PRINT PREPARATION
Plan the safe margin around centered print artwork
Calculate the usable area of a transparent canvas and see why the artwork can end up smaller than that area.
A transparent canvas and a visible design have different dimensions. When you choose 5000 by 5400 pixels with a five percent margin, the canvas stays 5000 by 5400. The fitted artwork occupies the inner area according to its own proportions. Planning both measurements avoids surprises after export.
Calculate the inset on each side
The margin is a percentage on each side, not a total shared between opposite sides. Five percent of 5000 is 250 pixels at both left and right. Five percent of 5400 is 270 pixels at both top and bottom. Subtracting both insets leaves a usable area of 4500 by 4860. Increasing the margin reduces that usable area while leaving the outer canvas unchanged.
Fit the source inside the usable area
For square 3000 by 3000 artwork, the width scale is 4500 divided by 3000, or 1.5. The height scale is 4860 divided by 3000, or 1.62. RSPrintCanvas chooses 1.5, so the fitted source rectangle is 4500 by 4500. Centering it leaves 250 pixels horizontally and 450 pixels vertically around that rectangle.
| Measurement | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Outer canvas | 5000 | 5400 |
| Usable area | 4500 | 4860 |
| Square source fitted | 4500 | 4500 |
Look for transparent padding already in the source
The tool fits the complete source rectangle. It does not detect the visible ink boundary inside that rectangle. If the artwork already includes wide transparent edges, those edges also consume the inner area and the visible design becomes smaller. Review the source canvas before fitting. Trimming intentional or accidental padding is a separate decision and should preserve every part of the actual design.
Compare the export with the receiving template
Download the PNG, confirm the outer dimensions and inspect the visible artwork against the current product template. A general safe margin is not a substitute for a provider-specific print area. Check lettering, small decorations and the intended position. Keep the source and a note of the margin so that another product can be prepared with a different usable area.
Put the example to work
Open the tool, enter your own inputs and review the result. The pixel dimensions and physical print size guide explains the workflow and its limits.
Open RSPrintCanvas