Bleed refers to printing that extends off the edge(s) of a printed piece. Any printed elements — photos, color blocks, text — that bleed must extend 0.125” beyond the trimmed edge of the piece. This additional “bleed” allows the printer to print the piece slightly larger and trim down to the final size, eliminating the possibility of any unprinted areas remaining along the edges of the piece.
Do I need to include bleed in the PDF file I’m submitting for printing?
Yes, if any printing extends off any edge of your piece, you need to include 0.125” of bleed on all four sides. See the table below for example file sizes with bleed.
If my design bleeds, should I include crop marks in my file?
We accept files with or without crop marks. Most importantly, you must include 0.125” of bleed (with or without crop marks). In either case, the .125” of bleed will be visible as part of your preview once your PDF is uploaded.
What if my file contains elements that bleed off the page, but I didn’t include the proper 0.125” of bleed in my file? Can I still use my PDF?
Yes, when you select your product, choose ‘Yes’ in the ‘Bleed’ dropdown menu. When you upload your file, you will see white border around your image in the preview (this is where the bleed should appear). In the left navigation under ‘Paper Options’, click on ‘Media’. Check the ‘Fit content to paper’ box and click ‘OK’. Your image will be expanded slightly to account for the necessary bleed.
Please note: This will cause 0.125” of your original design to be trimmed off the edges and may cause you to lose important information if it falls too close to the edge. The preview does not visually indicate how much will be trimmed.
This is not the ideal approach to printing with bleed, but may be used if no other option is available.
If no printing extends off any edge of my piece, do I need to include bleed in my document?
No, make your file the exact size of your final piece and export (or save) your file as a PDF with no additional bleed. Then, when you select your product, choose ‘No’ in the ‘Bleed’ dropdown menu.
How do I set up bleed in the software I’m using?
Bleed is created in different ways, depending on whether your software uses “artboards”. See our section on How to Set Up Bleed and Export PDF Files for detailed instructions on setting up bleed in various applications.
Adobe Photoshop
Existing Document:
- Add guides lines by going to the View dropdown menu and clicking on Rulers
- Rulers will be placed in your document window. Click on the rulers and drag guidelines to all 4 edges of the document.
- After the guidelines are set, go into the Image dropdown menu and select Canvas Size.
- Add .25” to both the height at width of the document. If you want a 5”x7” card to have a bleed area, the canvas size must be set to 5.25”x7.25”.
- Once the canvas size has been changed, the guidelines from the original document will stay, indicating the edge of the print area and beginning of the bleed area.
- Save the document as a PDF.
New Document:
- Open a new document, setting your dpi (resolution) to 300 pixel/inch.
- When choosing the dimensions of the document add .25” to the width and height (allowing for .125” on all sides). For example, if you want a 5”x7” card to have a bleed, the Photoshop file must be set to 5.25”x7.25”.
- Once the dimensions are set, use the guide tool to set guides at .125” for the height and width to designate where the bleed area will be.
- Design with the bleed area in mind, making sure not to put crucial text or images within the area.
- Save the document as a PDF.
Adobe InDesign
Existing Document:
- Go to the File dropdown menu and select Document Setup
- Select Bleed and Slug
- Enter .125” for top, bottom, left, and right values
- Check the Preview box in the dialogue box to see what the bleed area will look like on your document (it will be represented by a red guide). Any elements that bleed must extend to the red box.
- Export your document as a PDF using the Highest Quality Print setting. Under the Marks and Bleed tab, check the Use Document Bleed Settings box and verify that .125” is entered for top, bottom, left, and right values.
New Document:
- Open a new document. Select Bleed and Slug and enter .125” for top, bottom, left, and right values
- Check the Preview box in the dialogue box to see what the bleed area will look like on your document (it will be represented by a red guide). Any elements that bleed must extend to the red box.
- Use the bleed guides while positioning your artwork or design to ensure that your design fits within the lines.
- Export your document as a PDF using the Highest Quality Print setting. Under the Marks and Bleed tab, check the Use Document Bleed Settings box and verify that .125” is entered for top, bottom, left, and right values.
Adobe Illustrator
Existing Document:
- Go to the File dropdown menu and select Document Setup
- Under Bleed, enter .125” for top, bottom, left, and right values
- A red box will appear around your document, indicating where the bleed area is.
- Any elements that bleed must extend to the red box.
- Under the File dropdown menu, select Save As and save your document as a PDF (choose Adobe PDF in the Format dropdown menu in the Save As dialogue box). Click Save. Then, under the Marks and Bleed tab, check the Use Document Bleed Settings box.
New Document:
- Open a new document.
- In the New Document dialogue window, enter .125” for top, bottom, left, and right values
- A red box will appear around your document, indicating where the bleed area is.
- Any elements that bleed must extend to the red box.
- Under the File dropdown menu, select Save As and save your document as a PDF (choose Adobe PDF in the Format dropdown menu in the Save As dialogue box). Click Save. Then, under the Marks and Bleed tab, check the Use Document Bleed Settings box.
Microsoft Word
- In the Page Setup dialogue box, under the Paper Size dropdown menu, select Manage Custom Sizes
- Create a new size that is 0.25” wider and 0.25” taller that the final size of your printed piece (this accounts for 0.125” of bleed on all sides)
- Design your piece, keeping in mind that 0.125” around all edges of your file will be trimmed off after printing
- Save your file as a PDF
Referenced from: https://printing.umn.edu/tools/what-is-bleed.html