Bleed Explained
In this page we will attempt to explain what “bleed” is and why it is required. It will also explain how to add bleed to a document that you have designed.
What is bleed and why is it required?
When graphics continue to the edge of a sheet of paper bleed is required. This is because a commercial printing press cannot print to the edge of a sheet of paper. Instead products are printed on much larger sheets of paper and then cut down to size. Beacuse it is impossible to cut exactly to the edge of your design a little over print on each side is required. This overprint is called “bleed”
Diagram
The diagram below shows a correctly lined up business card with 3mm of bleed and crop marks. The crop marks show the line that the guillotines must cut to. The bleed is the area outside.
How much bleed do I need?
The industry standard is to have 3mm of bleed on each edge. This means that the lenghts of each side will be 6mm longer. For example an A4 sheet when lined up with bleed will be 216mm x 313mm. It will then be cut down to its finished size of 210mm x 297mm.
What is a Safe Zone?
When producting any printed product you should keep any important text or graphics at least 3mm away from the cutting line. This ensures that any misregistration will not result in anything important being clipped. The diagram below shows bleed, cutting lines and safe zone on a printed product.
How do I add bleed?
Depending on the software that you are using there are many different ways to add bleed. Generally these are split into two methods described below.
1. Make the page larger - With most products it is possible to simply make the page larger when designing the product. For example with a letterhead make a page 216mm x 313mm. Remember to keep all text and logos 6mm away from each edge. (3mm for bleed + 3mm for safe zone)
2. Use Software to Add Bleed - If you are using professional design software such as adobe illustrator, you can set the size of the bleed when you start designing the document. Just rememeber to check the bleed settings when you save the document (or export it to pdf). If you are using Adobe design software we will often be able to guide you through saving your document with bleed.
