnaround: Same day.
- Logo redraw to vector: from $25. A blurry or pixelated logo rebuilt as a clean vector that prints at any size. Turnaround: 24 hours.
- Label or box set up on your dieline: from $75. Your artwork placed on the printer’s dieline, with bleed, barcode, white ink and finishes on their own layers. Turnaround: 24–48 hours.
- Picture to print file: from $75. AI mock-ups and screenshots rebuilt as real, editable files a press can run. Turnaround: 24–48 hours.
- New design: from $125. A business card, flyer, menu, label, banner or sign, designed from scratch. Turnaround: 24–48 hours.
- New packaging: from $195. A box, carton or label range designed on the dieline, with a 3D mock-up to approve. Turnaround: Quoted per job.
- Small brand plan: $299/month. For brands and businesses with a few print jobs every month. Includes: Up to 7 jobs a month: fixes, labels, updates, new pieces; Unlimited revisions; 24–48 hour turnaround; Source files and full ownership; Pause or cancel anytime.
- Unlimited plan: $699/month. Unlimited requests, one at a time. For busy brands, agencies and print shops. Includes: Unlimited design requests, one active at a time; Unlimited revisions; 24-hour average turnaround; White-label for print shops; Pause or cancel anytime.

Full price list: https://silenttdesign.com/prices/

## Services (one page each)

- [Print file fixing](https://silenttdesign.com/services/prepress-file-cleanup/): RGB, 72 dpi, no bleed, missing fonts, wrong size: send the file your printer rejected and get it back print-ready, usually the same day, at a fixed price.
- [Logo redraws & vectors](https://silenttdesign.com/services/logo-redraw-vectorize/): A pixelated JPG, screenshot or photo of your sign, redrawn by hand as a clean vector logo (AI, EPS, SVG, PDF) that prints sharp at any size. Fixed price.
- [Business cards & stationery](https://silenttdesign.com/services/business-card-design/): Business cards and stationery designed or fixed for print: bleed, CMYK, safe area, foil and spot UV set up right. Fixed price, files in 24–48 hours.
- [Flyers, menus & brochures](https://silenttdesign.com/services/menu-flyer-brochure-design/): Restaurant menus, flyers, folded brochures and booklets designed print-ready, with fold marks, bleed and CMYK photos done right. Fixed price, 24–48 hours.
- [Catalogs, booklets & lookbooks](https://silenttdesign.com/services/catalog-booklet-design/): Product catalogs, booklets and lookbooks designed print-ready: saddle-stitched or perfect-bound, page counts in fours, creep and gutters allowed for.
- [Book covers & KDP files](https://silenttdesign.com/services/book-cover-design/): Book covers for Amazon KDP, IngramSpark and local printers: spine sized from your page count, bleed, barcode space and a matching ebook cover. Fixed price.
- [Labels, stickers & packaging](https://silenttdesign.com/services/packaging-label-design/): Labels, boxes and cartons designed or fixed on your printer’s dieline: cut and crease on their own layers, bleed past every cut, barcodes that scan.
- [Retail & counter displays](https://silenttdesign.com/services/pop-display-design/): Countertop display boxes, shelf talkers, wobblers and floor displays (FSDU) designed on the manufacturer’s dieline, sized to your product, flat-packed.
- [Banners, yard signs & wide format](https://silenttdesign.com/services/signage-large-format-design/): Banners, yard signs, storefront graphics, billboards and event canopies, designed to read at a distance and set up on the printer’s template. Fixed price.
- [Trade show booths & displays](https://silenttdesign.com/services/trade-show-display-design/): Trade show backwalls for 10×10 and 10×20 ft booths, tension-fabric displays, roll-up banners and table throws, built on your exhibit supplier’s template.
- [Vehicle wraps & decals](https://silenttdesign.com/services/vehicle-wrap-design/): Full wraps, partial wraps and fleet decals designed on accurate vehicle templates, with installer-friendly panels and bleed. A mock-up first, fixed price.
- [Apparel & screen-print separations](https://silenttdesign.com/services/screen-print-separations/): Spot-color separations, underbases, halftones and print-ready film files for screen printers, plus T-shirt and apparel design. Fixed price up front.
- [Sticker design](https://silenttdesign.com/services/sticker-design/): Custom stickers and sticker sheets with the cut line done right: die-cut and kiss-cut contours, white ink layers and bleed, ready for your printer.
- [Pattern & surface design](https://silenttdesign.com/services/pattern-design/): Seamless repeat patterns for fabric, wallpaper, gift wrap, packaging and print on demand: tiled cleanly at print size, in vector or 300 dpi.
- [T-shirt & apparel design](https://silenttdesign.com/services/tshirt-design/): T-shirt graphics for brands, events and print-on-demand shops: vintage and retro styles as 300 dpi transparent PNGs and vectors for DTF, DTG or print.
- [Cutting boards & laser files](https://silenttdesign.com/services/cutting-board-laser-files/): Custom cutting board designs and laser-ready files: monograms, names, dates and illustrations as clean SVG, DXF and PDF for laser engravers and cutters.
- [Tumbler & mug wraps](https://silenttdesign.com/services/tumbler-wrap-design/): Sublimation tumbler wraps and mug designs sized to your blank, straight or tapered, seamless where the wrap meets, ready to print and press.

## Printer rejected your file? (one page each)

- [“There’s no bleed”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/no-bleed/): Bleed is extra artwork that runs past the edge of the page, usually 0.125 in (3 mm) on every side, so nothing white shows when the printer trims the sheet. To fix it, make the document bigger by the bleed on each side and stretch any color or image that touches an edge out to the new edge. Text and logos stay where they were. Silentt Design’s free add-bleed tool adds it to a PDF in your browser.
- [“The file is RGB, it needs to be CMYK”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/rgb-to-cmyk/): Screens make color from red, green and blue light (RGB); printing presses make it from cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink (CMYK). The printer wants the file in CMYK so the colors you approve are the colors that print. Converting can make very bright blues, greens and oranges look duller, because ink can’t reach every color a screen can, so it’s best done by you, on screen, before the press does it for you. To see exactly what in a PDF is still RGB, drop it into Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker.
- [“The images are low resolution”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/low-resolution/): Print needs about 300 pixels for every inch of printed size (150 for big posters, less for billboards seen from far away). An image that looks fine on screen may only have 72–96 pixels per inch at the size you’re printing, so it prints soft or blocky. Changing the DPI number on its own doesn’t add detail; the fix is a bigger original, a vector redraw, or printing smaller. Silentt Design’s free DPI calculator shows the real figure for your image at your print size.
- [“That’s a picture, not a print file”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/ai-image-not-print-ready/): An image from ChatGPT or another AI tool is one flat picture, usually with too few pixels for the print size. Its words are part of the picture rather than real text, it has no bleed, and any QR code in it may not scan. A photo-style image at a small size can sometimes print as it is. Anything with small text, a logo or a large print size usually needs rebuilding as a real print file, with the AI image as the guide.
- [“Your logo is blurry”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/blurry-logo/): A logo saved as a JPEG or PNG is made of pixels, so it goes soft or blocky when it’s printed bigger than it was made. The fix is a vector version (AI, EPS, SVG or PDF), which is drawn from lines and curves and prints sharp at any size, from a business card to a building. Auto-trace tools can help with simple logos, but most need redrawing by hand.
- [“Fonts aren’t embedded, please outline them”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/fonts-not-outlined/): The printer doesn’t have your fonts, so without them the text would print in a substitute font, or not at all. Either embed the fonts when you export the PDF, or convert the text to outlines (shapes), which needs no font at all. Keep an un-outlined copy, because outlined text can’t be edited. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker lists every font in a PDF that isn’t embedded.
- [“The file is the wrong size”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/wrong-size/): The printer needs the file at the exact finished size (the trim size) plus bleed, and in the same proportions as the product. Scaling up or down is fine when the proportions match; when they don’t, for example A4 to US Letter or a square post to a 4 × 6 in flyer, the layout has to be rearranged, never stretched. Silentt Design’s free print template maker draws the right size with bleed to work on.
- [“The text is too close to the edge”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/text-too-close-to-edge/): Anything important (text, logos, phone numbers) needs to sit at least 0.125 in (3 mm) inside the trimmed edge, an area called the safe zone or safe area. Cutting can drift slightly, and type right at the edge can be sliced off or look crammed. Move it inwards, or shrink the layout slightly, so everything clears the safe line. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker flags any text inside the safe margin you set, on every page.
- [“Your black will print gray (or too much ink)”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/rich-black/): Plain black ink (C0 M0 Y0 K100) prints as a dark gray on large areas; adding some cyan, magenta and yellow under it makes a deep “rich black”, often C60 M40 Y40 K100. But small text must stay 100% K only, because four inks that don’t line up perfectly make small type look blurry. And very heavy blacks (all four inks near 100%) can smudge, which is the “too much ink” warning. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker flags small black text built from more than one ink.
- [“The artwork doesn’t fit our dieline”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/dieline-setup/): A dieline is the printer’s template for the cut, fold and glue lines of a label or box. The artwork has to be built on that exact template, with bleed past every cut line, nothing important on folds or glue flaps, and the dieline itself kept on its own layer as a named spot color, so it guides the cutter but never prints. A design made at the wrong size or on a generic template has to be rebuilt on the printer’s dieline. For a standard tuck box, Silentt Design’s free box dieline generator draws the template to your dimensions.
- [“Total ink coverage is too high”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/ink-coverage-too-high/): Total ink coverage (TAC) is the four CMYK percentages added together at the darkest point of your file, and every press and paper has a maximum, often around 300% on coated paper and 260–280% on uncoated. Above it, the ink can’t dry properly, so it smudges, sticks sheets together or rubs off onto the back of the next sheet. The fix is to rebuild the darkest colors and re-convert dark photos with your printer’s color profile, which keeps ink under their limit. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker adds up the ink in a PDF’s text and shapes; ink inside photos needs Acrobat’s Output Preview.
- [“Some lines are too thin to print”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/lines-too-thin/): Lines thinner than about 0.25 pt (0.09 mm) can print broken, faint or not at all, so printers flag them as hairlines. White lines on a dark background, lines made from more than one ink, and lines on uncoated paper or labels need more, often 0.5 pt or heavier. The fix is to find every thin stroke and thicken it to your printer’s minimum, which usually takes minutes in Illustrator or Acrobat Pro. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker finds every stroke under 0.25 pt in a PDF.
- [“There are missing images (missing links)”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/missing-links/): InDesign and Illustrator don’t store placed photos and logos inside the design file; they link to the image files on your computer. If those files aren’t sent along, or have been moved or renamed, the printer opens the layout to find images missing, or a PDF is made with low-resolution previews in their place. Send a PDF exported with every link in place, or use File → Package to collect the layout, images and fonts into one folder. Before you send a PDF, Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker shows the real resolution of every image in it, which catches a low-resolution preview standing in for a missing link.
- [“The transparency needs flattening”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/flatten-transparency/): Drop shadows, glows, opacity and blending modes are “live transparency”, which some printers’ systems can’t process reliably. Flattening turns those effects into ordinary solid shapes and images before printing, and a PDF/X-1a export does it automatically. If your printer accepts PDF/X-4, which keeps transparency live, exporting that instead often fixes it with no other changes.
- [“Convert the spot colors to CMYK”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/spot-colors/): A spot color, usually a Pantone swatch, tells the press to print that color with its own pre-mixed ink on an extra plate. If your job prints in CMYK only, every spot color has to be converted to CMYK first, or it can print in the wrong color, add an unwanted plate or go missing. If the job really does use a Pantone ink, the opposite applies: that color must stay a spot color, with exactly one name used everywhere. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker lists every spot ink a PDF uses and catches the same ink named twice.
- [“There’s no white ink layer”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/white-ink-layer/): Printing inks are see-through and CMYK has no white, so on clear film, metallic, kraft or dark stock, colors look faint and anything meant to be white simply isn’t printed. The printer needs a separate white layer: a spot color named as they ask (usually “White”), set to overprint, covering every area that should be white or opaque. Without it they can’t print any white at all, so the job stops.
- [“The barcode is too small to scan”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/barcode-wont-scan/): Retail barcodes (EAN-13 and UPC-A) have a standard size of about 37.3 × 25.9 mm (1.47 × 1.02 in) including the numbers, and shouldn’t be printed below 80% of that, about 30 mm wide. They also need a blank quiet zone either side, dark bars (ideally 100% black) on a light background, and their full height: squashing the height to fit a small panel is a common reason they fail. Fix it by placing a vector barcode at 80–200% of standard size and clearing everything out of its margins. Silentt Design’s free barcode generator makes a vector UPC or EAN at the standard size.
- [“There’s white set to overprint”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/white-overprint/): Overprint tells the press to print an object on top of the colors underneath instead of cutting them out. White isn’t an ink, it’s bare paper showing through, so a white object set to overprint disappears completely and the background prints straight through it. The fix is to turn overprint off for every white object, so it knocks out, and to check with Overprint Preview before you send the file. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker finds white objects set to overprint in a PDF.
- [“Please send a print-ready PDF”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/send-a-pdf/): Printers ask for a PDF because it fixes everything in place: the size, fonts, images and colors come out the same on their system as on yours. A Word document can reflow on another computer, and a JPG or PNG has no bleed and turns sharp text into pixels. A print-ready PDF is at the right size with bleed, has its fonts embedded and its images at full resolution, and is ideally exported as PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4.
- [“The foil (or spot UV) needs its own layer”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/foil-spot-uv-layer/): Foil and spot UV aren’t inks the printer can pick out of your colors, so they need a separate map of exactly where each finish goes: solid 100% vector shapes, on their own layer or page, in a spot color named as they ask (or a separate 100% black mask file). The map must line up exactly with the artwork, contain no gradients or tints, and keep lines and text above the printer’s minimum, which is heavier than for ink. Without it they can’t make the foil die or set up the varnish.
- [“The QR code is too small to scan”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/qr-code-too-small/): A printed QR code should be at least about 2 × 2 cm (0.8 × 0.8 in) for a short link scanned from arm’s length, and bigger the further away people stand: a common rule is one-tenth of the scanning distance. It also needs a blank margin (quiet zone) four squares wide on every side and strong dark-on-light contrast. A shorter link makes a simpler code with bigger squares, which scans at a smaller size. Silentt Design’s free barcode generator also makes QR codes as vectors, which stay sharp at any size.
- [“The page count must be a multiple of 4”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/page-count-not-multiple-of-4/): A saddle-stitched booklet is made of sheets folded in half and stapled through the fold, and each folded sheet makes four pages, so the total has to be 8, 12, 16, 20 and so on. If yours comes to 18, the printer can only add blank pages to reach 20, or send the file back. Count every page, covers included, and add or remove pages until the total divides by four. Perfect-bound books are glued rather than stapled and follow different rules.
- [“Text is set in Registration color”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/registration-color-text/): Registration is a special swatch that prints at 100% on every plate: cyan, magenta, yellow, black and any spot colors, so 400% ink or more. It exists for crop marks, which must appear on every plate, but it looks exactly like black on screen, so it ends up on text by accident. On press, small text made of every ink at once blurs and gets colored edges. Recolor it to 100% black (K) for text, or a proper rich black for large areas.
- [“Please remove the crop marks”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/remove-crop-marks/): Many online printers want the PDF at the trim size plus bleed and nothing else: no crop marks, color bars or page information around the outside. Their system places your page automatically and adds its own marks, so marks in your file make the page the wrong size or end up printed. Export again with printer’s marks turned off but the document bleed still on, so the file keeps its 0.125 in (3 mm) of bleed.
- [“The spine width doesn’t match the page count”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/spine-width-wrong/): A paperback’s spine width is the page count multiplied by the thickness of one page, so the cover can only be finished once the interior’s final page count is known. On Amazon KDP, for example, a 240-page book on white paper has a 0.540 in spine (240 × 0.002252 in). If pages were added or cut after the cover was made, or it was sized for a different paper, recalculate the spine, change the cover’s width by the difference, and re-center the spine text. Silentt Design’s free book cover calculator works out the spine and the full cover size from the page count.
- [“The PDF has no trim box”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/trim-box-missing/): A PDF stores the finished size of each page in a trim box, and the size with bleed in a bleed box. Printers’ software reads those boxes to place and cut the job, so without a trim box it has to guess, and usually takes the whole page, bleed included, as the finished size. Export again from InDesign or Illustrator with a PDF/X preset and the document bleed turned on, which sets both boxes, or set them in Acrobat Pro’s Set Page Boxes. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker shows a PDF’s media, crop, bleed and trim boxes side by side.
- [“The PDF has comments or form fields”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/pdf-comments-form-fields/): Comments, sticky notes, highlights, stamps and fillable form fields sit on top of a PDF page as separate objects called annotations, not as part of the artwork. Whether they print depends on the software and its settings, so the printer can’t be sure what you want: a proof note might print on every copy, or the text typed into a form field might disappear. Delete anything that shouldn’t print, flatten anything that should, or best of all, export a clean PDF again from the design file.
- [“The images are heavily compressed”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/jpeg-compression-artifacts/): JPEG compression makes files smaller by throwing image detail away. At low quality settings it leaves visible blocks, smudged texture, banding in smooth areas and fuzzy halos around text and edges, and printing makes them more obvious, not less. It’s not the same as low resolution: an image can be 300 ppi and still be badly compressed. The fix is to go back to the original image or design file and export again at maximum quality, because the lost detail can’t be put back.
- [“The font can’t be embedded (license restrictions)”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/font-cant-be-embedded/): Every font file carries a setting from its maker that says whether it may be embedded in documents. When it’s set to Restricted, InDesign, Acrobat and other programs leave it out of the PDF, so the printer gets a file with a missing font and either substitutes another one or sends it back. There’s no export option that overrides it: convert that text to outlines, switch to a font that allows embedding, or get a license that does. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker shows which fonts were left out of a PDF.
- [“The PDF has no output intent (or the wrong profile)”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/output-intent-missing/): An output intent is a note inside a PDF, an ICC color profile plus its name, that says which press and paper the CMYK numbers were prepared for, such as GRACoL2013 or FOGRA39. Every PDF/X file needs one, and printers’ software uses it to proof and convert color, so a file without one fails PDF/X preflight, and one with the wrong profile can print noticeably off. Export again with a PDF/X preset and your printer’s profile set in the Output settings.
- [“There are hidden layers or objects outside the page”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/hidden-content-in-pdf/): A PDF can carry artwork nobody sees on screen: layers switched off, objects past the bleed or on the pasteboard, and old versions buried under the design. Printers flag it because their software may not treat it the way your viewer does. A hidden layer can still be set to print, and content past the bleed can show up if the job is placed with a different box. Delete what shouldn’t print, then export again with only visible, printable layers.
- [“The PDF is password protected (secured)”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/pdf-password-protected/): A password or security setting on a PDF stops the printer’s software from opening, checking or changing it. An open password locks everyone out, and a permissions password can block printing, editing or high-resolution output, which preflight and imposition need. The PDF/X print standards don’t allow encryption at all. Remove the security in Acrobat Pro, which needs the password, or export the file again with no security, and send it through the printer’s upload.
- [“The text is too small to print”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/text-too-small/): Most printers ask for text of at least 6 pt, and more for light, thin or white text, because tiny type fills in, breaks up or blurs on press, especially on uncoated paper and labels. Some set their own floor, such as Amazon KDP’s 7 pt for paperback interiors, and food labels have legal minimums. Enlarge anything under your printer’s limit, and cut or move copy so the rest fits at a size people can read. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker flags text under 5 pt in a PDF.
- [“The pages are different sizes”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/pages-different-sizes/): A print job runs every page at one finished size, so a PDF with pages that are bigger, smaller or turned sideways gets stopped: the printer can’t tell which size is right, and scaling the odd ones would shrink or crop them. It usually comes from merging files, mixing a cover or spread in with single pages, or exporting only some pages with bleed. Export every page again at the same trim size and bleed, and send covers as a separate file if the printer asks. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker warns when the pages of a PDF aren’t all one size.
- [“Please send single pages, not spreads”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/single-pages-not-spreads/): Most printers want a booklet, catalog or book as single pages in reading order, page 1 first, each with its own bleed, not as spreads with two facing pages side by side. Their software pairs the pages up for the press itself, so a file of spreads has to be cut apart before it can, which is slow and easy to get wrong. In InDesign, export again with Export As set to Pages instead of Spreads.
- [“We can’t print a ChatGPT picture of a label”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/chatgpt-label-not-print-ready/): A label from ChatGPT is a picture of a label, not a label file. It isn’t at your label’s exact size, nothing runs past the edge for bleed, the ingredients and small print are painted pixels that print soft, and the barcode is usually a drawing that won’t scan. Keep the picture as the design reference and rebuild it at the real size, with the text typed again and a real barcode. Silentt Design’s free label size calculator works out the width from your jar, bottle or tin.
- [“We need flat artwork on our dieline, not a picture of the box”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/ai-packaging-mockup-to-dieline/): An AI mock-up shows a finished box from one angle. A printer needs the box unfolded: flat artwork on their dieline, with every panel, flap and glue area in the right place and bleed past every cut. Nothing converts one into the other, so the artwork is rebuilt panel by panel on the printer’s dieline, with the mock-up as the design reference. If you have no dieline yet, Silentt Design’s free box dieline generator draws a tuck box at your size to plan on.
- [“We need your logo as a vector, not an AI-generated PNG”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/ai-logo-to-vector/): Most AI image tools hand you a logo as a PNG or JPEG: a grid of pixels, often only 1,000 to 2,000 pixels wide. Printers, sign makers, embroiderers and screen printers need a vector (AI, EPS, SVG or PDF), which is drawn from shapes and stays sharp at any size. Auto-tracing an AI logo rarely comes out clean, because its edges are soft and its letters aren’t a real font. The dependable fix is to redraw it: real type for the name, simple shapes for the mark.
- [“The text in your artwork is misspelled and can’t be edited”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/ai-text-misspelled-garbled/): Text in an AI image is painted, not typed. The tool draws shapes that look like words, so letters can be misspelled, doubled, warped or blurred, and nobody can click on them to correct a typo: not you, and not the printer. The fix is to take the painted words out of the picture and set them again as real text in a design program, then proofread against your own wording rather than the image.
- [“The image is the wrong shape and too small for this product”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/ai-art-wrong-size-for-print/): AI tools make images at their own pixel sizes and shapes, not at the size of your poster, shirt or sticker. Two things have to match the product: the shape (aspect ratio), and the pixel count, which is the print width in inches times the resolution the printer asks for. A 2048-pixel image prints about 6.8 in wide at 300 ppi, so anything bigger needs upscaling, a lower resolution if the product allows it, or a smaller print. Silentt Design’s free DPI calculator shows how large your file can print.
- [“We need the full cover with spine and back, not just a front image”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/ai-book-cover-not-print-ready/): An AI book cover is a front image, and often too small for print. A paperback needs one PDF with the back cover, spine and front cover side by side, plus 0.125 in of bleed, at 300 dpi, sized from your final page count. Work out the full size first, then extend or rebuild the artwork to fill it, and set the title, spine and back-cover text as real type. Silentt Design’s free book cover calculator gives the spine width and full cover size from KDP’s figures.
- [“The barcode and QR code in your artwork aren’t real”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/ai-image-fake-barcode-qr/): An AI image tool draws something that looks like a barcode or QR code, but it doesn’t encode your number or your link, so a scanner reads nothing. No sharpening or enlarging fixes that. Delete it and place a real code: a barcode made from your GS1-issued number, or a QR code made from your actual link, as vector artwork in black on white. Silentt Design’s free barcode generator makes both.
- [“KDP rejected my cover”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/kdp-cover-rejected/): Amazon KDP checks a paperback cover against the size it works out from your trim size, page count and paper. Most rejected covers are the wrong overall size, have a spine that doesn’t match the page count, are missing the 0.125 in (3.2 mm) bleed, or have text too close to the trim or the spine folds. Silentt Design’s free book cover calculator gives the exact cover width, height and spine width for your book, so you can resize the cover and upload one PDF that matches.
- [“KDP rejected my manuscript file”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/kdp-manuscript-rejected/): Amazon KDP sends a paperback interior back most often for three things: text or images outside its margins, a page size that doesn’t match the trim size and bleed setting you chose, or fonts that aren’t embedded in the PDF. Fix them in the program the book was made in, then export a new PDF. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker lists every font that isn’t embedded and flags text too close to the edge before you upload again.
- [“IngramSpark rejected my file”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/ingramspark-file-rejected/): IngramSpark says covers are usually rejected for too little bleed, text or logos outside the safety area, or a spine that doesn’t match its cover template. Interiors are rejected when the PDF doesn’t match the trim size or bleed, or arrives as spreads. Color files can also come back if the ink adds up to more than 240%. Silentt Design’s free print-ready checker flags RGB color, fonts that aren’t embedded and missing bleed in a PDF before you upload it again.
- [“Lulu gave me a bleed warning”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/lulu-bleed-warning/): Lulu looks for pages that are your book’s trim size plus 0.125 in (3.18 mm) on every side. If the PDF is only the trim size, Lulu adds the missing area as white, which leaves a white border that can show as thin slivers after trimming. To fix it, make every page 0.25 in wider and 0.25 in taller than the trim size and stretch backgrounds and edge-to-edge pictures out to the new edge. A 6 × 9 in book needs 6.25 × 9.25 in pages.
- [“Vistaprint says my image is low resolution”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/vistaprint-low-resolution-warning/): VistaPrint asks for images of at least 300 dpi at the size they will print. A logo saved from a website, a screenshot or a photo from social media usually has far fewer pixels than that, so it prints blurry. The fix is a bigger original or a vector version of the logo, not a higher dpi number typed into the file. Silentt Design’s free DPI calculator shows how many pixels your image needs at the size you’re printing.
- [“Canva shows a red danger zone on my design”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/canva-print-danger-zone/): Canva’s danger zone is its live print check: red means a piece of text or an element is close enough to the trim line to get cut off. Move text and logos in toward the center until the red clears, and stretch the background out to the dashed bleed border so no white edge shows after trimming. Both settings are under File → Rulers and guides: turn on Show print bleed and Show danger zone detection.
- [“Sticker Mule says my artwork is low resolution”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/sticker-mule-low-resolution-artwork/): Sticker Mule asks for vector artwork, or a raster image with at least 300 PPI at the size the sticker prints. If your file is below that, it contacts you during proofing. A 3 in sticker needs artwork about 900 pixels wide, and a logo saved from a website is often half that. The lasting fix is a vector version of the artwork, which prints sharp at any size. Silentt Design’s free DPI calculator shows how many pixels your sticker size needs.
- [“Printful shows a print quality warning on my design”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/printful-print-quality-warning/): A print quality warning on Printful means your file has too few pixels for the print area you placed it on. Printful asks for 150 to 300 DPI depending on the product: at least 150 for most apparel and large prints, and 300 for paper prints, phone cases, stickers and fine detail. The fix is a file made at the full print size, not a small one stretched to fit. Silentt Design’s free DPI calculator gives the pixel size for any print area.
- [“My design doesn’t fit MOO’s template”](https://silenttdesign.com/fix/moo-artwork-wrong-size/): MOO checks an uploaded design against three sizes: the bleed area the background must fill, the trim where the card is cut, and the safe area that text and logos must stay inside. For a standard US business card those are 3.66 × 2.16 in, 3.5 × 2 in and 3.34 × 1.84 in. A file made at exactly 3.5 × 2 in has no bleed, so the background stops short and can leave a white edge. Rebuild it at the bleed size, with nothing important outside the safe area.

## Print glossary

- [Bleed](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/bleed/): Bleed is artwork that extends past the trimmed edge of a printed piece, usually 0.125 in (3 mm) on each side, so no white edge shows after cutting.
- [Trim size](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/trim/): The trim size is the finished size of a printed piece after it has been cut, for example 3.5 × 2 in for a US business card.
- [Safe area (safe zone)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/safe-area/): The safe area is the margin inside the trim, usually at least 0.125 in (3 mm), where text and logos should stay so they are never cut off.
- [Crop marks](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/crop-marks/): Crop marks are thin lines printed outside the artwork that show exactly where the sheet should be trimmed.
- [Page boxes (trim box, bleed box)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/#page-boxes): Page boxes are invisible rectangles stored in each PDF page that tell software its sizes: the media box is the whole page, the trim box the finished size after cutting, and the bleed box the trim plus bleed.
- [CMYK](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/cmyk/): CMYK is the color model used by printing presses: cyan, magenta, yellow and black (K) inks combined to make every color.
- [RGB](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/rgb/): RGB is the color model of screens, which mix red, green and blue light; it can show brighter colors than ink can print.
- [DPI / PPI (resolution)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/dpi/): DPI or PPI is how many image pixels fall in each printed inch; about 300 is needed for sharp print at normal reading distance.
- [Vector](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/vector/): A vector graphic is made of mathematically defined lines and curves, so it can be printed at any size without losing sharpness.
- [Raster (bitmap)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/raster/): A raster image is made of pixels, like a JPEG, PNG or photo, and goes soft or blocky when enlarged beyond its resolution.
- [JPEG compression](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/#jpeg-compression): JPEG compression makes image files smaller by discarding detail the eye is least likely to notice; at high quality it is invisible, at low quality it leaves blocky artifacts.
- [Banding (gradient banding)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/banding/): Banding is when a smooth gradient prints, or shows on screen, as visible stripes or steps of color instead of a seamless blend.
- [Dieline](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/dieline/): A dieline is the template that shows where a label or box will be cut, folded and glued, supplied by the printer for the exact size and style.
- [Die cut (die cutting)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/die-cut/): Die cutting cuts printed sheets into a shape other than a plain rectangle, such as a box, a rounded card or a custom sticker, by pressing a sharp, shaped blade (the die) through them.
- [Kiss cut](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/kiss-cut/): A kiss cut cuts through the top layer of a sticker or label but not the backing paper (liner) underneath, so the piece peels off and the backing stays whole.
- [Outlined fonts](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/outlined-fonts/): Outlining a font converts each letter into a vector shape, so the text prints exactly as designed without the printer needing the font installed.
- [Embedded fonts](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/#embedded-fonts): An embedded font is stored inside a PDF, usually as a subset of only the characters used, so the text prints in the right font on a computer that doesn’t have it installed.
- [Rich black](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/rich-black/): Rich black is black made from black ink plus some cyan, magenta and yellow, such as C60 M40 Y40 K100, to print deeper than black ink alone.
- [Pantone (spot color)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/pantone/): A Pantone or spot color is a specific pre-mixed ink, printed on its own instead of being built from CMYK, for exact and consistent brand colors.
- [Process color (four-color process)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/process-color/): Process color is color printed by combining the four process inks, cyan, magenta, yellow and black, as tiny dots of each, rather than with a pre-mixed spot ink; it is how photos and most full-color print are made.
- [Duotone](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/duotone/): A duotone is a grayscale image printed with two inks, usually black and one color, each with its own tone curve, to give a photo more depth or a color tint without full-color printing.
- [PDF/X](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/pdf-x/): PDF/X is a family of PDF standards for print (PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-4 are the usual ones) that guarantees fonts are embedded and colors are print-ready.
- [Output intent](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/#output-intent): An output intent is an ICC profile and a name stored in a PDF that say which printing condition, the press and paper, its CMYK colors were prepared for, such as GRACoL2013 or FOGRA39.
- [PDF layers (optional content)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/#pdf-layers): PDF layers, called optional content in the PDF standard, are groups of page content that can be shown or hidden, each with its own settings for screen, print and export.
- [Total ink coverage (TAC)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/total-ink/): Total ink coverage, or total area coverage (TAC), is the sum of the cyan, magenta, yellow and black percentages at the darkest point of a print file.
- [Point size (pt)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/#point-size): Point size is the size of type, measured in points of 1/72 inch (about 0.35 mm); it measures the font’s whole body rather than any one letter, so 6 pt type has lowercase letters only about 1 mm tall.
- [Hairline](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/#hairline): A hairline is a line so thin it may print faintly or not at all; most printers want lines at least 0.25 pt (about 0.09 mm) thick.
- [Linked images (links)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/#links): Linked images are pictures placed in a layout file, such as InDesign or Illustrator, as references to separate image files rather than stored inside it.
- [Transparency flattening](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/#flattening): Flattening turns transparent effects such as drop shadows, glows, opacity and blending modes into solid, non-transparent pieces that any print system can process.
- [Overprint](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/overprint/): Overprint means an object is printed on top of the colors beneath it instead of leaving a gap for it, so the inks mix.
- [Knockout](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/knockout/): A knockout is the gap left in the colors underneath an object, so that object prints on clean paper in its own true color.
- [White ink (white underbase)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/white-ink/): White ink is an extra layer printed under or alongside the colors on clear, metallic, kraft or dark materials, because CMYK inks are see-through and include no white.
- [Foil (hot foil stamping)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/foil/): Foil is a thin metallic or colored film transferred onto a printed piece, by a heated metal die (hot foil) or onto a printed adhesive or toner (cold and digital foil), for shiny gold, silver or copper details.
- [Spot UV](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/spot-uv/): Spot UV is a clear, glossy varnish applied only to chosen areas of a printed piece and cured with ultraviolet light, so those areas shine against a matte background.
- [Aqueous and UV coating](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/aqueous-coating/): Aqueous coating is a clear, water-based coating applied over a printed sheet to protect it from scuffs and fingerprints; UV coating is a thicker, glossier liquid coating hardened instantly by ultraviolet light.
- [Lamination](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/lamination/): Lamination bonds a thin plastic film to a printed sheet, usually in gloss, matte or soft-touch, to protect it from wear, moisture and tearing and to change how it looks and feels.
- [Varnish (press varnish)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/varnish/): A varnish is a clear coating printed by the press like an ink, over a whole sheet (flood varnish) or only chosen areas (spot varnish), in gloss, satin or matte, to protect the print or add contrast.
- [Embossing and debossing](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/embossing/): Embossing presses a design up from the back of the paper so it stands out in relief; debossing presses it down into the front. Both use a pair of shaped metal dies.
- [Quiet zone](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/quiet-zone/): The quiet zone is the blank margin a barcode or QR code needs around it, with nothing printed inside, so a scanner can tell where the code starts and ends.
- [Print-ready](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/print-ready/): A print-ready file is one a printer can print exactly as it is, with nothing to fix: the right size with bleed, CMYK color, full-resolution images and embedded or outlined fonts.
- [Preflight](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/preflight/): Preflight is the automated check a printer or designer runs on a print file before printing, looking for problems such as missing fonts, low-resolution images, RGB color and missing bleed.
- [Offset printing (offset lithography)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/offset-printing/): Offset printing transfers ink from a metal plate to a rubber blanket and then onto the paper, with a separate plate for each ink; it is the usual process for long runs of brochures, books, catalogs and packaging.
- [Digital printing](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/digital-printing/): Digital printing prints straight from the file with toner or inkjet, without plates, so every sheet can be different and short runs are quick and affordable.
- [Registration](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/registration/): Registration is how precisely the separate ink plates (cyan, magenta, yellow, black and any spot colors) line up on the sheet; when they don’t, edges show color fringes and small type blurs.
- [Trapping](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/trapping/): Trapping is a slight overlap added where two colors meet, so that if the ink plates shift a little on press, no white gap of bare paper shows between them.
- [Halftone](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/halftone/): A halftone reproduces a photo or tint as a pattern of tiny dots that vary in size or spacing, because a press can only print each ink as solid or not at all.
- [Dot gain](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/dot-gain/): Dot gain is when halftone dots print larger than they are in the file, as ink spreads into the paper, so tones and photos print darker than they look on screen.
- [LPI (lines per inch, screen ruling)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/lpi/): LPI, lines per inch, is the screen ruling of a halftone: how many rows of dots fit in an inch, so a higher lpi gives finer, smoother photos and tints.
- [Moiré pattern](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/moire/): A moiré is an unwanted wavy or checkered pattern that appears when two fine, regular patterns overlap at slightly different angles or spacing, such as halftone screens or the dots of a scanned printed picture.
- [Proof](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/proof/): A proof is a final preview of a print job, as a PDF or a physical print, that you check and approve before the full run is printed.
- [Substrate](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/substrate/): A substrate is the material a design is printed on, such as paper, card, vinyl, film, fabric, corrugated board, metal or acrylic.
- [Coated vs uncoated paper](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/coated-uncoated/): Coated paper has a smooth, sealed surface (gloss, silk or matte) that holds ink on top for sharp, bright print; uncoated paper is porous, so ink soaks in and colors look softer.
- [GSM (paper weight)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/gsm/): GSM, grams per square meter, is the weight of a paper and a rough guide to its thickness: about 80–100 gsm for office paper, 130–170 gsm for flyers and 350–400 gsm for business cards.
- [Caliper (paper thickness)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/caliper/): Caliper is the thickness of a single sheet of paper or card, measured in points or mils (thousandths of an inch) or in microns, such as 14 pt for a business card.
- [Grain direction](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/grain-direction/): Grain direction is the way most of the fibers in a sheet of paper line up; paper folds, bends and tears more easily along the grain than across it.
- [Scoring (creasing)](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/scoring/): Scoring presses a straight crease line into paper or card before it is folded, so the fold is clean and the surface and ink don’t crack along it.
- [Perforation](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/perforation/): A perforation is a line of small cuts punched through paper or card so that part of it can be torn off cleanly by hand, such as a coupon, ticket stub or reply card.
- [Imposition](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/imposition/): Imposition is how the printer arranges pages or copies on a large press sheet so that, once printed, folded and cut, everything ends up in the right order and position.
- [Reader spreads and printer spreads](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/#spreads): A reader spread is two facing pages as a reader sees them, such as pages 2 and 3; a printer spread pairs pages the way they print on a sheet that gets folded, such as pages 8 and 1 of an 8-page booklet.
- [Saddle stitch](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/saddle-stitch/): Saddle stitching binds a booklet by folding sheets in half, nesting them inside each other and stapling through the fold, so the page count must be a multiple of 4.
- [Perfect binding](https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/perfect-binding/): Perfect binding glues the pages of a book or catalog into a wraparound cover at the spine, giving a square, flat spine that can carry printed text, like a paperback.
All terms: https://silenttdesign.com/glossary/

## Standard print sizes (one page each)

- [Business card sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/business-card/): A standard US and Canadian business card is 3.5 × 2 inches (88.9 × 50.8 mm). Most of Europe uses 85 × 55 mm, and Australia 90 × 55 mm. Set the file up with 0.125 in (3 mm) bleed on every side, which makes a US card 3.75 × 2.25 in, or 1125 × 675 pixels at 300 ppi, and keep text at least 0.125 in inside the cut.
- [Flyer sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/flyer/): The most common flyer in the US is letter size, 8.5 × 11 in. Half letter (5.5 × 8.5 in) and quarter page (4.25 × 5.5 in) are the cheaper hand-outs, and tabloid (11 × 17 in) doubles as a small poster. Elsewhere flyers are A4 (210 × 297 mm), A5 (148 × 210 mm) and A6 (105 × 148 mm). With 0.125 in bleed, a letter flyer is set up at 8.75 × 11.25 in, 2625 × 3375 pixels at 300 ppi.
- [Poster sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/poster/): Standard US poster sizes are 11 × 17, 12 × 18, 18 × 24 and 24 × 36 inches, and 27 × 40 in for movie one-sheets. In A-size countries they are A3 (297 × 420 mm), A2 (420 × 594 mm), A1 (594 × 841 mm) and A0 (841 × 1189 mm). A 24 × 36 in poster is 7200 × 10800 pixels at 300 ppi, but 150 ppi (3600 × 5400 px) is enough for anything viewed from more than an arm’s length.
- [Postcard sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/postcard/): The standard postcard is 4 × 6 in. USPS only charges the cheaper postcard price for cards from 3.5 × 5 in up to 4.25 × 6 in, 0.007 to 0.016 in thick; larger cards such as 5 × 7, 6 × 9 and 6 × 11 in mail at letter prices. In A-size countries the postcard is A6, 105 × 148 mm. With 0.125 in bleed, a 4 × 6 card is set up at 4.25 × 6.25 in, 1275 × 1875 pixels at 300 ppi.
- [Brochure sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/brochure/): The most common brochure is a letter tri-fold: an 11 × 8.5 in sheet folded into three panels, two of 3.6875 in and an inside flap of 3.625 in, so it closes flat. Other standard sizes are the legal tri-fold (14 × 8.5 in), the letter bi-fold (folds to 5.5 × 8.5 in) and the tabloid bi-fold (11 × 17 in, folds to 8.5 × 11). In A-size countries an A4 tri-fold folds to DL, 99 × 210 mm.
- [Rack card sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/rack-card/): The standard rack card is 4 × 9 in (101.6 × 228.6 mm), printed on both sides and made to stand upright in a brochure rack. Some printers also offer a slimmer 3.5 × 8.5 in card for narrower pockets. In A-size countries the equivalent is DL, 99 × 210 mm, a third of an A4 sheet. With 0.125 in of bleed on every side, a 4 × 9 in card is set up at 4.25 × 9.25 in, 1275 × 2775 pixels at 300 ppi, with text kept 0.125 in inside the trim.
- [Door hanger sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/door-hanger/): Common door hanger sizes are 3.5 × 8.5 in and 4.25 × 11 in, and many printers offer 4 × 9 in as well. Each has a die-cut hole near the top, usually with a slit so it slips over a handle; the hole comes from the printer’s die, often 1.25 in across but larger at some printers, so design the top on their template. With 0.125 in of bleed, a 3.5 × 8.5 in hanger is set up at 3.75 × 8.75 in, 1125 × 2625 pixels at 300 ppi.
- [Banner sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/banner/): Common vinyl banner sizes are 2 × 4, 2 × 6, 3 × 6, 3 × 8 and 4 × 8 ft (height × width). Retractable (roll-up) banners show about 33 × 80 in, plus extra at the bottom that rolls into the base; the exact print size depends on the stand. Banners are read from a distance, so 100 to 150 ppi at full size is enough: a 3 × 6 ft banner at 150 ppi is 10800 × 5400 pixels.
- [Paper sizes (A4, letter and more)](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/paper/): A4 is 210 × 297 mm (8.27 × 11.69 in) and US letter is 8.5 × 11 in (215.9 × 279.4 mm). Each A size is half the one before it with the same proportions, from A0 (841 × 1189 mm, one square meter) down to A8. The US and Canada use letter, legal (8.5 × 14 in) and tabloid (11 × 17 in) instead. At 300 ppi, A4 is 2480 × 3508 pixels and letter is 2550 × 3300.
- [Book trim sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/book-trim/): The most common trim size for paperbacks in the US is 6 × 9 in, with 5.5 × 8.5 in and 5 × 8 in for novels and memoirs; mass-market paperbacks are about 4.25 × 6.87 in, and workbooks 8.5 × 11 in. In the UK the standard paperback formats are A-format (110 × 178 mm), B-format (129 × 198 mm) and Demy (138 × 216 mm). The cover is bigger than the trim: back, spine and front side by side, plus bleed, with a spine set by the page count and paper.
- [Envelope sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/envelope/): The standard US business envelope is the #10, 4.125 × 9.5 in, which holds a letter sheet folded in three. Cards and invitations use A-style envelopes: A2 (4.375 × 5.75 in) for 4.25 × 5.5 in cards and A7 (5.25 × 7.25 in) for 5 × 7 cards. In ISO countries, DL (110 × 220 mm) holds an A4 sheet folded in three, C5 (162 × 229 mm) an A4 folded once, and C4 (229 × 324 mm) a flat A4.
- [Letterhead and stationery sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/letterhead/): Letterhead is printed on letter paper, 8.5 × 11 in, in the US and Canada, and on A4, 210 × 297 mm, almost everywhere else. Smaller executive (Monarch) letterhead is 7.25 × 10.5 in. The matching envelope is a #10 (4.125 × 9.5 in) for letter, DL (110 × 220 mm) for A4 and Monarch (3.875 × 7.5 in) for Monarch sheets, each folded in three; compliment slips are DL size, 210 × 99 mm. A letter page is 2550 × 3300 pixels at 300 ppi, or 2625 × 3375 with 0.125 in of bleed for color to the edge.
- [Menu sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/menu/): Most restaurant menus are printed on letter (8.5 × 11 in), legal (8.5 × 14 in) or tabloid (11 × 17 in) sheets; a tabloid sheet folded in half makes a four-page 8.5 × 11 in menu. Drink, dessert and specials menus are often 4.25 × 11 in or half letter (5.5 × 8.5 in), and takeaway menus are usually legal tri-folds. In A-size countries menus are A4, A3 folded to A4, or A5. Add 0.125 in (3 mm) of bleed: a letter menu is set up at 8.75 × 11.25 in.
- [Sticker sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/sticker/): There is no single standard sticker size, but the usual ones are 2, 3 and 4 in circles and squares, and rectangles such as 3 × 2 and 4 × 2 in; in metric countries, 50, 75 and 100 mm. The size is measured on the cut line, die-cut or kiss-cut. Printers usually ask for 0.0625 to 0.125 in (about 1.5 to 3 mm) of artwork past the cut, with text the same distance inside it. A 3 in sticker is 900 × 900 pixels at 300 ppi, or 975 × 975 with 0.125 in of bleed.
- [Product label sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/label/): Product labels have no standard sizes: the right size is whatever fits your container, so measure it. A wrap label is the distance around the container (π × the diameter) less a small gap so the ends don’t meet unevenly, by the height of the flat area between the shoulder and the base. A jar 3 in across is about 9.42 in around, so with a 0.25 in gap the label is about 9.17 in long. Common front labels are 2 or 3 in rounds and 3 × 2 or 4 × 3 in rectangles. On sheets, an Avery 5160 label is 1 × 2⅝ in, 30 to a sheet.
- [Table tent sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/table-tent/): The most common table tent has two 4 × 6 in faces; 4.25 × 6 and 5 × 7 in are also standard. Those are folded sizes, and the printed sheet is longer: a tent folded once at the top is two faces end to end, 4 × 12 in flat for a 4 × 6 tent, while a tent with a base flap that tucks underneath is scored twice and cut from a longer sheet, 4 × 16.25 in at some printers. A 4 × 6 in face is 1200 × 1800 pixels at 300 ppi, or 1275 × 1875 with 0.125 in of bleed.
- [Yard sign sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/yard-sign/): The standard yard sign is 18 × 24 in, portrait, printed on 4 mm corrugated plastic and held up by a wire H-stake about 10 in wide and 30 in tall. 24 × 18 in is the same sign in landscape, 12 × 18 in suits close-range notices and 24 × 36 in busier roads. The flutes must run vertically so the stake slides into them. Signs are read from a distance, so 100 to 150 ppi at full size is enough: an 18 × 24 in sign is 2700 × 3600 pixels at 150 ppi.
- [Car magnet sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/car-magnet/): The usual car magnet sizes are 12 × 18 in and 12 × 24 in, which fit most car and SUV doors, and 18 × 24 in for larger doors on vans and trucks; 24 × 36 in is the largest standard size at many printers. They are cut from 30 mil magnetic sheet, usually with rounded corners that resist lifting at speed. Measure the flat part of the door first, because a magnet over a crease or handle lifts. A 12 × 24 in magnet is 7200 × 3600 pixels at 300 ppi, or 7275 × 3675 with 0.125 in of bleed.
- [Billboard sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/billboard/): The standard US billboard, the bulletin, is 14 ft high × 48 ft wide, printed on 15 × 49 ft vinyl with 6 in of bleed on every side. A 30-sheet poster shows 10 ft 5 in × 22 ft 8 in, and an 8-sheet (junior) poster 5 × 11 ft. Files are built at scale: the OAAA’s production spec puts a bulletin at 1 in = 1 ft, a 49 × 15 in file at 216 to 240 ppi, which is about 20 ppi at full size. Digital billboards mostly take 1400 × 400 or 840 × 400 pixels.
- [T-shirt print sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/t-shirt/): There is no single standard, but many printers make an adult full-front print about 12 × 14 in (width × height) and others 11 × 11 in, starting 3 to 4 in below the collar. A full back is also about 12 × 14 in, a left-chest logo 3.5 to 4.5 in wide, and a short-sleeve print about 3 in. A youth shirt takes a front print of about 9 × 9 in. These are conventions that vary by garment and printer. Supply the art at the size it prints, vector or 300 ppi: a 12 × 14 in front is 3600 × 4200 pixels.
- [Greeting card and invitation sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/greeting-card/): Greeting cards and invitations are named after the envelopes they fit: an A2 card is 4.25 × 5.5 in, an A6 card 4.5 × 6.25 in and an A7 card 5 × 7 in, each a little smaller than its envelope so it slides in. Square cards are usually 5.5 × 5.5 or 6 × 6 in. Those are finished sizes; a folded card is printed flat at twice the width, so a 5 × 7 in folded card is a 10 × 7 in sheet. With 0.125 in of bleed, a flat 5 × 7 in invitation is set up at 5.25 × 7.25 in, 1575 × 2175 pixels at 300 ppi.
- [Presentation folder sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/presentation-folder/): The standard presentation folder is 9 × 12 in closed, which holds letter and A4 sheets with a little room to spare, with two pockets about 4 in deep inside and a slit for a business card on one or both. Legal folders are 9 × 14.5 in, and A4 folders are about 220 × 310 mm closed, varying by maker. The print file is the flat die, covers and pockets in one piece, and its size and shape differ between printers, so place the artwork on the printer’s die template. One 9 × 12 in cover is 2700 × 3600 pixels at 300 ppi.
- [Bookmark sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/bookmark/): The most common bookmark is 2 × 6 in, and 2 × 7 and 2 × 8 in are standard at many printers; slimmer 1.5 × 6 and 1.5 × 7 in bookmarks are offered too. In the UK, 52 × 148 mm and 52 × 210 mm are common, and some printers cut 55 or 60 mm widths. Bookmarks are usually printed on both sides of heavy card, with an optional hole for a tassel or ribbon. With 0.125 in of bleed, a 2 × 6 in bookmark is set up at 2.25 × 6.25 in, 675 × 1875 pixels at 300 ppi.
- [Hang tag sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/hang-tag/): The most common hang tag is 2 × 3.5 in, a business card turned upright; 2 × 4 in is standard too, often for outerwear, and printers also offer about 2 × 2, 2.5 × 4.5 and 3 × 5 in. The hole is drilled or die-cut by the printer: 1/8 in suits thread and fine elastic and 3/16 in twine, ribbon or plastic fasteners, with 1/4 and 5/16 in at some printers, usually at the top center, left or right. With 0.125 in of bleed, a 2 × 3.5 in tag is set up at 2.25 × 3.75 in, 675 × 1125 pixels at 300 ppi.
- [Calendar sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/calendar/): The most common printed wall calendar has 11 × 8.5 in pages (a letter sheet turned sideways) bound along the long edge, so it hangs open at 11 × 17 in, with the picture above and the month below. Portrait 8.5 × 11 in pages open to 8.5 × 22 in, square 12 × 12 in calendars to 12 × 24 in, and in A-size countries A4 landscape pages open to A3. Desk tent calendars vary by maker: about 8.5 × 5.5 and 7 × 4.25 in are common, or A5. An 11 × 8.5 in page is 3375 × 2625 pixels at 300 ppi with 0.125 in of bleed.
- [Wine label sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/wine-label/): There’s no single standard wine label: the size comes from the bottle. On a 750 ml Bordeaux bottle (straight sides, about 3 in across) front labels are usually 3.5 to 4 in wide by 3.5 to 4 in tall, and back labels 3 to 4 in wide by 3.5 to 4.5 in tall. A Burgundy bottle, with sloping shoulders and about 3.25 in across, takes a similar front, at most a little wider. A 3.5 × 4 in front label is 1050 × 1200 pixels at 300 ppi, or 1125 × 1275 with 0.125 in of bleed. Measure the flat band of your own bottle before you design.
- [Beer label sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/beer-label/): A 12 oz longneck beer bottle usually takes a label about 4 in wide by 3.25 to 3.5 in tall; Bottle Your Brand calls 4 × 3.5 in the most common size. Labels for a standard 12 oz can (about 2.6 in across) wrap nearly all the way round, at about 8 in wide by 3.5 in tall, and a 16 oz can takes about 8 × 5 in. Printers differ by up to half an inch, so measure your container. A 4 × 3.5 in bottle label is 1200 × 1050 pixels at 300 ppi, or 1275 × 1125 with 0.125 in of bleed.
- [Water bottle label sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/water-bottle-label/): A 16.9 oz (500 ml) water bottle usually takes a wrap label 8 to 8.25 in long by 2 in tall: the bottle is about 7.75 in around, and the extra quarter to half inch overlaps at the back. Some bottles have a shorter straight section, and some printers sell 8.25 × 1.75 in. A 12 oz bottle also takes about 8 × 2 in, a 20 oz bottle 8.5 × 3 in and a 1 L bottle 9.5 × 3.5 in. An 8 × 2 in label is 2400 × 600 pixels at 300 ppi, or 2475 × 675 with 0.125 in of bleed.
- [Candle label sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/candle-label/): A common 8 oz candle tin, about 3 in across, takes a side wrap of about 9.75 × 1.25 in (CandleScience lists 10 × 1.25 in for its tin) and a 2.5 in round label on the lid. A 9 oz straight-sided jar takes a wrap of about 7.75 × 2.25 in, or a front label of about 3 × 2 in or a 2.5 in round, with a 2 in round label underneath for the warnings. Jars vary by maker, so measure yours. A 3 × 2 in front label is 900 × 600 pixels at 300 ppi, or 975 × 675 with 0.125 in of bleed.
- [Jar label sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/jar-label/): A regular-mouth mason jar lid (70 mm, about 2.75 in) takes a 2 in round label, and a wide-mouth lid (86 mm, about 3.38 in) a 2.5 in round, which leaves the band room to screw on. On the front, 2 or 2.5 in rounds fit half-pint (8 oz) and pint (16 oz) jars; an upright 2 × 3.5 in label fits only a quart. A 4 oz spice jar, about 2 in across, takes a 2 in round or square. A 2 in round label is 600 × 600 pixels at 300 ppi, or 675 × 675 with 0.125 in of bleed.
- [Mailer box sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/mailer-box/): There is no single standard mailer box, but suppliers’ charts keep returning to a few inside sizes: about 6 × 4 × 3 in for jewelry and cosmetics, 8 × 6 × 3 to 9 × 6 × 4 in for small gift sets, 10 × 8 × 4 in for bundles, and 12 × 9 × 2 to 12 × 10 × 4 in for folded clothing. Mailer sizes are inside length × width × depth, measured where the product sits. The printed sheet is the flat dieline, with the lid, walls, tuck flap and dust flaps in one piece, so it is far larger than the box; get it from the box maker for your size and board. A 10 × 8 in lid is 3000 × 2400 pixels at 300 ppi.
- [Shipping box sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/shipping-box/): Corrugated shipping boxes are sold by inside size, length × width × depth, where length and width are the opening and depth is the height. Stock sizes run from small cubes to large cartons: Uline’s cube boxes alone go from 3 to 36 in, and everyday sizes include 8 × 6 × 4, 12 × 9 × 6, 12 × 10 × 8, 12 × 12 × 12, 16 × 12 × 8 and 18 × 12 × 12 in. USPS’s own Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes come in fixed sizes, such as the 11 × 8.5 × 5.5 in top-loading Medium box. A printed box is made from the box maker’s flat dieline; the long side of a 12 × 9 × 6 in box is 3600 × 1800 pixels at 300 ppi.
- [Tuck box and product carton sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/tuck-box/): Tuck end boxes (folding cartons) are nearly always made to fit the product, so there is no standard size: the inside is the product’s width, depth and height plus a little clearance. Stock cartons show the usual range: Uline sells white reverse tuck cartons from 2 × 2 × 4 in to 4 × 4 × 6 in for small bottles, jars and samples, and a lip gloss carton can be as small as 30 × 20 × 92 mm. Sizes are inside length × width × depth. The printed piece is the flat dieline, with four panels, the glue flap, tucks and dust flaps, so make it from the inside size on the box maker’s template or the free box dieline generator. A 3 × 6 in front panel is 900 × 1800 pixels at 300 ppi.
- [Stand-up pouch sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/stand-up-pouch/): Stand-up pouches are sold by width × height × bottom gusset, and the fill they hold depends on the product’s density. 4OVER4’s size guide gives about 3.5 × 5 × 2 in for 1 oz, 4 × 6 × 2.5 in for 2 oz, 5 × 8 × 3 in for 4 oz, 6 × 9 × 3.5 in for 8 oz, 8 × 12 × 4 in for 1 lb of whole-bean coffee and 9 × 14 × 4.5 in for 2 lb; ePac’s standard sizes include 4 × 6 × 2, 5 × 8 × 3 and 6 × 9 × 3 in. A dense product fits a smaller pouch than a bulky one, so test-fill a sample. A 5 × 8 in face is 1500 × 2400 pixels at 300 ppi.
- [Pizza box sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/pizza-box/): Pizza boxes are square and named by their inside size: the common ones are 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 in, about 2 in deep, with 7 in boxes for personal pizzas and 20 to 24 in boxes for the largest. Uline’s stock white pizza boxes, for example, are 12 × 12 × 2, 14 × 14 × 2 and 16 × 16 × 2 in. A box is larger than the pizza it holds, and suppliers pair sizes differently, so measure your largest pizza out of the oven. The printed piece is the box maker’s flat die-cut sheet; a 16 in lid is 4800 × 4800 pixels at 300 ppi.
All sizes: https://silenttdesign.com/sizes/

## Free print templates (PDF and SVG, no sign-up)

- [2 in round label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/round-label-template-2in/): set up at 2.25 × 2.25 in with 0.125 in bleed. A 2 in circle fits a regular-mouth jar lid and the bottom of most 8–9 oz candle jars, where the warnings go.
- [2.5 in round label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/round-label-template-2-5in/): set up at 2.75 × 2.75 in with 0.125 in bleed. A 2.5 in circle fits a wide-mouth jar lid, the lid of an 8 oz candle tin and the front of a pint jar.
- [3 in round label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/round-label-template-3in/): set up at 3.25 × 3.25 in with 0.125 in bleed. A 3 in circle is a common size for product fronts, box and bag seals, and round stickers.
- [3 × 2 in label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/label-template-3x2/): set up at 3.25 × 2.25 in with 0.125 in bleed. A 3 × 2 in rectangle is a common front label for 8–9 oz candle jars and for small jars, bottles and tins.
- [4 × 3 in label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/label-template-4x3/): set up at 4.25 × 3.25 in with 0.125 in bleed. A 4 × 3 in rectangle suits larger jars and bottles, pouches, bags and the sides of boxes.
- [Wine label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/wine-label-template/): set up at 3.75 × 4.25 in with 0.125 in bleed. A 3.5 × 4 in front label is common on Bordeaux and Burgundy bottles; back labels usually run 3 to 4 in wide.
- [12 oz beer label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/beer-label-template-12oz/): set up at 4.25 × 3.75 in with 0.125 in bleed. A 4 × 3.5 in front label for the 12 oz longneck, the most common beer bottle.
- [12 oz can wrap label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/beer-can-label-template-12oz/): set up at 8.25 × 3.75 in with 0.125 in bleed. A full wrap for a standard 12 oz can. Printers ask for anything from 7.75 to 8.125 in wide, so check yours before you design.
- [Water bottle label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/water-bottle-label-template/): set up at 8.25 × 2.25 in with 0.125 in bleed. The usual wrap label for a 16.9 oz (500 ml) water bottle, also used on 12 oz bottles.
- [8 oz candle tin label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/candle-tin-label-template-8oz/): set up at 10 × 1.5 in with 0.125 in bleed. A side wrap for an 8 oz candle tin. Tins differ by maker (CandleScience lists 10 × 1.25 in for theirs), so measure yours.
- [Candle jar label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/candle-jar-label-template/): set up at 8 × 2.5 in with 0.125 in bleed. A partial wrap for a 9 oz straight-sided candle jar. Avery uses the same size for a 16 oz apothecary jar.
- [Jar wrap label template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/jar-label-template-wrap/): set up at 9.42 × 2.75 in with 0.125 in bleed. A full wrap for a jar 3 in across: 9.42 in around, less a 0.25 in gap where the ends meet. Other jars: the label size calculator works it out.
- [Hang tag template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/hang-tag-template/): set up at 2.25 × 3.75 in with 0.125 in bleed. A 2 × 3.5 in tag, the most common hang tag size, for clothing, candles, gifts and handmade goods. Front and back.
- [2 × 2 × 4 in tuck box template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/tuck-box-template-2x2x4/): reverse tuck end dieline, inside 2 × 2 × 4 in, 8.572 × 10.072 in flat. A stock carton size for small bottles, jars, tubes and samples: Uline sells it plain as a reverse tuck carton.
- [3 × 3 × 4 in tuck box template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/tuck-box-template-3x3x4/): reverse tuck end dieline, inside 3 × 3 × 4 in, 12.572 × 12.554 in flat. A stock carton size for jars, candles and small gifts: Uline sells it plain as a reverse tuck carton.
- [3 × 3 × 6 in tuck box template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/tuck-box-template-3x3x6/): reverse tuck end dieline, inside 3 × 3 × 6 in, 12.572 × 14.554 in flat. A taller stock carton for bottles and tall jars: Uline sells it plain as a reverse tuck carton.
- [4 × 4 × 4 in tuck box template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/tuck-box-template-4x4x4/): reverse tuck end dieline, inside 4 × 4 × 4 in, 16.572 × 14.554 in flat. A cube carton for jar candles and gift sets: Uline sells it plain as a reverse tuck carton.
- [4 × 4 × 6 in tuck box template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/tuck-box-template-4x4x6/): reverse tuck end dieline, inside 4 × 4 × 6 in, 16.572 × 16.554 in flat. The largest of the common stock tuck cartons, for bigger bottles and jars: Uline sells it plain in 0.024 in chipboard.
- [Candle box template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/candle-box-template/): reverse tuck end dieline, inside 3.25 × 3.25 × 3.69 in, 13.572 × 12.744 in flat. A carton for a straight-sided candle tumbler: CandleScience sizes its paperboard tumbler box at 3.25 in wide and 3.69 in tall, which fits a jar without its lid. Add height for a lid.
- [Lip gloss box template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/lip-gloss-box-template/): reverse tuck end dieline, inside 30 × 20 × 92 mm, 114.8 × 153.8 mm flat. A small cosmetic carton, the size of the lip gloss carton we made for Beautie Inc, with the ingredients and a scannable barcode on a 20 mm side.
- [Business card template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/business-card-template/): set up at 3.75 × 2.25 in with 0.125 in bleed. The standard business card in the US and Canada, front and back.
- [85 × 55 mm business card template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/business-card-template-85x55mm/): set up at 91 × 61 mm with 3 mm bleed. The standard business card in most of Europe, front and back.
- [4 × 6 in postcard template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/postcard-template-4x6/): set up at 6.25 × 4.25 in with 0.125 in bleed. The standard postcard, inside the largest size the USPS mails at the postcard rate (4.25 × 6 in).
- [5 × 7 in card template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/5x7-card-template/): set up at 5.25 × 7.25 in with 0.125 in bleed. A common size for invitations, announcements, thank-you cards and small flyers. It mails at the letter price.
- [Letter flyer template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/flyer-template-8-5x11/): set up at 8.75 × 11.25 in with 0.125 in bleed. The US letter flyer, which is also the most common single-page menu size.
- [A5 flyer template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/a5-flyer-template/): set up at 154 × 216 mm with 3 mm bleed. Half of A4: the usual small flyer and leaflet outside North America, and a common menu size.
- [Rack card template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/rack-card-template/): set up at 4.25 × 9.25 in with 0.125 in bleed. The standard rack card, sized for brochure racks in hotels, visitor centers and waiting rooms.
- [Tri-fold brochure template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/tri-fold-brochure-template/): set up at 11.25 × 8.75 in with 0.125 in bleed. A letter sheet folded into three panels, about 3.69 × 8.5 in folded, with the inside flap made narrower so it closes flat.
- [Tri-fold menu template](https://silenttdesign.com/templates/tri-fold-menu-template/): set up at 14.25 × 8.75 in with 0.125 in bleed. A legal sheet folded in three, about 4.69 × 8.5 in folded: the usual takeaway menu.
All templates: https://silenttdesign.com/templates/

## Blog

- [Illustrator for print: package the file, outline fonts, export](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/illustrator-package-outline-fonts-for-print/): How to package an Illustrator file for print: raster effects at 300 ppi, fonts and links collected, outlined type on a copy, and a PDF/X to send.
- [Vinyl banner hem and grommet layout, with pole pockets](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/vinyl-banner-hems-grommets-setup/): Banner hem and grommet layout for vinyl banners: grommet spacing, edge clearance, pole pocket sizes, resolution, and what to tell the print shop.
- [Vehicle wrap design file setup: what installers need to print](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/vehicle-wrap-design-file-setup/): Vehicle wrap design file setup for print and sign shops: templates, 1:10 scale, bleed, panel overlap, keeping text off handles and seams, and proofs.
- [How to brief a print designer: what to send, what you can skip](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/how-to-brief-a-print-designer/): How to brief a print designer for a flyer, menu, card or label: the ten things to send, a copy-and-paste brief, what to leave out, what causes revisions.
- [Kiss-cut vs die-cut stickers: the difference, and the cut line](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/kiss-cut-vs-die-cut-stickers/): Kiss-cut vs die-cut stickers explained, plus how to draw the cut line: offset, bleed past the cut, minimum gaps, spot color names and white ink on clear.
- [Pantone vs CMYK: which your brand colors need, and when](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/pantone-vs-cmyk-brand-colors/): Pantone vs CMYK for brand colors: how spot and process color differ, which jobs need Pantone, why some colors can't be matched in CMYK, and how to spec it.
- [Bleed, trim and safe zone explained, with common print sizes](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/bleed-trim-safe-zone-explained/): Bleed, trim and safe zone explained for print shops, with standard US sizes and 0.125 in bleed for business cards, postcards, flyers, brochures and more.
- [Tri-fold brochure panel sizes: exact widths for letter, legal, A4](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/tri-fold-brochure-panel-sizes/): Tri-fold brochure panel sizes for 8.5 × 11, 8.5 × 14, 11 × 17 and A4, why the fold-in panel is narrower, which panel goes where and how to set up the file.
- [How to export a print-ready PDF from Canva, step by step](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/canva-print-ready-pdf/): How to make a print-ready PDF in Canva: set the trim size, turn on print bleed, export PDF Print with crop marks, choose CMYK, and check it before sending.
- [White-label design for print shops: how it works, what it costs](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/white-label-design-for-print-shops/): White-label design for print shops explained: how it works, what it costs versus hiring, how to price it to customers, and what to look for in a partner.
- [What print-ready means: a 7-point file checklist for print shops](https://silenttdesign.com/blog/print-ready-file-checklist/): A print-ready file checklist for print shops: bleed, CMYK and spot colors, 300 ppi, fonts, dielines, ink coverage and packaging, and how to check each.