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What Is Bleed and Why Is It Important?
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What Is Bleed and Why Is It Important?
Bleed prevents unwanted white borders by extending artwork beyond the trim edge.
Estimated read time: 2 min.
Last updated: 2026-02-18
In this article

What Is Bleed?

Bleed is the extra 0.125 inches of artwork that extends beyond the final trim size of your printed piece.

This ensures that when the paper is cut, no white edges appear.


Why Bleed Matters

During trimming, minor movement can occur. Without bleed:

  • White edges may show
  • Colors may not extend fully to the edge

Example

If your flyer size is:

8.5″ x 11″

Your artwork file should be:

8.75″ x 11.25″


Safe Area

Keep all important text at least 0.25″ inside the trim line to prevent cutting issues.

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