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Every direct-to-card printer leaves a thin white margin at the card edge. You cannot get it to zero, and you should not try. What you can do is two things: calibrate the print position so the margin is as small as the printer allows, then design the card so whatever is left lands somewhere nobody looks.
First change the card: a broken or missing 0 arrow on the test chart means an uneven card edge, not a setting. If the arrow is complete but sits inside the card edge, make that value (L or T) negative in Position Calibrate, in steps of 1–5. Then accept the last 0.5 mm and put a light part of your design on that edge.
How much white edge is normal
Seaory's own specification is 0.5 mm or less, and their engineers put it plainly: white edge is inevitable, and there is no point pursuing a perfect edge-to-edge print. The exact amount moves around a little from card to card, because it depends on card thickness, ribbon tension and even the room the printer sits in.
So the goal of this guide is not zero. It is: get it under 0.5 mm, then stop measuring and start designing.
Cause 1 — the card, not the printer
Check this first, because no amount of calibration fixes it. Print the test chart and look closely at the 0 arrow on the L and T scales.
If an arrow prints incomplete — the line is broken, or simply is not there — that card has an uneven edge. Take another card from a different part of the stack and print the chart again. If the arrow is clean on the new card, you had a card problem, and you are done.
A whole batch doing this means the card stock is the issue. Our blank cards are cut to the tolerance these printers expect.
Cause 2 — print position (this is the common one)
The chart prints a ruler at each short edge of the card. L is the edge where printing starts, T is the edge where it ends, and each has an arrow at 0 marking where the print image stops. A third value, S, controls the other direction — leave it alone unless support tells you otherwise; short-side white edge is L and T.
| Where the 0 arrow sits | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Right on the card edge | That edge is aligned | Nothing |
| Inside the card, with a gap | The image stops short. That gap is your white edge | Make that value negative |
| Past the card edge | The image overshoots onto bare ribbon | Make that value positive, promptly — this is what breaks ribbons |
| Broken or missing | Uneven card edge | Change the card (Cause 1 above) |
Check both short edges, and both sides of the card on an S28. Full walkthrough: How to Print a Test Card.
Only the value that needs it, L or T. Wider white line, larger step. Seaory's guidance is ±1–5 per adjustment.
Seaory's number: a total adjustment of about ±10 resolves it on most printers. The setting is written to the printer, so it holds for every computer that prints to it.
Not under a lamp with a loupe. At arm's length is how anyone will ever see this card, and it is the standard that matters.
When the 0 arrow sits outside the card, the printhead is printing onto bare ribbon, and the ribbon tears. Seaory flags this explicitly. One customer's ribbon broke between −10 and −12 while chasing a stubborn line. Past −5, move one step at a time and print one card at a time.
Now design around the half millimetre that is left
This is the part most people skip, and it is the part that actually makes cards look finished. Once the position is calibrated, the remaining margin is fixed and predictable — it lands on the same edge every time. So put something white there.
- Rotate the layout to suit the edge. If your design has a dark header and a light footer, and the margin falls on the footer edge, it disappears completely. Same artwork, same printer, no visible line. Flip it the other way and the exact same card looks defective.
- Give the design its own border. A deliberate 1–2 mm white or light frame on all four edges reads as a design choice. The printer's own margin hides inside it, and the card looks the same every time regardless of which edge drifts.
- Fade, don't butt. A background that lightens toward the short edges hides a margin that a hard-edged dark block advertises.
- Keep content away from the edge. Photos, logos, barcodes and text should sit at least 2–3 mm in. Anything closer risks being clipped as well as edged.
- Worst case to choose deliberately: a solid dark colour running full-bleed off the short edge. That is the one layout that turns a normal 0.5 mm into an obvious white stripe.
Print one card. Hold it at arm's length. If you cannot see the margin, the card is right — whether that is because the printer is perfectly calibrated or because your design put white where the margin lands. Both are correct answers.
Settings that matter
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Which value | L or T — whichever short edge shows the line. Leave S alone. |
| Direction | 0 arrow inside the card → negative. Past the edge → positive. |
| Step size | 1 to 5 per test print |
| Typical total | About ±10 resolves most printers |
| Caution point | −5. Beyond it, one step and one card at a time. |
| Normal result | 0.5 mm or less. Varies with card thickness, ribbon tension and environment. |
| Print resolution | 300 × 600 for best image quality. If an edge persists after calibration, compare against 300 × 300 on the Print Option tab. |
Supplies for this job
Bodno Tech Support will finish it with you
Send a photo of the card and a photo of the test chart, and we can usually tell you the next step the same day. If your printer is covered by TotalCare, mention your order number and we will arrange the rest.
Call (732) 987-5300Email supportOpen a support requestGuide prepared with Seaory after-sales engineering. Last reviewed August 2026. Applies to Seaory S25, S26, S28 sold by Bodno.
