subject: "what is a bleed" - explained !! [print this page] "what is a bleed" - explained !! "what is a bleed" - explained !!
I have worked in the printing industry for years now and I keep helping customers all day long, and they all seem to have the same problems with their artwork, after a short discussion and a few laughs, usually their problems are simple little mistakes that can be easily solved and avoided, in an effort to help, I have written this article to provide a little insight into the printing industry for newcomers.
Your artwork should be started with a new file and you should select "300" as the DPI (dots per inch) mode, and you should select "CMYK" mode and never "RGB", also your artwork should be saved at 300 dpi resolution and CMYK mode before you send them to us for printing. RGB files cannot be printed on professional four color presses. Not every RGB color has a CMYK equivalent and the result could be more than just subtle color shifts and will just look "Weird" or "off".
Your artwork must have a Bleed 3mmaround the entire design which is required for cutting
Which file formats are preferred?
High Res Acrobat Portable Document Format (.pdf) - Preferred
What if my image is not 300 dpi?
I recommend that all images and artwork be a minimum of 300 dpi, if it is not it will most likely be rejected by the printer, and then you will have to redo it, creating an image from scratch in 300 DPI is so much easier than trying to correct an image that is not 300 DPI, and the final product will be so much better.
What is Bleed?
Professional printing machines cannot print right to the edge of a sheet of paper. To create that effect, the printer must use a sheet which is larger than the document size. Then the printer prints beyond the edge of the document size , then cuts the paper down to the document size, so always give yourself a little extra room by keeping important images and text away from the border, and allowing your background to go past the edge.
More helpful information is available at www.belfastprint.co.uk
