Bleeds - a very important subject

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Consider the following situation:

  • A person want to purchase a business card, and the business card is going to have background colour that will print right to the very edge of the card.
  • The customer creates a file that is the correct size for a business card (i.e.: 54mm x 89mm), and the background colour finishes at the edge of the file.
  • AllPrinting then prints that file on white paper.
  • The business card is placed in the card cutter and is cut to the correct size, but the paper is just 0.5mm off centre.

 

Well, given the the background colour finishing at the edge of the file, then the business card would have a white strip down one side. The below image tries to show this occuring:

  • You can see the lovely green and gold background colours, and you can see where they start and finish.
  • You can see where the business card was actually trimmed — this is represented by the red box.
  • And you can see the white strip down the right-hand side of the business card. 

So, the customer will receive a flawed card, and he or she will 'be a bit upset.

 

Well, the issue of this page is NOT to discuss the problem, but to highlight how to solve it.

 

Look at the next image.

  • The very faint black box is where the business card should be trimmed.
  • The green and gold background colours continue well past the very faint black box (3mm past the very failnt black box).
  • When the card is printed, it will be printed 'over size'; that is, instead of printing a 54mm x 89mm business card, AllPrinting will print a 60mm x 95mm business card. The 'oversided' card is represented by ALL of the background colours.
  • The red box shows where the card was actually timmed (e.g.: the paper was out of balance by 0.5mm when it was placed in the trimming machine). However;
  • Given the business card was 'oversized (i.e.: there were 3mm bleeds on each and every edge of the card), there was still lots and lots of green and gold printed on the paper stock and no white strip will occur.

 

 

 

So, when you create your file, whether it be a business card or postcard or whatever, have all the background colours continue well past the trim line by at 3mm.

 

Some programs does not allow you to have bleeds — Photoshop is one of those programs. The best way to solve that problem on programs that do not allow for bleeds is to make your file 6mm larger than the size it will be when it is finished (the extra 6mm equals 3mm on each and evry edge).
Some of the regular file sizes, after allowing for bleeds, are:

  • A3 (twice A4 size) is normally 420mm x 297mm — the that you create the A3 file to allow for bleeds should be 426mm x 303mm.
  • A4 is normally 297mm x 210mm — the that you create the A4 file to allow for bleeds should be 303mm x 216mm.
  • A5 (½ A4 size) is normally 210mm x 148mm — the that you create the A5 file to allow for bleeds should be 216mm x 154mm.
  • A6 (¼ A4 size) is normally 148mm x 105mm — the that you create the A6 file to allow for bleeds should be 154mm x 111mm.
  • A7 (1/8th A4 size) is normally 105mm x 74mm — the that you create the A7 file to allow for bleeds should be 111mm x 80mm.
  • DL (or 1/3rd A4) is normally 210mm x 99mm — the that you create the DL file to allow for bleeds should be 216mm x 105mm.
  • DDL (or 2/3rds A4) is normally 210mm x 198mm — the that you create DDL the file to allow for bleeds should be 216mm x 203mm.
  • Business and appointment cards are normally 54mm x 89mm — the that you create bussiness and appointment card files to allow for bleeds should be 60mm x 91mm.

 

How to prepare files for printing

We have a page that advises you on general matters on how to create a file for a commercial printing company.
We also have some pages devoted to specific programs: