Sticker artwork guide
Sizes, bleed, safe zone and the cut line — in numbers. Follow this guide and your class sticker comes out right on the first print. No designer? Send us the idea and we prepare the file.
Quick summary
- Most popular size5 cmround · 3 to 8 cm available
- Bleed2 mmon every side, outside the cut line
- Safe zone3 mminside the cut line for all text and logos
- Resolution300 DPIat actual print size
- FormatsPDF · PNG · SVGvector PDF or SVG preferred
Three circles you need to know
Every sticker file has three boundaries. Example for a 5 cm round sticker:
- Bleed edge — 54 mmThe full file size. Extend the background and colour to this edge: the cut can drift by fractions of a millimetre, and bleed prevents a white sliver.
- Cut line — 50 mmThe finished sticker size after cutting. This is the size you order.
- Safe zone — 44 mmAll text, names and logos stay inside it — at least 3 mm away from the cut line.
The rule: file size = sticker size + 4 mm (2 mm bleed per side). A 5 cm sticker → a 54 × 54 mm file.
Sizes in millimetres and pixels
For round and square stickers. Pixels are calculated at 300 DPI for a file that includes bleed.
| Size | Finished (cut) | File size with bleed | Safe zone | Pixels (300 DPI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 cm | 30 × 30 mm | 34 × 34 mm | 24 × 24 mm | 402 × 402 px |
| 4 cm | 40 × 40 mm | 44 × 44 mm | 34 × 34 mm | 520 × 520 px |
| 5 cm most popular | 50 × 50 mm | 54 × 54 mm | 44 × 44 mm | 638 × 638 px |
| 6 cm | 60 × 60 mm | 64 × 64 mm | 54 × 54 mm | 756 × 756 px |
| 7 cm | 70 × 70 mm | 74 × 74 mm | 64 × 64 mm | 874 × 874 px |
| 8 cm | 80 × 80 mm | 84 × 84 mm | 74 × 74 mm | 992 × 992 px |
For rectangles or any custom size: add 4 mm to the width and 4 mm to the height, and keep 3 mm of safety on every side. Pixels = millimetres ÷ 25.4 × 300.
Cut types and the cut line
Round or square on a sheet Kiss-cut
The most common for senior classes. Only the vinyl layer is cut, so stickers stay on the backing sheet and peel off one by one. No need to draw the cut line — we add it.
Cut around the artwork Die-cut
Follows the outline of the design (a jacket, a crest, lettering). We add a 3 mm white halo around it automatically. Send the artwork as a transparent PNG or vector.
Individually cut Single cut
Each sticker is a separate piece with its own backing — handy for handing out at the ceremony. Same file specs; choose it when ordering.
If you want to draw the cut line yourself
- A closed vector path on its own layer named CutContour, in a spot colour of the same name, 0.25 pt stroke, no fill.
- Avoid sharp corners and details smaller than 2 mm; keep inner corner radii at 1 mm or more.
- Keep 2 mm of bleed outside the path and 3 mm of safety inside it, as in the table.
- Don’t place a thin border right at the sticker’s edge: the slightest cut drift makes it look uneven. Keep borders inside the safe zone, or skip them.
Format, resolution, colour and fonts
| Item | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Page size = file size with bleed | Best option. Don’t send a small design floating on an A4 page. | |
| SVG / AI | Vector, any size | Highest quality at every size, especially for logos and text. |
| PNG | 300 DPI at actual size; transparent background for die-cut | A 5 cm sticker = 638 × 638 px including bleed. |
| JPG | 300 DPI, photographs only | No transparency; softens edges and text. |
| Colour | CMYK | Neon screen colours (RGB) print duller; the proof shows the difference. |
| Fonts | Convert to outlines, or embed them in the PDF | Smallest readable size: 6 pt Latin, 7 pt Arabic. |
| Thin lines | At least 0.25 mm thick | Thinner lines may vanish, especially white on dark. |
| Photos | The original, at full resolution | Send them on WhatsApp as a “document” so they aren’t compressed. |
A sticker with each student’s name
We use variable-data printing: one design, and the name changes automatically.
- An Excel or text file: one name per line, spelled exactly as it should print.
- Tell us the language (Arabic, English or both) and how many copies per name.
- For photos: name each file after the student so nothing gets mixed up.
- Leave enough room in the design for the longest name on the list.
Seniors Board specs
The graduation board prints large, so its requirements differ from a sticker’s.
- Popular sizes 60 × 90 cm and 100 × 150 cm; custom sizes available.
- PDF at full size at 100–150 DPI, or at half size at 300 DPI.
- 5 mm bleed on every side, and a 2 cm safety margin for text and photos.
- Students’ photos at the highest resolution available; small photos break up when enlarged.
Checklist before you send
- File size = sticker size + 4 mm.
- Background extends to the bleed edge.
- All text and logos sit inside the safe zone.
- 300 DPI, or the file is vector.
- Fonts outlined and spelling checked.
- Your message states: size, quantity, cut type, gloss or matte.
Mistakes we see often
- A phone screenshot instead of the original file — it prints pixelated.
- Text touching the edge, so part of it gets cut off.
- Background ending at the cut line with no bleed — a white sliver appears.
- A small design in the middle of an A4 page instead of a sticker-sized page.
- A thin border on the sticker’s edge that exposes any cut drift.
File ready? We check it for free
Send it on WhatsApp and we check size, bleed and resolution, then you get a proof before printing. No file? We design it for you.