Adding Bleed To Your Artwork For Print

The Tip: Ok, so you know you need to allow for bleed on your design, but does that mean your artwork needs to be bigger than the final print/trim size?

Quite simply, yes.

Your artwork must extend 2mm (or more, depending on the print product) further than the desired final size of your print. This is called 'external bleed'. This extra room is a standard printing practice and gives you the peace of mind that your design will still look exactly how you imagined it, even if there is a small margin of error in the guillotining process.

You also need to be aware of 'internal bleed'. This means that your core design or text mustn't go within 2mm (or more, depending on the print product) of the desired final print/trim size.

The Advice: Please make sure when submitting a job online that the size of print you select matches the size of your artwork eg. 90x55mm (your external bleed should extend your artwork by 2mm around each side of your final print size). Total artwork size is therefore 94x59mm.

The Recap: Extend your background 2mm past your print size. Keep your core design within 2mm of the trim size. Ensure your artwork matches the size of print you selected when ordering the job.

*Please refer to the templates on the website for required external and internal bleeds.