What is bleed in printing?

There are many technical terms in print that can often be confusing for beginners. One of these terms is "bleed" or "trim". For the sake of clarity, we will use both terms in this explanation.

What is bleed or trim?

In printing, a document or design is usually printed on a larger sheet of paper and then trimmed to its final size. The bleed (also called trim) is the part of the document outside the final format that is cut off during this cropping process. This area ensures that no white or unwanted edges appear in the final printed product.

Why is bleed or trim important?

• Prevents unwanted white edges or uneven cut edges.
• Ensures a professional and clean appearance of the final product.

Therefore, when designing printed materials, a bleed of a few millimetres is usually added around the actual layout. This area is known as the "bleed" and ensures that no unwanted edges are created when the paper is cut.

Bleed or trim allowance for growing paper

When creating a design for growing paper, you should take into account the special properties of this material. Because of its unique texture and thickness, it is advisable to allow a generous bleed of 5 mm per side. This allows our team to cut the paper precisely and evenly.

Make sure that important design elements that need to go to the cutting edge are placed within this extended bleed area so that they are not cut off after cutting. By making these adjustments, you can ensure that your printed material looks professional and attractive on growing paper.

How do I set the bleed correctly?

Step by step

1. Step: Set the document format

   Create a format according to the final dimensions of your desired format. Example: an A6 format has dimensions of 105 x 148 mm.

   

2. Step : Add bleed (or bleed)

   Enlarge the entire format by 5 mm all around! Example: an A6 format has dimensions of 105 x 148 mm. This size now becomes 115 x 158 mm.

   

3. Step: Place guides

   Place guides to visually mark the bleed area. Example: for an A6 format, the paper is cut according to these dimensions: 105 x 148 mm.

   

4. Step: Correctly position design elements that go to the edge

   Place all images and graphic elements to be trimmed to the edge within the bleed area to ensure that they are cut correctly

   cut off.

   

5. Step: Place guides

   Again, place guide lines so that you can later place the remaining design elements. These should be at least 8 mm away from the cut line.

   

6. Step: Place the remaining design elements

   Now place all elements of your design that should not be flush with the cut line at least 8 mm from the cut line.

   

7. Your design on growing paper

   

What dimensions should I create for a design with bleed?

You can find all dimensions with and without trimmings for our standard formats in our table. A 5 mm bleed is always added to each page. This makes each page 10 mm larger in total.

All sizes with bleed from our standard formats in German, Dutch, and English.

Do cut marks or colour codes need to be included in the print template?

No, you do not need to add any cutting marks or colour codes to your print file. If you have created guidelines for yourself during the design process, please remove them before sending us your file. When creating your print file, it is enough to adjust the bleed as required. Our print service automatically centres the print data on the print sheet. We do not require any cutting marks, register marks or colour control strips. You can trust us to process your files professionally and exactly according to the specified specifications.

Examples of designs with bleed