How It Works
Measure your container
Measure the diameter, circumference and usable label area.
Calculate your label
Enter your dimensions and configure bleed, safe area and print resolution.
Download your template
Export a print-ready SVG, PDF or PNG dieline.
How to Measure a Bottle or Jar for a Label
Good labels start with good measurements. A ruler or caliper and a flexible tape (or a strip of paper) are all you need. Measure the part of the container where the label will actually sit, not the widest point.
- Ddiameter, straight across the label area
- Ccircumference, all the way around
- Husable height between the curves
- label area (the flat part of the wall)
- Diameter
- The distance straight across the container, through its center. Use a caliper, or hold two books against the sides and measure the gap between them. A ruler held across the top tends to under-read.
- Circumference
- The distance all the way around. Wrap a flexible tape, a strip of paper or a piece of string around the label area, mark where it meets itself and measure it flat. This is usually more accurate than measuring the diameter, especially on glass with mold seams.
- Usable label height
- The height of the flat wall where a label can sit without bending over a curve. Measure from just above the base curve to just below the shoulder or lid threads, then subtract a millimeter or two of breathing room.
- Wrap coverage
- How far around the container the label goes. A front label might cover 40–60% of the circumference; a wrap-around label covers nearly all of it.
- Gap
- The space left between the two ends of a wrap-around label. A small gap (about 3 mm or 1/8 in) hides small measuring and application errors, so the ends never collide or wrinkle.
- Overlap
- The length where one end of the label sits on top of the other. Common on water bottles and on labels applied by machine. The top end needs to stick to the printed face, so check your adhesive.
Measure twice at different heights of the label area. If the two diameters differ by more than about a millimeter, the container is tapered.
The Bottle Label Size Formula
For a straight (cylindrical) container, the label width comes from the circumference, and the circumference comes from the diameter:
Circumference = Diameter × π
Label width = Circumference − Gap (or + Overlap)
Example: a jar with a 70 mm diameter has a circumference of 70 × 3.1416 ≈ 219.9 mm. With a 3 mm gap, the label is 216.9 mm wide. With 3 mm of bleed on every edge, the artwork file becomes 222.9 mm wide.
The label height is simply the usable height you measured. Add bleed to both sides of each dimension: a 100 × 50 mm label with 3 mm bleed needs 106 × 56 mm of artwork. To size the file in pixels, divide millimeters by 25.4 to get inches and multiply by the DPI: 106 mm ÷ 25.4 × 300 ≈ 1252 px.
Straight vs Tapered Containers
A tapered container, such as a cup, a tumbler or many candle vessels, is wider at one end than the other. Geometrically it is a truncated cone. A flat rectangle can't lie smoothly on a cone, which is why rectangular labels on tapered containers tend to:
- Wrinkle: the wide edge has more surface to cover than the narrow edge, so the extra material bunches up.
- Bubble: pressing the label flat traps air where it can't follow the curve.
- Skew: as you wrap, the label climbs in a spiral and the two ends don't line up.
✕ Rectangle on a taper: it skews and wrinkles
✓ Curved dieline: sits level all the way around
LabelSize computes that ring segment from the top diameter, the bottom diameter and the vertical height of the label area. It gives you the outer and inner radius, the sector angle and the arc lengths, and it draws the curved cut line, bleed and safe area as true vector paths. Tick Top and bottom diameters are different in the calculator to switch to this mode.
What Is Label Bleed?
Printers and cutters are never perfectly aligned. Bleed is extra artwork that runs past the cut line, so a small shift in cutting leaves colour at the edge instead of a thin white sliver. A safe zone inside the cut line protects the important parts of your design from the same shift.
- Bleed Background extends past the cut (3 mm / 1/8 in).
- Cut line The final edge of the label.
- Safe zone Keep text, logos and barcodes inside.
Extend backgrounds and edge-to-edge images all the way to the bleed line. Keep text and barcodes inside the safe line. Most print shops ask for 3 mm (about 1/8 in) of bleed; some digital label printers ask for 1.5–2 mm, so check their specifications.
What DPI Should I Use for Label Printing?
DPI (dots per inch) decides how many pixels a raster file needs for a given physical size. It matters for photos and textures; vector artwork (SVG, PDF) stays sharp at any size. There's no single right value for every printer, but these are useful starting points:
Draft proofs, fit tests and large labels seen from a distance. Fine detail and small text can look soft.
The usual standard for professional label printing and most print shops. A good default for product labels.
Very small labels, fine type, detailed line art or high-end printing. Files get four times bigger than at 300 DPI.
Always follow your printer's or print shop's specifications. A 300 DPI photo can't be improved by exporting it at 600 DPI, and many home inkjet printers print just as well from a 300 DPI file.
Typical Label Sizes (Examples)
These examples use the same formulas as the calculator. Container sizes vary between manufacturers, so treat them as starting points only.
| Example | Diameter | Label height | Wrap | Label size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 oz candle tumbler | 76.2 mm (3.00 in) | 57.1 mm (2.25 in) | Full wrap, 6.3 mm gap | 233.0 × 57.1 mm (9.17 × 2.25 in) |
| 16.9 oz (500 ml) water bottle | 65.0 mm (2.56 in) | 50.0 mm (1.97 in) | Full wrap, 6.0 mm overlap | 210.2 × 50.0 mm (8.28 × 1.97 in) |
| 750 ml wine bottle, front label | 75.0 mm (2.95 in) | 100.0 mm (3.94 in) | 45% coverage | 106.0 × 100.0 mm (4.17 × 3.94 in) |
| 12 oz beer bottle, body label | 61.0 mm (2.40 in) | 76.0 mm (2.99 in) | 55% coverage | 105.4 × 76.0 mm (4.15 × 2.99 in) |
| 2 oz (60 ml) cosmetic jar | 60.0 mm (2.36 in) | 22.0 mm (0.87 in) | Full wrap, 4.0 mm gap | 184.5 × 22.0 mm (7.26 × 0.87 in) |
| 12 oz honey jar, front label | 73.0 mm (2.87 in) | 60.0 mm (2.36 in) | 60% coverage | 137.6 × 60.0 mm (5.42 × 2.36 in) |
| 150 cc supplement bottle | 57.0 mm (2.24 in) | 57.0 mm (2.24 in) | Full wrap, 8.0 mm gap | 171.1 × 57.0 mm (6.74 × 2.24 in) |
| 10 ml essential oil bottle | 22.5 mm (0.89 in) | 25.0 mm (0.98 in) | Full wrap, 6.0 mm gap | 64.7 × 25.0 mm (2.55 × 0.98 in) |
Always measure the actual container before printing.
Who Uses a Label Size Calculator?
Anyone who puts a label on a round container, from a first Etsy listing to a production run.
- CandlesTumblers and tins, often tapered, with heat to consider.
- WineFront and back labels on Bordeaux and Burgundy bottles.
- Craft beerBody labels and full wraps on bottles and cans.
- HoneyFront labels and tamper strips on round jars.
- SaucesWoozy and hot sauce bottles with narrow bodies.
- CosmeticsSmall jars and tubes with little flat wall.
- SupplementsWrap-around labels on packer bottles.
- Essential oilsTiny labels on 5–15 ml dropper bottles.
- CoffeeJars and tins for beans and ground coffee.
- Homemade productsJams, pickles, soaps and gifts.
- Etsy productsConsistent branding across a whole shop.
- Private-label productsChecking label specs before ordering stock.
- Packaging prototypesFit-testing a design before a print run.