Bleed

Bleed is the extra area of artwork that extends beyond the final trimmed edge of a printed piece. It ensures that when paper is cut to its final size, there are no unwanted white lines at the edges due to slight cutting shifts. Bleed is commonly used for brochures, flyers, business cards, and posters where backgrounds or images run to the edge of the page. Print suppliers typically specify bleed requirements, often a small margin such as a few millimetres. In addition to bleed, designers should consider a safe area to keep important text and logos away from the trim line.