How to Size a Round Label
Measure the flat area
Measure across the flat surface where the label will sit, such as the top of a lid, and pick a diameter slightly smaller.
Add bleed and a safe margin
Use the bleed your printer asks for and keep text inside the safe circle.
Download and test
Download the SVG, PNG or PDF template, and print the Print Test to check the size on your lid or product.
How to Measure for a Round Label
A round label has to sit flat, so what matters is the flat part of the surface, not its outer edge. Measure straight across the middle with a ruler, then choose a diameter a few millimetres smaller so the label doesn't creep over the rim.
- Jar and tin lids
- Measure the flat top inside any raised rim. As a reference, a regular-mouth canning lid is about 70 mm (2 3/4 in) across the outside and a wide-mouth lid about 86 mm (3 3/8 in), but the flat area on top is smaller, so measure your own lid.
- Fronts of jars and bottles
- A round label on a curved side bends in one direction. Small circles are fine on most containers; on a narrow bottle, keep the circle well under the bottle's diameter so the edges stay flat.
- Seals and stickers
- For seals that fold over an opening, the diameter must cover the opening plus enough to stick down on each side. Measure across the opening and add the overlap you want on both sides.
Not sure? Print the Print Test on plain paper, cut out the circle and hold it on the lid before printing real labels.
Bleed, Safe Area and Pixels for a Circle
Bleed is added all around the circle and the safe margin is taken off all around it, so both change the diameter by twice their width:
Artwork diameter = diameter + 2 × bleed
Safe diameter = diameter − 2 × safe margin
Circumference = π × diameter
Pixels = artwork diameter in inches × DPI
| Diameter | With bleed | Safe area | Pixels at 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 in (25.4 mm) | 1.25 in (31.75 mm) | 0.75 in (19.05 mm) | 375 × 375 px |
| 1.5 in (38.1 mm) | 1.75 in (44.45 mm) | 1.25 in (31.75 mm) | 525 × 525 px |
| 2 in (50.8 mm) | 2.25 in (57.15 mm) | 1.75 in (44.45 mm) | 675 × 675 px |
| 2.5 in (63.5 mm) | 2.75 in (69.85 mm) | 2.25 in (57.15 mm) | 825 × 825 px |
| 3 in (76.2 mm) | 3.25 in (82.55 mm) | 2.75 in (69.85 mm) | 975 × 975 px |
The artwork for a round label is still a square file: the pixel size covers the square around the bleed circle. The PNG template is transparent outside that circle, so you can see the shape while you design.
How Many Round Labels Fit on a Sheet
The calculator lays the circles out in straight rows and columns inside the page margin and tries the page both ways round:
Columns = ⌊(usable width + gap) ÷ (diameter + gap)⌋
Rows = ⌊(usable height + gap) ÷ (diameter + gap)⌋
⌊ ⌋ means rounding down. With the default settings (2 in circles, 1/4 in page margin and 1/8 in gap on US Letter), that gives 3 columns × 5 rows = 15 labels.
Some pre-cut sheets offset every other row to squeeze in more circles, and every brand uses its own margins. If you print on pre-cut sheets, use the manufacturer's template. For your own layouts with rectangles or circles, the Sticker Sheet Calculator also centres the grid and exports the whole sheet.
Designing a Round Label
- Keep the background running out to the blue dashed bleed circle so no white edge shows after cutting.
- Keep text, logos and barcodes inside the green dotted safe circle. Text set on a circular path should follow a circle inside the safe line, not the cut line.
- Place the downloaded SVG or PNG on its own layer as a guide and hide it before you export your artwork.
- For rectangular labels with rounded corners, use the Label Bleed Calculator instead.