We're the Perfect Print team. When people make their own pin-back buttons β the round badges you press at home or order from a maker β the question that stalls everyone is how big to make the art. A 1.25-inch button isn't a 1.25-inch design: the artwork has to be a bit larger so it wraps around the curved edge. Get that wrong and part of the design disappears over the rim. This article shows how to size button art by diameter and keep your image from getting cut off.
Diameter is the finished size, not the art size
The common diameters are 1.25 in, 2.25 in, and 3 in. That number is the finished face you see straight on β but a button is curved, and the image wraps over the edge to the back. So the art always has to be a ring larger than the diameter. The extra area that wraps around is the bleed, and anything important β text, a face, a logo β has to sit comfortably inside the visible face, not out in the bleed where it folds away.
Most button makers publish a template: a diameter, plus a bleed allowance, often around an eighth of an inch all the way around. So for a 2.25-inch button you might draw the full art at roughly 2.5 inches across. The exact numbers depend on your maker, but the principle is fixed: art size = diameter + bleed, with the safe zone kept inside the visible face.
Why a screen crop can't manage bleed
Cropping a circle in a photo editor only changes the pixels on screen β it doesn't set a real diameter or a real bleed. Print it with fit to page and the whole thing scales off your intended size, so the bleed ring and the safe zone shift unpredictably. The phone screen doesn't show real inches either. What you need is to fix the full art to a real measurement β diameter plus bleed β and print it at that exact size so the press cuts where you expect.
How to lay out button art in Perfect Print
Pick a paper size (a letter sheet) and load your design. Enter the full art width in inches β the diameter plus the bleed your maker specifies β to place it at real size. Millimeter precision matters here, because an eighth-inch bleed is a small, exact margin. Then duplicate the layout to tile several buttons on one sheet, which is handy when you're making a set.
Save and print with the setting on actual size (100%) so each circle comes out at the size you set. Hold a printed copy against an actual blank button or your maker's template to confirm the design fills the face and nothing important falls into the wrap-around edge. This actual-size dry run is the simplest way to catch a cut-off design before you press a single button. The same approach works for charms, stickers, and other fan goods.
Perfect Print
A free app that prints artwork at actual size (in inches) so you can check how goods will look. Millimeter-precise, lay out several sizes at once. No sign-up, iPhone / Android.
Learn more about Perfect PrintFrequently asked questions
How big should the art be for a 2.25-inch button?
Larger than the diameter. Add your maker's bleed β often about an eighth of an inch all around β so the art for a 2.25-inch button is roughly 2.5 inches across. Keep text and faces inside the visible face.
Part of my design gets cut off at the edge.
That edge is the wrap-around bleed, which folds to the back. Move anything important into the safe zone inside the diameter, and set the full art to diameter plus bleed in Perfect Print, then print at 100%.
Can I print several buttons at once?
Yes. Place one button at its real size, then tile copies across a single sheet. Printing at actual size keeps every circle the exact diameter plus bleed you need for a matching set.
Does this work for other goods too?
Yes β charms, stickers, trading cards, and any custom goods with a set size use the same method. Checking the art at real size first cuts down on sizing mistakes.