When to Add Bleeds to Your Art

First things first; what is a bleed?

Well, bleeds are the extra space added around a print that allows the color to go all the way to the edge.
When a print file is set up and color needs to go all the way to the edge a bleed is added with extra color around the print to make sure that when it is printed or cut there is no white strip left.

When is a bleed necessary?

Really, bleeds are only necessary when the print has color that goes all the way to the edge. The idea is that when the file it printed the desired image will be printed on the material and the extra color added will bleed off the edge of the material, or be trimmed off after it’s printed.

This is done to ensure that there isn’t a strip of unprinted material along any of the edges.

How big does the bleed need to be?

The size of a bleed depends a lot on what type of print it is and how it’s being finished.

For the vast majority of prints there is a 1/4” bleed added, this means that there is an extra 1/8” of color on all 4 sides. (ie: 54”x36” becomes 54.25"x36.25”).

Other things, like printed vehicle wraps get larger bleeds to ensure that the multiple pieces all line up.

If you’re not sure what size to make your bleeds for your specific job, please contact us! We would love to help you out!