What is Bleed and Why Does it Matter When Printing?

Bleed in printing

What is bleed?

In printing bleed is needed to make proper cuts and provide a good final product. So, what is bleed? Bleed is the area between the edge of the sheet and the final print size that will get trimmed off. A bleed area in very necessary because without it your artwork will get cut off. When you print with bleed the artwork needs to be printed on a bigger sheet in order to cut to size.

Why is adding bleed necessary?

When the prints pass through a commercial printer there might be some shifting due to speed. Any small mechanical variations can leave white edges around the artwork where it shouldn’t be. Adding that ¼” additional bleed all around fixes that issue. Thus, having that additional bleed for cutting a more accurate final product.

Understanding bleed and sizes

The bleed additional bleed should be an extension of the file’s background and text close to the edge should be avoided.

Here are some popular sizes with final size and size with bleed.

You can also find templates on our website, click HERE.

A file properly set up with accurate bleed results in a polished and professional final product.