PRODUCTION LAYOUT STANDARDS

Bleed, cut spacing and sheet-edge clearance are different things.

The layout standard is designed to protect print coverage, routing clearance and realistic full-sheet yield before a customer relies on the piece count.

Standard rigid layout

1/8"Minimum bleedArtwork extends past the finished cut path so small production variation does not expose an unprinted edge.

3/16"Between finished cut pathsStandard nesting keeps adjacent routed pieces from being packed tighter than the production clearance.

1/2"Outer routed clearancePerimeter-routed pieces stay inside the raw sheet so the tool has material and clearance around the finished edge.

Cut allowance and perimeter trim

Printed routed jobs use a 3/16-inch bit and 3/16-inch separation between finished cut paths. Tool clearance is separate from any customer-approved size reduction. Mixed-size projects start with exact dimensions; optional optimization requires an entered reduction allowance and records the actual production dimensions. Frames, replacement faces, hole-critical pieces and fitted parts stay exact. Artwork is scaled proportionally or reviewed for trimming into supplied bleed; it is never stretched independently in width and height.

The zero outer allowance applies only to a cut-size layout that can retain suitable factory edges. Printed panels requiring perimeter trim use Exact finished dimensions: 1/2" outer clearance and 3/16" between cut paths. Required bleed and registration cannot be waived to preserve an estimated yield. Final layout, piece count and price are confirmed before the order is accepted.

Full-sheet billing

ACM, PVC and most listed acrylic thicknesses are billed by full sheet. If those layouts require 3.25 sheets, four sheets are billed. Standard 3/16-inch clear acrylic is the exception: each complete layout is $395; remaining partial-sheet pieces are priced by entered width × height × quantity at $0.09 per square inch, capped at $395 for that partial-sheet base charge. Selecting Full Sheet always bills complete sheets. White ink, dense handling and shipping remain separate. Mixed-size PVC, ACM and sheet-priced acrylic can be estimated in the calculator. Mixed-size 3/16-inch clear acrylic receives a layout quote to confirm partial-area billing. Compatible additional artwork can share a billed sheet; unused area on a purchased full sheet does not create a credit.

Why a 48 × 96 finished routed panel is different.

A finished piece cannot be routed around all four sides if the raw stock is exactly the same size and the process requires outside tool clearance. The configurator should therefore move a true full-size routed panel to oversize stock or project pricing rather than quietly shrink the finished sign.

Uploaded contour shapes

Simple rectangles can be estimated from finished width and height. Irregular contours may require actual vector review before final yield is committed because the true cut path, rotation, interior cutouts and tooling can change nesting.