[Print-Print]

When artwork is created and made ‘print ready’, in almost all cases bleed is required. This is an additional area added (normally 3mm on all edges) to the finished size of your document. It allows either the finishers or even the guy who guillotines the final job down to size when its completed, a little room for maneuver.

If you have ever seen a finished printed item with a very fine white line on one of the edges, this usually means that bleed was not allowed for and when the final job was cut, it left a white strip along the edge. This doesn’t mean that the guillotine is not accurate, but when several hundred items are being cut at any one time - the guillotine only has to be out by a fraction of a millimetre and the white edge will appear.

So it best to add a 3mm edge to your artwork on all edges. Every image or background colour which reaches the final cut size of your document, needs to bleed over the edge, so that when its cut no white areas are showing.

If you are experiencing problems with bleed edge with your artwork, give our studio a call and we can give you advice or maybe even add bleed for you.


Danny Molt is an avid writer and follower of the developments in Leaflet Printing and Printing Services
You can see more articles relating to online printing at www.print-print.co.uk/articles.asp