Wide Artwork on a 3D Mousepad: Compare Crop and Background Space

Use a worked landscape-image example to compare Fill pad and Fit image, then check curved edges and the raised area at your chosen mousepad size.

Start with the image proportions and the pad orientation

A wide scene and an upright mousepad have different proportions. Before uploading, identify which parts of the scene must remain visible. Is the whole landscape essential, or can the composition lose scenery at the sides? Classic Small is listed as 26 cm long and 21 cm wide in the size guide. Use that orientation when planning. The comparison below uses the outer rectangular bounds only; the actual silhouette has curved edges and a raised support.

Work through a wide-image example

Suppose your source is 4,000 pixels wide and 2,250 pixels high, a 16:9 landscape image. If its full width is fitted into a 21 cm-wide rectangle without distortion, its height is about 11.8 cm: 21 × 2,250 ÷ 4,000. That is much shorter than the pad’s 26 cm outer length. Keeping the whole source therefore leaves substantial space to address above and below it in this simplified example. It does not mean the source is faulty; it means the proportions differ.

Compare the cost of filling the height

If the same image fills a 26 cm-high rectangle without distortion, its width becomes about 46.2 cm: 26 × 4,000 ÷ 2,250. A 21 cm-wide window then retains only about 45% of that width. With a centered crop, both sides lose artwork; shifting the image changes which side is retained. These rounded calculations illustrate the trade-off. They are not the studio’s cutting geometry, an exact visible-pixel count or a promise about the supplier’s final crop.

Choose the composition you actually want

For a single subject with expendable scenery, cropping may work after repositioning the source. For two people or a scene with important details at opposite ends, preserving more of the image may matter more than filling every edge. You can also prepare an original composition with additional background space above and below, where you have the rights and source material to do so. Do not independently stretch width or height to force a fit. The background guide explains how to review exposed areas and borders.

Test both modes on the real outline

In the custom studio, compare Fill pad with Fit image at the final family, size and style. Fit image can show more of the source while leaving a border, and curved corners can still remove details. Inspect the whole outline as well as faces, hands and text. Then use the 3D view to check how the composition crosses the support. A mathematically correct rectangular fit does not establish that every important part survives the real shape.

Save a separate decision for each size

If you change size or family, repeat the crop review instead of carrying over approval from another layout. Zooming also changes effective resolution, so check the current studio warning after making placement changes. Save the selected layout beside the original and name it by size and placement choice. Follow the custom artwork guide for the final review. A saved preview illustrates your intention; production still requires an accepted order and a reviewed proof.