Custom Printing For Newbies - Bleeds

by Alex Plachta

Hi!  I have decided to start a new series of “For Newbies” blogs from the print department here at OEX. Most of these topics have been covered in the past but I thought I would put my own spin on them as well as covering their real-life implications. I started in the industry only a few years ago so I have some perspective and hopefully explain these topics at a nice basic level.  If you have any questions, feel free to email Alex at print@oexusa.com.

This is an extra simple topic to start – Bleeds!

Bleeds determine whether the printing goes right to the very edge of the page.  If the printing is away from the edge of the artwork then there are no bleeds. If instead, the printing needs to go right to the edge of the page, then there needs to be a bleed in the artwork. The bleeds in this situation are the extra blue at the bottom part of my business card. The black dashes in the corners indicate where the card is cut to create the finished product.

One implication of something with bleeds is that it needs to be done on a sheet of paper larger than the finished product, then cut down. This is not an issue with most jobs, but know that it is not possible to print all the way to the edge with a typical office printer (like the little white printer above). There will always be a white border when you print - even if there are bleeds in the artwork.

Simply stated, bleeds can be expressed in one sentence - the print extends beyond the trim area of the printed piece to give the appearance that it’s “bleeding” off the paper.

How’s that for simple?

Thank you for reading!