The short answer
Printers can shift a sheet by up to about 1/16 in., so design in two zones. Let background color run past the label outline (the bleed), and keep text and logos at least 1/8 in. inside it (the safe margin). Then a small shift shows neither a white edge nor a cut-off word.
A label with a solid background looks finished, but it's also where a small printer shift shows most: a thin white sliver on one side, or the first letter clipped. Bleed and a safe margin fix both.
The two zones
- Bleed: extend background colors and edge-to-edge pictures about 1/16 in. past the label outline. The extra gets cut off by the label edge if the print lands right, and fills the gap if it doesn't.
- Safe margin: keep text, logos and anything important at least 1/8 in. inside the outline.
Is there room to bleed?
It depends on your sheet.
- Labels with a gap between them (most round, oval and shaped labels, and many rectangles): extend the color into the gap, about 1/16 in. on each side.
- Labels that touch (no spacing between them): the color from one label runs straight into the next, so design the whole row as one band of color if they share a background, or stop exactly at the outline and accept a hairline risk.
Your template page lists the horizontal and vertical spacing under Print it right the first time. Spacing of 0 in. means the labels touch.
How to do it in Canva
- Add a rectangle from Elements > Shapes and set its color.
- Open ... > Position. Type a width and height 1/8 in. larger than the label (1/16 in. on each side). For a 2 x 2 in. label, that's 2.125 x 2.125 in.
- Set X and Y 1/16 in. less than the label's position, so the extra is even on all sides.
- Send it behind your text with Position > Backward.
- Copy the label to the rest of the sheet, then delete the outline layer before you download.
Round labels: use a circle shape 1/8 in. larger than the label the same way.
How to do it in Word
Insert the shape, set Wrap Text > In Front of Text, then Send Behind Text, and type the size and position in Shape Format > Size and Position > More Layout Options. See text boxes and images in Word.
Print it to line up
Bleed covers small shifts, not big ones. Print at 100% and test on plain paper first; see how to print labels that line up.
Design tips
- A white or light background with a colored border is more forgiving than a solid dark background.
- Avoid thin borders right at the label edge; any shift makes them uneven. Put a border 1/8 in. inside instead.
- On kraft and clear labels, background color behaves differently; see designing for clear, kraft and colored labels.
Still stuck? Email customerservice@dashleigh.com with your template number and a screenshot, and we will help.
