Car magnet sizes: door signs for cars, vans and trucks
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.
Car magnet sizes: dimensions, bleed and pixels
Bleed is 0.125 in on every side for inch sizes and 3 mm for metric ones. Pixels are rounded to the nearest whole pixel.
| Size | Inches | Millimeters | With bleed | Pixels at 300 ppi (with bleed) | Notes and template |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 × 18 in | 18 × 12 in | 457.2 × 304.8 mm | 18.25 × 12.25 in | 5,400 × 3,600 px 5,475 × 3,675 px | |
| 12 × 24 in | 24 × 12 in | 609.6 × 304.8 mm | 24.25 × 12.25 in | 7,200 × 3,600 px 7,275 × 3,675 px | Some printers print 11 × 23 in of it |
| 18 × 24 in | 24 × 18 in | 609.6 × 457.2 mm | 24.25 × 18.25 in | 7,200 × 5,400 px 7,275 × 5,475 px | |
| 24 × 36 in | 36 × 24 in | 914.4 × 609.6 mm | 36.25 × 24.25 in | 10,800 × 7,200 px 10,875 × 7,275 px | Largest standard size at many printers |
Measure the door first
A magnet holds only where it lies flat on steel. Body lines, creases, curves, handles and trim all cut into the usable area, and a magnet that bridges any of them lets air under it and can lift at highway speed. Measure the flat part of each door, leave at least 1 in clear on every side, and choose the largest standard size that fits; a paper cut-out taped to the door shows it before you order. The sizes in the table are width × height as the magnet sits on the door.
Magnets don’t stick to aluminum, fiberglass or plastic panels, which some vans and trucks have. Check each door with a fridge magnet. On those vehicles, a vinyl decal or wrap does the job instead.
Corners, margins and the file
Car magnets are usually 30 mil thick, and most printers offer rounded corners, which stay down at speed better than square ones; 4OVER4 cuts a 1 in radius, and other printers use smaller ones. Keep logos and text clear of the corners.
Set the file up at the finished size with 0.125 in (3 mm) of bleed on every side and text at least 0.125 in inside the cut. Some printers list a smaller print area than the magnet (11 × 23 in on a 12 × 24 in magnet, for one), so keeping text 0.5 in from the edge works everywhere. Logos and type should be vector and photos 300 ppi at full size. People read a door sign from a moving car, so keep it to the name, what you do and one phone number or web address, in large type.
Questions
- What size car magnet do I need?
- 12 × 18 in or 12 × 24 in fits most car and SUV front doors; 18 × 24 in suits larger van and truck doors. Measure the flat area of the door, between creases, handles and trim, and choose a size that leaves at least 1 in clear on every side.
- What size is a car magnet in pixels?
- At 300 ppi, a 12 × 18 in magnet is 5400 × 3600 pixels (5475 × 3675 with 0.125 in of bleed), 12 × 24 in is 7200 × 3600 (7275 × 3675), and 18 × 24 in is 7200 × 5400 (7275 × 5475).
- Should a car magnet have rounded corners?
- Yes. Square corners catch the air at speed and start to lift; rounded ones stay flat. A 1 in radius is common; keep text and logos clear of the corners.
- Will a car magnet stick to any car?
- Only to steel. Aluminum, fiberglass and plastic panels won’t hold a magnet, so test each door with a fridge magnet first. On those vehicles, use a vinyl decal or wrap instead.
If the printer sends the file back
Terms on this page: Bleed, Safe area (safe zone), DPI / PPI (resolution), Vector.
Real jobs at these sizes: Takmeel Cybertruck wrap.
More print sizes, or all of them on one page:
Cards, paper and stationery: Business card · Postcard · Paper · Envelope · Letterhead · Greeting card · Presentation folder
Flyers, brochures and handouts: Flyer · Brochure · Rack card · Door hanger · Menu · Table tent · Bookmark
Stickers, labels and tags: Sticker · Label · Hang tag
Bottle, can and jar labels: Wine label · Beer label · Water bottle label · Candle label · Jar label
Boxes and packaging: Mailer box · Shipping box · Tuck box · Stand-up pouch · Pizza box
Posters, books and calendars: Poster · Book · Calendar
Signs, billboards and vehicles: Banner · Yard sign · Billboard
T-shirts and apparel: T-shirt
Rather have it designed at the right size? See vehicle wraps & decals: a fixed price first, print-ready files back.
Free download
The print-ready file checklist
The seven checks every file goes through before it leaves us. Useful whether or not you ever send us a job.
Your print-ready checklist.
We’ve emailed you a copy too. If it isn’t there in a minute, look in promotions.
Not sure which size your printer wants?
Send the printer’s spec sheet or a link in the chat. A designer tells you the exact size to set up, free, and quotes a fixed price if you’d like it done.