Bleed in printing refers to the process of extending the background color, image, or design of a printed piece beyond its intended final trim size. This is done to ensure that the printed piece has no even white borders or edges once it has been trimmed to its final size. Bleed is an important aspect of printing and your printer always prefers to go with files with bleed in place.
In adding bleed, the design is extended by 3mm or more from each side that needs to be trimmed. This avoids any unwanted white borders.
Why is Bleed Important?
When designing for print, it is important to understand that even the most precise cutting machines can still produce slight variations in the final trim size of a printed piece. For this reason, it is necessary to add an extra margin of design or image beyond the intended final trim size to ensure that the printed piece appears seamless and complete.
Without a bleed, there is a risk that the final product will have unwanted white edges or borders, which can be particularly noticeable on designs with solid or gradient backgrounds. Bleed ensures that the final product appears uniform and professional, regardless of any slight variations in the final trim size.
How to add bleed to your files?
To achieve a bleed, a designer needs to create a design that is 3 mm larger on each trimming side than the intended final trim size of the printed piece. In simple words, extend the edge by 3mm on every side that will be trimmed. This process ensures that there are no unwanted white borders or edges on the final printed piece.
Tips for Designing with Bleed
When designing for print, there are several tips to keep in mind to ensure that the final product looks its best:
Always check with your printer to ensure that you are providing the correct bleed specifications for your design. At KR Printers, we follow a standard protocol of keeping the bleed as 3 mm in all our prints.
Make sure that all critical design elements, such as text, logos, and important images, are at least 5 mm inside the trim line to avoid being cut off during the trimming process.
Avoid placing important design elements too close to the edge of the design to prevent them from being trimmed off during the final cutting process. As a general rule of thumb, it is advisable to not place any important element in the last 10 mm of the sides.
Always use high-resolution images to ensure that the final product appears sharp and clear.
Happy Printing!
K.R. Printers (Bookman) is an emerging printing press based in New Delhi. We are manufacturers of School stationery, new year diaries, and calendars. You can place custom printing orders with us. We can be reached via the following channels:
Call/WhatsApp us: +91-8287626311 / 9871255634
Reach out via E-mail: abhishek@krprinters.com
Visit the website: www.krprinters.com