What is bleed and why does it matter?
Bleed extends your artwork past the trim line so a slight cutting drift never leaves a white edge. Add 0.125" (3 mm) of bleed on all sides of any printed piece.
What “bleed” and “trim” mean
The trim line is where the blade cuts your printed sheet to its final size. Bleed is the extra margin of background or image you extend beyond that line. Because high-speed cutting can shift slightly, artwork that stops exactly at the trim line can show a thin white sliver after cutting. Bleed absorbs that movement so color runs cleanly to the edge.
How much bleed to add
- Standard bleed: 0.125" (3 mm) on every side.
- Safe zone: keep text and logos at least 0.125" inside the trim line so nothing important is cut off.
- Large format (banners, posters): we may ask for extra margin for grommets or pole pockets — check with us if unsure.
How to set bleed in common apps
- Canva: File → Settings → “Show print bleed”, extend backgrounds to the dashed edge, then download as PDF Print with crop marks and bleed.
- Illustrator / InDesign: set Bleed to 0.125" in New Document (or File → Document Setup) and export PDF/X with “Use Document Bleed Settings”.
- Photoshop: add 0.25" to each overall dimension (0.125" per side) at 300 DPI and run the background to the edge.
Not sure your file is set up right? See our file guidelines or send it with your quote request — we check every file before printing. Related: file resolution.