Q: I'm confused on how much the mini riser should "stick out" from the back.

A: In general, sticking out about 1/2 inch (1.27 cm) puts the bumpers contacting the bottom of the laptop at about 1 inch (2.54 cm) from the edge. We've found this is a good position to keep a laptop stable. However, this is just a "rule-of-thumb". It doesn't have to be precise, and you may choose to position it differently for your laptop. As long as your laptop is stable, it's all good.