What is bleed?

Bleeds allow you to run artwork to the edge of a page. On a press, the artwork is printed on a large sheet of paper and then trimmed down to size. If you do not allow for a 1/8 of an inch (0.125" / 3mm) bleed on each side, then any misalignment while cutting will result with the artwork not running to the edge of the paper. Bleeds ensure you get the results you need.

For example, if you have designed a standard 3.5" x 2" business card with a red background covering the whole area, you will need to enlarge that red background to 3.75" x 2.25". This will make the red background extend 1/8" on every side of the page.

Why is adding a Bleed necessary?

Small mechanical variations can end up leaving a hairline white edge where there should be no white edge at all if the image is not extended beyond the final trim size. Extending images 1/8" beyond the final trim size guarantees that images truly will go all the way to the edge of the printed paper.

How do I add bleed to my design?

To create bleed in your design, simply make sure the background color, graphic, or image you want it to bleed extends off the final trim edge of the page by .125" (3mm).

If you are creating your file in an application such as Photoshop, you must make your document height and width dimensions .25" (6mm) larger than your final trim size. For example, if the finished size is 8.5" x 11" then make your document 8.75" x11.25". Position guides that are .125" from each edge. For design purposes, these guides will represent where the paper (and any of your design elements) will be cut.

Position any background color, graphic, or image that you want to bleed so they extended past your guides, all the way to the outside edge of the document. Remember, the extra .125" will be cut off after your piece is printed.

Adobe Photoshop

1. Open Photoshop and click File > New...
2. Enter the FULL BLEED dimensions. That is 1/4" (0.25") extra both vertically and horizontally.
3. Set the Resolution at 300 pixels/inch
4. Set the Color Mode to CMYK

Adobe Illustrator

1. Open Illustrator and click File > New...
2. Enter the TRIM dimensions in the Width and Height boxes (for example, the trim dimension on a standard business card would be 3.5" x 2")
3. Enter 0.125 for the top, bottom, left, and right bleed
4. Set the Color Mode to CMYK
5. Set the Raster Effects at High (300ppi)

Adobe InDesign

1. Open InDesign and click File > New > Document...
2. Enter the TRIM dimensions under Page Size (for example, a standard business card would have trim dimensions of 3.5" x 2")
3. If you do not see "Bleed and Slug" at the bottom of the window, click the "More Options" button.
4. Enter 0.125 for the top, bottom, left, and right bleed