We Bleed Strong Design... Designing with Printing in Mind

What is bleed?
A bleed is when an image extends beyond the trim edge of the product. If your image is not white on all four sides, you will want to include bleeds in your files. Add 1/8" (.125") to each side of the file. For example, for a 2" x 3.5" business card with full bleed, the image size should be submitted at 2.25" x 3.75".

Why do I need a bleed? 
When a printer produces a product, they generally print designs onto larger sheets of paper before cutting them all to size.  If you do not use a bleed and your design uses colors that extend to the edge of the page, when this trimming occurs you will be left with a white "hairline" on the edge of your product.  Adding a bleed combats this by extending graphics and colors beyond the edge of where the 

What is the safe zone?
The safe zone is the 1/8" margin that we require between the trim line and the text closest to the trim line.

What is CMYK?
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (Black). This is the industry standard process colors used in full-color offset printing. The combination of these four colors can produce a wide spectrum of colors. Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow combine to create the color, while Black is used to change the shade of the color.