Method & limitations

Print Layout Check is a small planning tool for people preparing raster artwork in several common print sizes. It compares the same source dimensions with four standard formats and an optional custom size before you spend time making separate exports.

The calculation

Every placement preserves the source aspect ratio. Fill starts centered; Crop alignment moves its retained window toward an image edge. The same alignment applies to every format. Fit stays centered. Bleed is added equally to each edge. Fill uses the smaller source-pixels-to-canvas-inches ratio; fit uses the larger ratio. Crop is measured outside the bleed canvas. The safe rectangle is the trim size minus two safe insets. A4 uses 210 × 297 mm converted at 25.4 mm per inch.

What the result can tell you

The comparison gives effective pixel density, geometric crop percentages, border widths, a target canvas pixel count, and a safe-area rectangle. The full-image size divides each source dimension by the selected target PPI. It follows the source orientation and excludes cropping, borders and bleed; it is not a finished trim specification. Floating-point calculations are rounded for display. Pixel requirements are rounded up.

What still requires inspection

JPG and PNG files are decoded locally for a placement preview, with a 25 MB file limit and a 50-megapixel limit. Crop alignment lets you inspect which edge is removed without changing the image scale or total crop. Pixel dimensions follow the browser's decoded orientation. Manual changes to pixel dimensions remove the image preview; changing print settings keeps it. Inputs and results can use inches or millimeters. No image is uploaded, edited or exported. The preview helps you inspect placement; it does not automatically evaluate focus, text placement, color profiles, compression, previous upscaling or printer tolerances. There is no certification for any printing service. Folded products, books, spine calculations and asymmetric bleed are outside this tool’s scope.

How the guides are made

The guides are original, AI-assisted explanations with explicit worked examples and links to primary documentation. They are educational material, with no claim of personal print-shop experience or independent professional review. A printer’s supplied template and production instructions take precedence.

Read the examples or compare a source image.

Contact

For bug reports, guide corrections, or privacy questions, email paulkwon.gemini@gmail.com.