Help setting up a banner template in InDesign

Forum|Forum|7 months ago
August 27, 2025
3 replies
241 views

Hello,
How do I work out the correct 'mm' for the bleed area (blue line), Image cut area (pink line), Safe area (green line) and Text area (purple line) on the template attached?

The attached template from the printers for this particular banner only indicates two measurements, 2390mm x 1320mm, and the banner heading says 1.2m.

I am clearly new to InDesign, and any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Gen

VI-AM-213-D-T_A_2_LabWare_Africa_banner_template.pdf

G

Gord@APL

Inspiring

Assuming the template provided is to scale (and I suspect it isn't!), you're looking at

Document size: 1230mm wide by 2320mm tall

Bleed: 45mm left & right, 35mm top & bottom

Safe area: 1130mm wide by 2200mm tall (margins 50mm left & right, 60mm top & bottom)

Text area: 1070mm wide by 2140mm tall (margins 80mm left & right, 90mm top & bottom)

However, I'd have to concur with @Peter Spier - this template is next to useless as it only specifies the bleed size, which seems excessive, as does the difference between the so-called 'safe area' and the text area (perhaps a requirement of the fabric, though?) and gives no indication of the size of the curved corners at the top.

Ask the Printer to specify the three missing sizes and the corner radius for best results.

Peter Spier

Community Expert

Assuming the template provided is to scale (and I suspect it isn't!),

By @Gord@APL

Well, it SAYS its at 50% scale, but when I compare the Acrobat Measure Tool numbers on the dimension callouts with the printed numbers, they are slightly off (more, I think, than rounding error in inch-to-mm conversion), so I felt it was not reliable to list any meaurements based on measurements taken from the template, though I suspect @Gord@APL has the numbers right -- they seem reasonable according to the template.

That said, if I was going to use this template and couldn't get any better information from the printer, I would set up my InDesign document at the stated outside dimesions (the bleed size), or at 50% of those dimensions, Place the PDF template on a non-printing background layer, then build my banner on top of it, keeping all critical content a bit inside of all of the other guides to be completely safe. You might want to add ruler guides in your document on your working layer[s] on top of the template guide locations so you don't lose the reference lines.

Bill Silbert

Community Expert

The specs that you have been given are clearly lacking. I would suggest contacting the printer directly for more information. As a rule communication with the printer is essential for any project. This is a case where your newness to InDesign is not the problem. The printer's expectation for mind reading is.

Peter Spier

Community Expert

Well, the information on the template isn't very helpful. Does the printer have a web page that gives the specs?

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