Bleed is essential whenever colour or images extend to the edge of your design. It ensures your print looks neat and professional once trimmed.
What is bleed?
Bleed is extra artwork that extends 3mm beyond the final trim size. During trimming, we cut into this area to remove any white edge. Without bleed, you may see thin white lines on the edges.
How much bleed should you use?
We recommend:
- 3mm bleed on all sides
Example:
A5 (148 x 210mm) becomes 154 x 216mm with bleed.
Safe area
Keep text and logos 5–6mm inside the final size to avoid trimming issues.
Common bleed mistakes
- No bleed added
- Bleed included but page size not increased
- Text too close to edge
- Artwork exported without crop marks
- ·RGB images in full-bleed areas
- Low-resolution backgrounds
Unsure about your file?
Send it across — we’ll check it before printing.
