DHL Print Requirements: What to Consider for Your Letter Design
4 min readLast updated: February 20, 2026Templates & Editor
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For your letters to be sent via DHL, certain print requirements must be met. AutoLetter checks these requirements automatically -- both in the visual editor and when uploading PDFs. This article explains all the rules in detail.
All letter templates must be created in DIN A4 format:
Other formats are not supported and will result in a validation error.
On the first page of every letter, DHL reserves three areas for postal information. No design elements may be placed in these zones:
Content in the reserved DHL zones will cause a validation error. Your template cannot be saved as long as elements overlap these areas. Background images or shapes that extend to the top edge can also trigger the error. Use the DHL zone overlay in the editor to make the areas visible.
On all pages (including page 1), minimum page margins apply. Content within these margins may be cut off during printing:
| Margin | Minimum Distance |
|---|---|
| Top | 2.3 mm |
| Left | 12 mm |
| Right | 2.3 mm |
| Bottom | 2.3 mm |
The left margin is significantly wider at 12 mm compared to the other margins. This is due to the folding of the letter for envelope insertion. Plan your layout accordingly and keep important content outside this area.
The visual editor offers a DHL zone overlay that you can toggle on and off. When activated, the reserved areas are displayed semi-transparently over your template:
Activate the DHL zone overlay throughout the entire design process of your template. This way, you can always see which areas must remain clear. The overlay is only shown in the editor and does not appear in the final print.
AutoLetter automatically checks whether any of your design elements overlap the reserved DHL zones. The validation occurs:
If overlaps are found, you will receive a detailed error message showing:
For PDF uploads, all fonts used must be embedded in the PDF file. Non-embedded fonts may be replaced by default fonts during printing, which can alter the layout.
The entire template (for PDFs the file, in the editor the exported version) may be a maximum of 19.5 MB. Starting from 15 MB, AutoLetter displays a warning.
Tips for reducing file size:
For optimal print results, we recommend using the CMYK color profile. RGB colors are automatically converted during printing, but may differ slightly from the screen display.