If you've ever picked up a printed card and spotted a thin white line along one edge, you've seen what happens when a file has no bleed. It's one of the most common file problems we see at our print shops in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Monsey, NY, and it's an easy one to fix before you send anything.
What bleed actually is
Bleed is extra artwork that runs past the edge of your finished piece. Printers don't print one business card on a card-sized sheet. We print on bigger sheets and then cut them down. The cut line is called the trim.
The standard bleed is 1/8 inch (0.125 in) on every side. So a 3.5 × 2 in business card with bleed is a 3.75 × 2.25 in file. A letter-size 8.5 × 11 in flyer with bleed is 8.75 × 11.25 in.
The three lines to know
Bleed edge. The outer edge of your file. Any background color, photo or pattern that touches the edge of your design should stretch all the way out to here.
Trim line. Where the blade cuts. This is the real size of your finished piece.
Safe zone. An inner line, 0.125 in inside the trim. Keep all text, logos and anything important inside it. Cutting is very accurate, but not perfect to the thousandth of an inch, and anything that hugs the trim can look crowded or get nicked.
What goes wrong without bleed
A stack of sheets can move a tiny amount during cutting. If your color stops exactly at the trim line, even a very small shift leaves a white sliver of bare paper along one or two edges. It looks like a mistake, because it is one.
The opposite problem happens with text. A phone number set right against the edge can end up sitting too close to it, or lose a sliver of a letter. That's what the safe zone is for.
How to set bleed in common apps
Adobe InDesign
When you create a new document, open the Bleed and Slug section and set Bleed to 0.125 in on all sides. For an existing file, go to File › Document Setup. When you export, choose Adobe PDF (Print), go to Marks and Bleeds and tick Use Document Bleed Settings.
Adobe Illustrator
In the New Document window, set Bleed to 0.125 in (click the chain link so all four sides match). For an existing file, use File › Document Setup. Stretch your background to the red bleed guide. When you save as PDF, open Marks and Bleeds and tick Use Document Bleed Settings.
Canva
Turn on File › Settings › Show print bleed. A dashed border appears; drag backgrounds and photos out past it to the edge of the canvas. When you download, pick PDF Print and tick Crop marks and bleed.
Microsoft Word
Word has no bleed setting, so you build it into the page size. Go to Layout › Size › More Paper Sizes and add 0.25 in to each side (for a letter flyer, 8.75 × 11.25 in). Set margins of at least 0.25 in so text stays inside the safe zone, let your background run to the page edge, then save as PDF. Tell us the file includes bleed so we cut it to 8.5 × 11.
Start from a template
The easiest way to get bleed right is to start with the lines already drawn. Our free print templates have the bleed, trim and safe zone marked for business cards, postcards, flyers, envelopes, letterhead and presentation folders. Open one, design on top, and delete the guide layer before you export.
Bleed checklist
- File size is the finished size plus 0.125 in on every side.
- Backgrounds, photos and color blocks run all the way to the bleed edge.
- All text and logos sit at least 0.125 in inside the trim.
- Borders are kept well inside the safe zone, or left off, since a thin border close to the edge shows even a tiny shift.
- Exported as a print PDF with bleed turned on.
- Template guide layers are deleted or hidden.
Still not sure? Send us the file. We'd rather spend a minute checking it with you than reprint a job.
Not sure your file is ready? Send it to us at Printout Williamsburg or Printout Monsey and we'll check it before it prints.