ALL ABOUT BLEEDS IN PRINTING

BLEEDS & SAFE MARGINS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

A bleed in printing is when ink goes to the edge of the printed piece.

Printers are usually not able to print all the way to the edge of a sheet of paper, so we usually print on larger sheets and cut them down to bleed. We usually print on larger sheets for lower costs as well.

Printing and cutting is not an exact science--printers do not print images in exactly the same place on each sheet (some are better than others), and cutting methods are not precise either--so in order to achieve a bleed the image must extend beyond the cut lines... usually by 1/8" on each side. Because printing and cutting is not an exact science, we also recommend against borders, and everything essential must be kept at least 1/8" away from the cut lines.

Videos on this page explain and show:

What a bleed is
How products with bleeds are produced
Bleeds and safe margins - what to be aware of
How to create and save files with bleeds

BLEED TIPS FROM ALPHAGRAPHICS SANDY

BC BLEED TEMPLATE

HOW TO CREATE BLEEDS

BLEEDS IN ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

Adobe Illustrator allows you to set bleeds and include them when saving as PDF files. You are typically safe with 1/8" (0.125") bleeds on all four sides.

BLEEDS IN ADOBE INDESIGN

Adobe InDesign is most friendly when it comes to bleeds. It allows you to set and export your bleeds. It also allows you to view your design without bleeds, which is very helpful. You are typically safe with 1/8" (0.125") bleeds on all four sides.

BLEEDS IN ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

Adobe Photoshop does not have bleed settings. If you are designing a print file using Photoshop, then you need to add an additional 0.25" to the overall height and 0.25" to the overall width of the document. You can set guides to help you know where the cut lines will be.

When you save as a PDF file and send the file to us, we can add crop marks, and your project will turn out great!

BLEEDS IN OTHER PROGRAMS

Creating bleeds in other software programs will probably have to be done manually. Whatever size you want for your finished piece--you need to add an additional 0.25" to the overall height and 0.25" to the overall width of the document. You probably can't set guides to know where the cut lines will be, so it's best to keep important text and images far away from the edges.