Bleed is where the artwork of the design extends beyond the point of where the print job will be trimmed to. If you have a business card with a finished size of 3.5 x 2, the submitted file should be 3.625 x 2.125. The bleed 0.0625 on each side will be cut off giving the effect of edge to edge color.

Templates

You can download a template for file setup from each product page and our template page, files are available as jpeg or pdf. These files show you the layout of the print piece and indicate the bleed and safety lines. If you are using Photoshop or Illustrator we recommend placing these in your files and dropping the opacity so you can see your design with the guides. Remember to switch off or delete the template layer before submitting your print ready file.

Bleed Setup

How your file should be setup

This image shows a business card, with the orange area being the area that will be trimmed, the blue area is the safety area, any text should not be in this area as it may be cut off.

File Setup

Problem File

This image shows a badly placed main picture, this will be cut off when printed, the address block is also over the safety line and will be cut off.

Problem File