Keyline and dieline planning tool
Plan a rectangular keyline with bleed, safety margin, panel creases and a glue flap, and take the outline away as SVG or PNG.
Most artwork problems start before anyone opens a design file: the bleed is wrong, the safety margin is optimistic, or nobody agreed where the creases fall. This tool draws that thinking out at true size so it can be checked in seconds.
It produces a planning keyline for a rectangular format, drawn to scale and downloadable as SVG or PNG. It is deliberately not a die maker.
Calculator
How to use it
- Enter Finished width in mm
- Enter Finished height in mm
- Enter Bleed in mm
- Enter Safety margin in mm. Keep text and logos inside this line
- Enter Equal panels. More than one adds vertical crease lines
- Enter Glue flap in mm. Added on the left, zero for none
- Enter Corner radius in mm
Formula
Worked example
A 120 x 180 mm face with 3 mm bleed, 4 mm safety and 3 equal panels gives a bleed box of 126 x 186 mm, a safe area of 112 x 172 mm, and crease lines every 40 mm across the face.
Assumptions
- The shape is a plain rectangle with optional rounded corners, a left glue flap and equal vertical panels. It is not a structural carton development.
- Everything is drawn in millimetres at true size, so the SVG opens at the correct dimensions in Illustrator, InDesign or CorelDRAW.
- Creases are drawn as guide lines only. No allowance is made for material thickness, which matters as soon as board or laminate gets thick.
Limitations
Every calculator on this site gives a planning figure, not a production guarantee. Check the result against your own records before committing material or money to it.
- This is a planning keyline, not a production dieline. Do not send it to a die maker and do not treat it as approved cutting geometry.
- Real structures need bleed at fold and glue areas, tuck and dust flaps, locking tabs, and allowances that depend on the substrate and the die.
- Always verify against the die drawing from your converter before artwork is released.
- PDF export is not offered here. Open the SVG in your design application and export a print ready PDF from there, where colour, spot layers and overprint can be set properly.
Common mistakes
- Treating the safety margin as decorative. Text near a cut on a shrinking or stretching substrate is the most common late rejection.
- Adding panels but forgetting that creases consume material, so the flat blank is wider than the sum of the panel faces.
- Exporting the PNG for print. It is a raster preview for checking and sharing; the SVG is the one to build artwork from.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send this to a die maker?
No. It is a planning aid for artwork and discussion. Die makers work from a structural drawing that accounts for material thickness, flap construction and the cutting rule itself.
Why is there no PDF download?
Because a PDF that looks right is not the same as a PDF that is right for print. Spot colours, overprint and technical layers need to be set deliberately, so the honest route is to open the SVG in your design application and export from there.
What bleed should I use?
Three millimetres is a common starting point for many print jobs, but the correct figure comes from your converter and depends on the process, the substrate and how the job is finished. Ask before you assume.
Does the PNG print at the right size?
The PNG is generated at roughly 200 pixels per inch for on-screen checking and sharing. Use the SVG for anything that will be printed, because it holds true dimensions.