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Graphic Design vocabulary · Layout & Grids

Margin

Meaning in graphic design, with examples

/ˈmɑːrdʒɪn/nounCore term

In graphic design, margin means: The empty space between the content and the edges of a page or screen. It frames the content and keeps important text away from where the paper is cut or bound.

In Turkish: kenar boşluğu, marj

How it is used

Used in page setup, printing and web design. You set, increase or reduce the margins; books have inner and outer margins, and printers often ask for a safe margin of a few millimetres inside the trim.

Example sentences

  1. The page number is too close to the edge; keep everything inside a 5 mm margin.

  2. Wider margins would make this report look less crowded.

Common collocations

  • set the margins
  • inner margin
  • outer margin
  • safe margin
  • wide margins
  • gutterThe space between two columns of a grid, or the inner margin of a book or magazine where the pages meet at the binding.
  • bleedExtra image or background that extends past the edge of the final page, usually 3 mm, so that no white edge appears when the printed sheet is trimmed.
  • gridA hidden structure of columns, rows and margins that designers use to place elements consistently, so that pages in a book, website or campaign feel organised and related.
  • white spaceThe empty areas around and between elements in a design. It does not have to be white; it is any space left free so the design can breathe and the content is easier to read.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Layout & Grids

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