Setting up bleeds correctly is one of the most important steps in preparing artwork for professional printing. At Splash Print, we regularly receive designs from customers who are not fully aware of how bleeds work, and a simple mistake can lead to white edges, uneven cutting, or rejected artwork. Understanding bleeds not only speeds up production but also ensures your final product looks clean, polished and print ready.
A bleed is an extra area that extends beyond the trim edge of your artwork. It allows for slight cutting variations during production, preventing unwanted white borders around your design. Commercial print machinery trims thousands of sheets at once, so even a 1 to 2 mm shift can affect the final result. Adding bleeds guarantees that your background colours, patterns, or imagery will reach the edge exactly as intended.
Most printing companies, including Splash Print, recommend a standard 3 mm bleed on all sides. This means your artwork should be slightly larger than the final trimmed size. For example, an A5 flyer (148 mm x 210 mm) should be supplied at 154 mm x 216 mm once bleeds are added. Equally important is the safe zone, which is an inner boundary at least 3 to 5 mm inside the trim line. Keep text, logos and important elements inside the safe zone to avoid them being clipped.
Setting up bleeds is simple when using the correct software. In Adobe Illustrator or InDesign, you can add bleeds when creating a new document by adjusting the bleed fields to 3 mm. In Photoshop, you will need to manually increase the canvas size. For Canva users, Splash Print advises downloading PDF files using the “Crop Marks and Bleed” setting, which automatically adds the correct allowances.
Before sending artwork to print, always check crop marks, colour profiles and resolution. Use CMYK colour mode and ensure images are at least 300 dpi for the best output quality. Sending your artwork as a high resolution PDF with bleeds included will reduce delays and guarantee a smoother production process.
At Splash Print, we offer a free artwork check and can help you adjust bleeds if needed. Correct bleed setup protects your design, enhances print accuracy and gives your final product a truly professional finish.