Zalando packshot grid: article at about 80% of the frame, centred

Zalando's packshot grid says the article should cover approximately 80% of the frame for apparel and shoes, centred horizontally and vertically, and that bags should sit centred vertically in the lower third. Zalando also says you do not need to apply the grids manually to every image: they are for calibrating your process so output meets the rules. The page is the image guidelines, updated October 1, 2026 (read 2026-10-02).

What does the grid say?

There are two templates, one for Apparel and Shoes and one for Bags, Accessories and Others. Downloads are offered in SVG, PNG, JPEG and PSD. The reason for the 80% rule on the page is to prevent unintended cropping.

A quick way to measure fill: open the image, find the smallest box around every pixel that is not the background, and divide its longer side by the matching side of the frame. On a white background this is a few lines with Pillow. Run it on a sample batch before a full run; if most outputs sit well under or over the mark, change the wording of the framing instruction once rather than fixing images one by one. Remember that Zalando says the grids are for calibrating your process, so consistency across your own output matters more than any single image.

Can I ask for 80% in a prompt?

You can ask for it, but Sume's image models take natural-language framing, not a numeric grid, so the result is approximate. Say what you want in words: product centred, filling about four fifths of the frame width or height, equal margins. Then measure. A simple script that finds the bounding box of non-white pixels tells you the real fill, and you can regenerate the ones that miss.

Zalando does not state a tolerance, only "approximately 80%". Do not treat your own cut-off as Zalando's.

What does Zalando do to my images?

The page says Zalando may retouch images: positioning packshots to its grids, cropping to meet resolution and aspect ratio, and changing backgrounds to its colour range. It adds that it does not apply visual filters, change saturation or lighting, or remove props. So a slightly off placement may be corrected by Zalando, but that is not a promise, and a wrong ratio is marked as incorrect before anyone retouches it.

What should I do next?

Here is the short version, in the order to do it.

• Download the grid template and compare a few outputs to it.
• Ask for centred, about 80% fill, equal margins; measure the result.
• Request 2000x2880 JPEG so the ratio is exact (see the size post).
• Place bags and jewellery in the lower third, not the centre.