Print glossary
Bleed
Bleed is artwork that extends past the trim line so color runs to the edge of the finished piece after cutting.
The standard is 0.125 inch of extra artwork on every side that prints to the edge. Paper shifts a hair when a stack is cut, and bleed means the blade lands in color instead of leaving a white sliver.
Extend the background, not the text. If your business card is 3.5 x 2 inches, the file with bleed is 3.75 x 2.25 inches.
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