Bleed & safety margin

The bleed refers to the margin that extends beyond the final format of the printed product. It serves as a safety margin and is removed by the cutting machine after printing.

The final format including the bleed is called the data format.

To ensure that images, texts and other design elements are not cut, it is important to maintain an additional safety margin to each edge of the final format.

The key features at a glance:

Bleed: 2 mm on all sides (unless specified otherwise)
Safety margin: 4 mm to the final format (unless specified otherwise)
extend design elements (e.g. background colours, illustrations or patterns) beyond the final format to the edge of the data format, i.e. fill the bleed as well.

Correct artwork:

Left image: artwork including 2 mm bleed and 4 mm safety margin

Right image: printed business cards – cleanly cut and with an ideal safety margin

Why do you need the bleed?

Cutting to the final format may result in deviations of up to one millimetre. To ensure that the printed product can nevertheless be neatly cut to the corresponding data format, a bleed must be added to the artwork. This serves as tolerance for possible later trimming differences.

If artwork contains no bleed or only a completely white bleed, disturbing "flashes" can occur – white margins are then visible around the final format. It is also possible that part of the design is cut off.

In addition to the bleed, the safety margin ensures that texts and design elements are not cut off.

Left image: artwork with white bleed and insufficient safety margin

Right image: printed business cards with "flashes" and cut design elements.

If no bleed or an incorrect bleed has been created in your artwork, we will notify you of this after the data upload. This allows you to correct your artwork. If this does not happen, we will automatically add the bleed for you.

What must generally be considered when creating the bleed?

Add 2 mm bleed on all sides of your artwork unless otherwise specified.

The bleed should not simply be colourless or filled with white colour. Drag background designs beyond the edge of the final format to the edge of the data format. But make sure that no critical content extends beyond the final format size because it might be cut off.

Artwork view: The background design fills the bleed up to the edge of the data format.

What must generally be considered when creating the safety margin?

Position critical graphic and text elements at least 4 mm away from the final format size unless otherwise specified.

If you add the bleed, these elements should therefore be at least 6 mm from the edge of the artwork file.

Artwork view: Texts and graphic elements are located with a sufficient safety margin to the edge of the final format.

Please bear in mind that wire-O bound products, such as catalogues or brochures, may require bigger safety margins. For more information, see the "Artwork information" section on the individual product pages in our online shop.

Can artwork file contain marks and guides?

You are welcome to use appropriate marks and guides in the layout programme to design your printed product.

Please do not include any cutting, folding or registration marks in the subsequent export of the artwork. Your artwork will be automatically centred on the print sheet. Marks or colour control strips are not required.