{"id":1170,"date":"2019-10-28T17:53:20","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T17:53:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.banana-print.co.uk\/blog\/?p=1170"},"modified":"2019-11-25T21:24:42","modified_gmt":"2019-11-25T21:24:42","slug":"bleed-printing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.banana-print.co.uk\/blog\/bleed-printing\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does “Bleed” Mean in Printing? UK Size Standards Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In printing, \u201cbleed\u201d refers to an image, usually either a logo or background photo, that extends beyond the edge of a printed page. Whether you\u2019re designing a brochure<\/a>, flyer<\/a>, or business card<\/a> for your company, it is important that you understand what \u201cfull bleed\u201d means and how to properly account for it in the design process.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accounting for bleed is an important part of graphic design because it helps create a clean edge on a finished product; if an image only extends to the end of the page, there is often a thin white \u201cborder\u201d around the edges when printed, which can detract from the document\u2019s overall look. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Account for Printing Bleed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you design a document with a white background, you don\u2019t need to worry about bleed. The white border on the printed page will blend into the background! However, if you decide to put a background color or image on your document \u2013 even something like a small logo in the corner \u2013 it\u2019s important that you design a page with bleed in mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means you\u2019ll need to adjust the size <\/strong>of your design area, and you\u2019ll need to be careful about the layout, font sizes<\/strong>, and graphic sizes <\/strong>on your page. In this guide, we\u2019ll provide you with a few simple tricks that will help you design beautiful, clear documents \u2013 full bleed and all \u2013 every time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Page Size and Print Bleed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you design a page that utilized printed bleed, how much extra space do you have to work with? Not very much: most printers only allocate an extra 3mm on all sides<\/strong> to account for bleed. The only exception to this rule is large format posters<\/a>, as printers usually allow an extra 0.25 inches (or 6.35mm) on all sides as the bleed area.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you create your document with a program like Adobe Indesign, you can set up a bleed area by using the \u201cDocument Setup\u201d menu. The program will likely adjust your project to allow for a standard 3mm bleed area, but you can always customize this area if your project has specific requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve set up a bleed area for your new document, you might notice that there are three separate lines on the page. These are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n