Resources/Sizes
Reference · Sizes

Standard shapes &
sizes.

6 min read·5 sections
i
Before you start

Pick your container in the portal and it suggests a size to match. This guide explains what those standard sizes are, how far you can tweak them while keeping the best price, and how shape, rolls, and winding fit in.

Reference · 6 min

Standard shapes & sizes.

6 min·5 sections
i
Before you start

Pick your container in the portal and it suggests a size to match. This guide explains what those standard sizes are, how far you can tweak them while keeping the best price, and how shape, rolls, and winding fit in.

01Your size comes from your container

The label has to fit the printable band of your can or bottle — the area that isn't taken up by the chime, the neck, or the curve of the glass. So the easiest way to get sizing right is to start from the container and work outward, rather than picking a size in the abstract.

That's exactly how the portal works: choose your container, and it fills in a sensible starting size for you.

02Standard sizes for common containers

These are the standard sizes the portal suggests when you pick a container. They're a proven fit for the most common cans and bottles, and they're the fastest, best-value route because they run on tooling we already have.

ContainerSuggested size (W × H)
330ml Bottle80 × 175 mm
330ml Can85 × 200 mm
330ml Sleek Can125 × 180 mm
440ml Can120 × 200 mm
500ml Can140 × 210 mm

You can fine-tune these in 5 mm steps. Need the label a touch shorter to clear a curve, or a little narrower for your wrap? Adjust the standard size up or down in 5 mm increments and you'll still fit your container perfectly — while staying on our standard production runs. That standardisation is what lets us keep the price down, so it's worth staying as close to a standard size as your container allows.

Shortcut
Start from the suggested size and nudge it in 5 mm steps. Small tweaks keep you on standard tooling — and on the lower price.

03Cans vs bottles: how the label sits

The container shapes how the label behaves, so it's worth knowing the difference before you design.

Cans

Cans take a near-full wrap around the body. There's a small gap (or a slight overlap) at the seam where the two edges meet, and the printable band stops short of the rim and the base, so keep anything critical — logos, text, barcodes — away from the very top and bottom edges. Designs that run continuously around the can need their left and right edges to line up at the seam.

Bottles

Bottles usually take a front (body) label, often with a separate back or neck label. The glass is curved, so very wide labels can wrinkle or lift at the edges — front-and-back labels are common for this reason. Decide early whether you want one wrap-style label or a front/back pair, since it changes the sizes you'll order.

04Shapes: rectangular is standard (and cheapest)

The default shape is a rectangle with rounded corners. It needs no special tooling, it's the fastest to produce, and it's the best-value option — which is why most labels you see are exactly that.

Any size or shape is possible, though — ovals, circles, contour cuts that follow your artwork, or sizes outside the standard range.

Important — custom shapes need a one-time tool
A non-standard shape or size may require a one-time cutting tool (a custom die, €150). Once that tool exists, your reruns print at the normal price; it's a one-off cost to create the shape. So a custom die is well worth it for a flagship product you'll reorder for years, and usually not worth it for a one-off where rounded corners would do the job just as well.

If you're not sure whether your idea needs a custom tool, send it over before you commit — we'll tell you straight away.

05Rolls & winding: how your labels arrive

Your labels arrive on rolls, ready for application — the default is 1,500 labels per roll.

If you apply labels with a machine, winding direction matters. Winding (numbered 1–8) simply describes which way the label faces as it comes off the roll — top-first, bottom-first, left or right edge leading, face-in or face-out. Your applicator expects a specific winding, so it has to match. If you're applying by hand, winding is far less important — you can work with whatever's on the roll.

If you know your machine's required winding, tell us when you order. If you're not sure, let us know the machine and we'll point you to the right one.

Resources/Sizes
Reference · Sizes

Standard shapes &
sizes.

6 min read·5 sections
i
Before you start

Pick your container in the portal and it suggests a size to match. This guide explains what those standard sizes are, how far you can tweak them while keeping the best price, and how shape, rolls, and winding fit in.

Reference · 6 min

Standard shapes & sizes.

6 min·5 sections
i
Before you start

Pick your container in the portal and it suggests a size to match. This guide explains what those standard sizes are, how far you can tweak them while keeping the best price, and how shape, rolls, and winding fit in.

01Your size comes from your container

The label has to fit the printable band of your can or bottle — the area that isn't taken up by the chime, the neck, or the curve of the glass. So the easiest way to get sizing right is to start from the container and work outward, rather than picking a size in the abstract.

That's exactly how the portal works: choose your container, and it fills in a sensible starting size for you.

02Standard sizes for common containers

These are the standard sizes the portal suggests when you pick a container. They're a proven fit for the most common cans and bottles, and they're the fastest, best-value route because they run on tooling we already have.

ContainerSuggested size (W × H)
330ml Bottle80 × 175 mm
330ml Can85 × 200 mm
330ml Sleek Can125 × 180 mm
440ml Can120 × 200 mm
500ml Can140 × 210 mm

You can fine-tune these in 5 mm steps. Need the label a touch shorter to clear a curve, or a little narrower for your wrap? Adjust the standard size up or down in 5 mm increments and you'll still fit your container perfectly — while staying on our standard production runs. That standardisation is what lets us keep the price down, so it's worth staying as close to a standard size as your container allows.

Shortcut
Start from the suggested size and nudge it in 5 mm steps. Small tweaks keep you on standard tooling — and on the lower price.

03Cans vs bottles: how the label sits

The container shapes how the label behaves, so it's worth knowing the difference before you design.

Cans

Cans take a near-full wrap around the body. There's a small gap (or a slight overlap) at the seam where the two edges meet, and the printable band stops short of the rim and the base, so keep anything critical — logos, text, barcodes — away from the very top and bottom edges. Designs that run continuously around the can need their left and right edges to line up at the seam.

Bottles

Bottles usually take a front (body) label, often with a separate back or neck label. The glass is curved, so very wide labels can wrinkle or lift at the edges — front-and-back labels are common for this reason. Decide early whether you want one wrap-style label or a front/back pair, since it changes the sizes you'll order.

04Shapes: rectangular is standard (and cheapest)

The default shape is a rectangle with rounded corners. It needs no special tooling, it's the fastest to produce, and it's the best-value option — which is why most labels you see are exactly that.

Any size or shape is possible, though — ovals, circles, contour cuts that follow your artwork, or sizes outside the standard range.

Important — custom shapes need a one-time tool
A non-standard shape or size may require a one-time cutting tool (a custom die, €150). Once that tool exists, your reruns print at the normal price; it's a one-off cost to create the shape. So a custom die is well worth it for a flagship product you'll reorder for years, and usually not worth it for a one-off where rounded corners would do the job just as well.

If you're not sure whether your idea needs a custom tool, send it over before you commit — we'll tell you straight away.

05Rolls & winding: how your labels arrive

Your labels arrive on rolls, ready for application — the default is 1,500 labels per roll.

If you apply labels with a machine, winding direction matters. Winding (numbered 1–8) simply describes which way the label faces as it comes off the roll — top-first, bottom-first, left or right edge leading, face-in or face-out. Your applicator expects a specific winding, so it has to match. If you're applying by hand, winding is far less important — you can work with whatever's on the roll.

If you know your machine's required winding, tell us when you order. If you're not sure, let us know the machine and we'll point you to the right one.

Not sure of your size?

Order a sample kit and see a label on your actual container before a full run.