Size measurements · 10 min

Dial in Vixie for your magnet press.

No two magnet presses cut at exactly the same size. Edit Measurements is where you match Vixie to yours. You set it once for each magnet size you sell, and every future print at that size lines up with your press.

Open Print StudioNew to Vixie? Start with the setup guide →

Why this panel exists

Why your test sheet doesn't line up, even when nothing is broken.

A "2.5-inch" magnet isn't the same 2.5 inches on every press. Each maker sizes its plates and cutters a little differently. You can see it in Vixie's Manufacturer specs. For a 2.5" square, the Photo Size runs from 2.45" on TECRE to 2.598" on the Chinese plates. None of them are wrong. They just land on different numbers for the same size.

That's why the same print sheet can line up perfectly on a friend's press, but leave a sliver of white or clip the photo on yours.

Edit Measurements is how you tell Vixie what your press needs. You set a few numbers once for each magnet size. Vixie then sizes the photo, the border, your Edge text, and the printed cut lines to match. After that you leave them alone, unless you switch presses.

What actually varies between presses

The cut size. Vixie prints a solid cut outline around each magnet, sized to the Photo Size plus the Edge Width on every side. That outline has to match what your press cuts, not the size on the label.

How to get your magnet sizes right in VixiePicks a press under Manufacturer specs, walks every field, and runs a test sheet from print to press.

The Edit Measurements panel

Up to five fields, depending on the shape.

Open Print Studio, pick the magnet size you're setting up, and select Edit Measurements. It sits just under the magnet size, next to Learn more. Squares and rectangles show all five fields below. Round magnets show three: Diameter, Edge Width, and Text Offset. Teal numbers match the badges on the screenshot.

Vixie Print Studio with a sheet of six photo magnets, and the Edit Measurements link highlighted under the magnet size dropdown
Edit Measurements sits right under the magnet size, so it's easy to miss the first time. Learn more, next to it, opens this guide.
Vixie Print Studio with the Edit Measurements panel open for a 2.5 inch square. Teal numbered badges 1 to 5 mark the Photo Size, Edge Width, Text Offset, Cut Offset, and Puzzle Bleed fields, below the Manufacturer specs buttons.
The Edit Measurements panel for a square. Its five fields are numbered to match the reference below.

Start with Manufacturer specs

At the top of the panel, pick the maker of your press: Titan, MPRO, TECRE, or Chinese. One tap fills in that maker's numbers for this size. A maker only shows up for sizes it makes. Reset puts Vixie's own defaults back. Nothing is kept until you select Save.

1

Photo Size

Controls
The size of the printed photo on each magnet. Rectangles show it as Photo W×H, with a width and a height. Round magnets call it Diameter.
Direction
Raise it for a bigger photo, lower it for a smaller one. The printed cut outline grows and shrinks by the same amount, so if the outline already matches your cutter, change Edge Width by half as much the other way.
Change it when
The pressed magnet shows white where the photo should reach the rim, or too much of the photo disappears over the edge.
2

Edge Width

Controls
The border around the photo, where it wraps over the edge of the magnet. It sets how far the solid cut outline sits from the photo. Your Edge text prints in this border, and its size follows the Edge Width unless you set a Font size. Long text doesn't shrink to fit, so keep it short or set a smaller Font size.
Direction
Raise it to move the cut outline out. Lower it to bring the outline in. It adds to every side, so the outline changes by twice the amount you change it.
Change it when
The printed cut outline doesn't match the piece your press cuts. It's bigger or smaller than your cutter.
3

Text Offset

Controls
Moves your Edge text closer to the photo, or further away. It's the gap between the photo edge and the text, and it can't go past the Edge Width.
Direction
Raise it to move the text away from the photo, toward the cut. Lower it, even below 0, to bring the text in toward the photo.
Change it when
Your Edge text gets clipped at the cut, or creeps onto the front of the magnet.
4

Cut Offset

Controls
Moves the dashed, angled cut lines at each corner, so the wrap folds clean. At 0 the lines touch the corner of the photo. Squares and rectangles only. Round magnets have no corners, so they have no Cut Offset.
Direction
Lower it, below 0, to move the lines in so they cut into the photo corner. Raise it, above 0, to move them out toward the corner of the outline.
Change it when
The wrap doesn't fold clean at the corners. They bunch up, or leave a gap or a white sliver.
5

Puzzle Bleed

Controls
How much picture each puzzle piece shares with the piece next to it, so the picture carries across the joins. It shows on every square and rectangle size, but only puzzle magnets use it. For anything else, leave it alone.
Direction
Raise it for more overlap between pieces. Lower it for less.
Change it when
Across a puzzle join, the picture skips a strip, or the same part of the picture shows on both pieces.

Edge text and Borderless

Edge text is your branding in the border, like your shop name or handle. Set it in Print Studio under Edge & Background. Squares and rectangles take Top, Bottom, Left, and Right. Round magnets take a Top arc and a Bottom arc.

Borderless magnets print right to the edge of the photo, with no wrap border, no Edge text, and no cut lines. Only Photo Size matters for them. Edge Width, Text Offset, and Cut Offset don't apply. Borderless suits flexible magnets printed on magnet sheets and cut flat. You pick it per product under Magnet Border.

Read your test sheet

Match what you see, then nudge.

Cut and press one magnet, hold it up to the sheet, and find the row that matches. Change one number at a time, by a little. The usual fixes are Photo Size, Edge Width, or Cut Offset.

White shows at the rim where the photo should reach the edge
Raise Photo Size a little. If the cut outline already matched, lower Edge Width by half that amount
Too much of the photo wraps out of sight over the edge
Lower Photo Size a little. If the cut outline already matched, raise Edge Width by half that amount
The printed cut outline is smaller than the piece your press cuts
Raise Edge Width by half the difference
The printed cut outline is bigger than the piece your press cuts
Lower Edge Width by half the difference
Edge text gets clipped at the cut
Lower Text Offset to bring the text in toward the photo
Edge text creeps onto the front of the magnet
Raise Text Offset to move the text out toward the cut
Corners bunch up when the wrap folds
Lower Cut Offset to move the corner lines in (squares and rectangles)
Corners leave a gap or a white sliver
Raise Cut Offset to move the corner lines out (squares and rectangles)
The picture skips a strip across a puzzle join
Raise Puzzle Bleed
The picture repeats across a puzzle join
Lower Puzzle Bleed
Whole sheet wildly off (page numbers, big white margins)
Not a measurements issue. Fix your printer settings first (see below)

The 5-step measurements loop

Print, compare, nudge, repeat.

Do this once for each magnet size you sell. Most people are done after two or three test sheets.

  1. 1

    Pick the size you're setting up

    In Print Studio, pick the magnet size, then select Edit Measurements just under it. Measurements save for one size at a time. A 2" × 2" that prints perfectly doesn't mean your 2.5" × 3.5" will.

  2. 2

    Start from your press's Manufacturer specs

    Under Manufacturer specs, pick the maker of your press: Titan, MPRO, TECRE, or Chinese. One tap sets the numbers for that press. It's a starting point. Your test sheet has the final say. If your press isn't listed, start from Vixie's defaults.

  3. 3

    Print a test sheet

    Select Add, then Upload photos, and pick a few photos. Then select Print, and print the sheet at actual size (100%).

  4. 4

    Cut, press, and compare

    Cut and press one magnet, then hold it up to the sheet. Find the row in the table above that matches what you see, and nudge that one number a little. Big jumps overshoot, and you end up chasing the value back.

  5. 5

    Save, then repeat

    Select Save. A confirmation lists each change, old value to new. Select Save again to keep them. Every future print at this size uses them. Print another sheet and repeat until it lines up.

Before you blame the measurements

Printer settings come first.

If your first test sheet is way off (page numbers showing, big white margins, every magnet clearly too small), that's a printer settings issue, not a measurements one. Fix these before you touch the panel.

  • Print at actual size, 100% scale. "Fit to page" or "shrink to fit" rescales every magnet, and nothing will line up.
  • Check the driver isn't adding margins or headers. Some drivers shrink the page to a "printable area" by default. Turn it off.
  • Use the same paper tray every time. Print your test sheets from the tray you use for real orders, so the test matches.
  • Match the paper profile to the paper you're using. A wrong profile won't move anything, but it can throw off your colours. It's worth checking while you're in the printer dialog.

Once a clean test sheet prints (no page numbers, no surprise white margins, magnets close to the right size), switch to the measurements loop above.

Frequently asked

Edit Measurements questions vendors actually send us.

Do I need to set up Edit Measurements for every magnet size?+
Yes. Measurements save for one size at a time, because each size has its own plate and cutter. The numbers for your 2" × 2" don't carry over to your 2.5" × 3.5". They do save to your account, so everyone on your team prints with them.
I switched presses. Do I have to redo my measurements?+
Yes. A new press usually cuts at a slightly different size. Pick its maker under Manufacturer specs if it's listed, then run the test sheet loop again.
What if my press isn't listed under Manufacturer specs?+
That's fine. The presets are only a starting point, and a maker only shows up for sizes it makes. Start from Vixie's defaults (Reset puts them back) and run the test sheet loop. If you can print and cut a sheet, you can match it.
I don't see Edit Measurements. Where is it?+
In your Vixie account, only the owner and admins see it, because the numbers change every print for the whole team. In the free Print Studio, anyone can use it, and your numbers save in that browser.
My first test sheet looks way off (page numbers showing, huge margins). Is that a measurements problem?+
No. That's your printer settings. Print at actual size, 100% scale, not "fit to page". Check that the driver isn't adding margins. Once a clean test sheet prints, come back to Edit Measurements.

Keep going

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Ready to dial in your press?

Open Print Studio, pick a magnet size, and select Edit Measurements. Most people are done after two or three test sheets.

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