What Does Bleed Mean in Printing?

Bleed printing removes the usual white edges on a print surface by extending the design towards the edges. It’s crucial to remember, especially when you aim for picture-perfect print results. Designers, artists, and printer professionals always keep this in mind, so you might want to do the same.

In this article, we’ll explore what is “bleed” in printing, why it’s essential, and common mistakes to avoid. Keep reading to learn about key terms like bleed area, trim line, and crop marks.

What Is Bleed in Printing? 

Full bleed printing refers to the extension of an image or design to the substrate’s edges. Applying this to your work removes the plain white border on the print surface, also known as the no-bleed setting.

Let’s visualize this to understand the full bleed printing meaning more—imagine you’re printing a poster with a dominant red background; enabling bleed in printing allows this colour to reach a paper’s edges. The printed document will have a bleed line, serving as a trim guide to cut the excess area and have the final printout. 

Image Source: Canva

Understanding Why Bleeds for Printing Are Essential 

What does full bleed mean in printing, and why is it necessary? The main reason is to maximize aesthetics.

Printers leave a white space on all substrates because their inkhead layout can’t reach the edges. In turn, this makes print products smaller than what you’ve envisioned during the design process. The blank edges also attract viewers’ attention more than the art, as creative professionals have realized. That’s why they add bleeds in the printing process—to recentre the focus onto the design.

Besides that, printers of all qualities are prone to alignment errors. No matter how perfectly you lay a paper inside the tray, you can still get a misaligned printout. Bleed printing accommodates this room for error, ensuring your work comes out exactly as you want.

Standard Bleed Size for Printing 

If you ask “what does bleed mean in printing,” the answer is related to a document’s size. Bleeds for printing aren’t automatic; you must add them to your document setup manually. 

The rule of thumb is that you should leave 0.125 inches on all sides. However, the standard bleed size differs for every document size. Here’s a guide to refer to the next time you ask “How much bleed should I leave for printing?”: 

Full Bleed vs No Bleed: When to Use Each 

Image Source: Canva

So, full bleed vs no bleed—which should you use? Bleed printing doesn’t apply on every printed page; the same goes for its no-bleed counterpart. Using either depends on your design and intent. Here’s a guide on where to use either:

Note: No bleed is printing with your default margins! 

Common Bleed Mistakes You Should Avoid 

To give added context, let’s answer “What does bleed mean in printing?” with common errors to avoid. While trial-and-error is common if you’re new to bleed printing, it pays to watch out for the following mistakes when applying bleed to your printing process: 

• Adding a White Border. A full bleed is part of your layout design, and placing a white border as the “bleed” won’t achieve your desired outcome. While this trick makes the cutting process convenient, you may end up with white streaks on the final output.
• Placing Cut Marks in the Design. Adding a cut line on bleed areas is unnecessary because the cut marks are already in the full bleed design. 
• Putting Text or Image in the Bleed. Never place any element near or on the safety margin; it’ll be cut off from the finished product!

Pair Bleed Printing With High-Quality Printers From Busys 

Learning what is bleed in printing is one way to improve your printouts. Delivering fantastic quality prints to your customers builds loyalty and brand reputation. 

Make bleed printing even better when you invest in a digital printer with unparalleled printing capabilities. Busys offers flexible buying and leasing plans for high-calibre printers, so you can achieve next-level outputs.

Interested in learning more? Contact us now!