If you’ve been looking at having goods printed or have dabbled as a graphic designer you’ve likely seen the term “bleed.” But what exactly is bleed and why is it essential for quality prints?
What Does Bleed Mean in Printing?
In printing, “bleed” refers to the area that extends beyond the trim edge of the piece. This extra area helps ensure that no unprinted edges appear on the final piece accommodating for any slight movement of the paper during the trimming operation. Cascade Print Media recommends 1/8th of an inch or 3mm around all sides to every art file.
Benefits of Adding Bleeds
Adding bleeds to your designs offer several advantages:
Prevents White Edges: Even with quality industrial cutting machines the paper can shift slightly during the trimming cuts. Bleeds help ensure the graphic extends beyond the edge which avoids unsightly white edges on printed pieces.
Professional Finish: Bleeds help provide a high-quality look to your printed pieces.
Consistency: It maintains the integrity of the art across multiple prints. Helps ensure that each piece looks identical even if there are slight variations in the trimming process.
How to Create Bleed in Your Design
1: Setup Your Document With Bleeds
When creating a new document set the bleed area ahead of time. Most design tools such as InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop have options for setting and adding bleeds.
2: Extend the Background
Ensure that any background images, colors or patterns extend into the bleed area at the edges. This ensures those elements will still reach the edge when the paper is trimmed.
3: Keep Important Elements Inside the Safe Zone
While ensuring that the background extends into the bleed area also ensures that all critical elements stay within the safe zone. This is an area usually about ¼” of an inch inside that trim line. This prevents them from being accidentally trimmed off or into. Cascade Print Media also recommends avoiding using thin borders in this area as the natural trim variations will be more noticeable the thinner the border.
4: Use Guides
Most modern design software will allow you to see and add visual guides. Use the guides to accurately position the design elements.
5: Export with Bleed Enabled
When you’re ready to save and export your final file, ensure the bleed settings are included. Most software will include an option to “include bleed” in the export settings. This step is crucial to ensure the printer knows to account for bleeds when trimming down the stock. Bleed from Canva is added via file > view settings > show print bleed. If exporting as a PDF file type ensure “crop marks and bleeds” are selected.
Adding bleeds to your designs is a simple but crucial step to ensure high-quality and professional looking prints. By understanding and applying bleed correctly you can elevate the quality of your pieces and avoid common pitfalls such as white edges or inconsistent borders.
Ready to get started on your next project, but don’t know where to start? We can help! Get in touch and we will walk you through the process!
