Bleeds, Cut Lines, Margins

Bleed for printing example

Setting Up Your Artwork: Bleeds, Cut Lines, and Safety Margins

For the best results, keep in mind:

  • Bleed Line: Artwork is extended past edge to the solid pink line.
  • Cut Line: The blue line shows the edge of the finished, printed document. This is where the image will be cut after printing.
  • Safety Margin: Remember?é?ánot to place text beyond the green line because it could get cut off in the trimming process.

What is a bleed?

Your items is printed on a larger sheet and cut down to size. If your item has background colors or images that stretch to the edge of the document and appear to "bleed off" the edge of the sheet, then we need those colors and images to extend past the edge of the finished item size.

The printing and finishing are automated so there is a tolerance, which means we need a some extra wiggle room to avoid white showing at the edge. This way we can be sure all your colors go to the edge of the document and look neat and professional.

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How do I set a bleed on my artwork?

We like a 1/8 inch (0.125") bleed area on all sides of the document, with "crop marks" or "trim marks" used to indicate the finished dimension. Most graphics software programs like Adobe InDesign or Illustrator allow you to set the bleed area when you set up the page size for the new document.

  • Make your page size the actual finished size of the piece.
  • When you go to save your final PDF for printing, make sure your PDF output settings include bleed and crop marks.
  • Note: If you are using Canva, there will be a box to check to add bleeds when you go to save your PDF for print. Bleed area and crop marks will be generated automatically.

If you have any concerns with setting up your artwork please Contact Us?é?á- we'll be glad to help.