Understanding Bleed in Printing
Learn why bleed is essential for professional printing results
What is Bleed?
Bleed is the area of your design that extends beyond the final trim size. It ensures that when your printed piece is cut to its final size, there are no white edges or gaps where the design should extend to the edge.
Full Page View
Safe Area
Bleed Area
Trim Line
Corner Detail
0.125"
0.125"
With Proper Bleed
- • Clean, professional edges
- • No white gaps or borders
- • Design extends to the edge
- • Perfect for business cards, flyers, booklets
Without Bleed
- • White edges and gaps
- • Unprofessional appearance
- • Design doesn't reach the edge
- • Requires reprinting and delays
Our Bleed Requirements
0.125"
Standard Bleed
Required on all sides for most products
300 DPI
Resolution
Minimum resolution for print quality
PDF
File Format
Preferred format for best results
How to Add Bleed to Your Design
Adobe Illustrator
- Go to File → Document Setup
- Click Edit Artboards
- Add 0.125" to each dimension (width and height)
- Extend your background and design elements to the new edges
- Export as PDF with "Use Document Bleed Settings" checked
Adobe Photoshop
- Go to Image → Canvas Size
- Add 0.25" to width and height (0.125" on each side)
- Extend your background layer to fill the new canvas
- Export as PDF with "Include Vector Data" checked
Canva
- Create your design at the final size
- Go to File → Download
- Select PDF Print format
- Check "Include crop marks and bleed"
- Download and submit your file
Common Bleed Mistakes to Avoid
Placing important text too close to the edge
Keep text at least 0.25" from the trim line to avoid it being cut off
Not extending background colors to the bleed area
Always extend your background to cover the entire bleed area
Using low-resolution images
Ensure all images are at least 300 DPI for print quality
Ready to Print with Perfect Bleed?
Now that you understand bleed, create professional-looking prints every time!