Napkin Dispenser Ad Size and Print Specs

The full spec sheet at a glance

The card sits behind a clear window on the front of a black tabletop interfold dispenser. Different dispenser models can have slightly different windows, so we confirm the exact size for each model before anything goes to print.

Bleed, trim, and the safe area explained

Printers cut cards from larger sheets, and the blade can drift slightly. Bleed is the extra eighth of an inch of background you extend past the trim line on every side, so a small shift never leaves a white sliver.

The safe area is the opposite margin, a quarter inch inside the trim. Anything important lives inside it: words, the phone number, the logo, the QR code. On a dispenser card this margin matters twice, because the window frame can also cover the outer edge.

Backgrounds and photos go all the way to the bleed edge. Content stays inside the safe area.

Resolution, color mode, and black

Set up the file at 300 DPI at actual size. A logo pulled from a website is usually far below that and will print soft or jagged. Ask for the original vector logo file instead.

Work in CMYK. Screens show RGB colors that ink can't reproduce, so bright blues and greens often print duller than you expect. Converting before you approve the proof avoids surprises.

For small black text, use plain black ink only, not a mix of all four colors. Four-color black on thin type can look blurry if the plates shift. Large black backgrounds can use a rich black build for depth.

Type sizes and legibility distance

Bold sans serif faces hold up through the dispenser's clear plastic and under dim lighting. Thin weights, scripts, and light gray text are the first things to disappear.

QR code size and quiet zone

Through a plastic window, glare is the main enemy. A matte card finish and a bit more size both help.

• Print the code at least 0.8 in square, and closer to 1 in if the link is long.
• Keep a quiet zone, a plain light margin, of at least four code modules around it.
• Use dark modules on a light background. Reversed or colored codes scan less reliably.
• Use a short or dynamic link so the code has fewer, larger modules.
• Place the code fully inside the 0.25 in safe area, ideally in a lower corner.
• Test the final PDF printed at actual size with at least two phones.

File formats and how to send artwork

A print-ready PDF is the safest file. Export at final size with bleed, fonts embedded or outlined, images at 300 DPI, and crop marks off unless asked.

An Adobe Illustrator file works if fonts are outlined and linked images are packaged. A PNG is fine for simple layouts if it's exported at 300 DPI at the full bleed size of 6.75 x 4.5 in, which works out to 2025 by 1350 pixels.

Don't send Word documents, slide decks, or screenshots. They don't carry bleed and rarely hold color.

Name the file clearly, with your business name and the date, such as businessname-napkin-card-2026-10.pdf. When cards are changed on a schedule, clear names keep the old version from going back to print.

A pre-flight checklist before you send

If you'd rather skip all of this, we design the card free and send a proof for approval.

• Document is 6.75 x 4.5 in with bleed, landscape.
• No text, logo, or code within 0.25 in of the trim.
• All images 300 DPI at placed size; logo is vector where possible.
• File is CMYK; small black text uses black ink only.
• Phone number and offer match what your staff will say on the phone.
• QR code scans from a printed copy and lands on the right page.