Bleeding
How should I set up my bleed?
We accept 300 DPI files, and no less. Low resolution orders we may have to hold until we receive new files, slowing your turnaround. UNACCEPTABLE: (72 DPI) Low Resolution.
What is Bleed and What Does it Mean for My Design?
Bleeds allow you to run artwork to the edge of a page. On a press, the artwork is printed on a large sheet of paper and then trimmed down to size. If you do not allow for a 1/4 of an inch bleed, any misalignment while cutting will result with the artwork not running to the edge of the paper. Bleeds ensure you get the results you need.
For example, if you have designed a standard 3.5" x 2" business card with a red background covering the whole area, you will need to enlarge that red background to 4" x 2.5". This will make the red background extend 1/4 of an inch on every side of the page.
Why is adding a Bleed necessary?
Small mechanical variations can end up leaving a hairline white edge where there should be no white edge at all, if the image is not extended beyond the final trim size. Extending images 1/8" beyond the final trim size guarantees that images truly will go all the way to the edge of the printed paper.
How do I add bleed to my design?
Adobe Photoshop
- Open Photoshop and click File > New...
- Enter the FULL BLEED dimensions. That is, 1/4" extra both vertically and horizontally.
- Set the Resolution at 300 pixels/inch
- Set the Color Mode to CMYK
Adobe Illustrator
- Open Illustrator and click File > New...
- Enter the TRIM dimensions in the Width and Height boxes (for example, the trim dimension on a standard business card would be 3.5" x 2")
- Enter 0.25 for the top, bottom, left and right bleed
- Set the the Color Mode to CMYK
- Set the Raster Effects at High (300ppi)
Adobe InDesign
- Open InDesign and click File > New > Document...
- Enter the TRIM dimensions under Page Size (for example, a standard business card would have trim dimensions of 3.5" x 2")
- If you do not see "Bleed and Slug" at the bottom of the window, click the "More Options" button.
- Enter 0.25 for the top, bottom, left and right bleed
How should I set up crop mark in InDesign?
![]() | ![]() ![]() |
|
A. Crop marks Marks and Bleed options
All Printer’s Marks Selects all printer’s marks including crop marks,
Crop Marks Adds fine (hairline) horizontal and vertical rules that
Bleed Marks Adds fine (hairline) rules that define the amount of extra area
Registration Marks Adds small “targets” outside the page area for aligning the
Color Bars Adds small squares of color representing the CMYK inks and
Page Information Prints the filename, page number, current date and time,
Type Lets you choose default printer’s marks or custom marks
Weight Displays possible weights for crop and bleed mark lines.
Offset Specifies how far from the edge of the page (not the bleed) InDesign will draw printer’s marks. By default, InDesign draws printer’s marks 6 points from the edge of the page. To avoid drawing printer’s marks on a bleed, be sure to enter an Offset value greater than the Bleed value. | ![]() 2. Choose File > Export | |
![]() 3. Choose Adobe PDF (Print) > Save | ||
![]() 4. Choose Crop Marks & Bleed > Export |
Follow Us