What the heck is bleed?
Bleed refers to the area outside of the document where elements such as background colors and graphics extend beyond the edge of your finished size. No printers can print all the way to the edge of a sheet, so your document must be printed on a larger sheet and then trimmed down to the final finished size. Basically, if you want your finished project to be printed edge to edge, you have to include a bleed margin.
Type | Popular sizes | Final sizes with bleeds |
---|---|---|
Business card | 3.5” x 2“ | 3.75” x 2.25” |
Postcard | 4” x 6” | 4.25” x 6.25” |
Invitation | 5” x 7” | 5.25” x 7.25” |
Flyer | 8.5” x 11” | 8.75” x 11.25” |
Poster | 11” x 17” | 11.25” x 17.25” |
What files can I submit?
We prefer press ready, flattened PDFs with proper bleed & crop marks added. Don’t stress over crop marks, just make sure you have bleed included. You can submit via email or give us a call us to arrange a customized file transfer.
All of our machines print in CMYK color. Files that are not submitted in CMYK may shift color when processed to a CMYK print. We do not guarantee color accuracy in conversions from RGB or Pantone Colors to a CMYK color process.
We prefer artwork with a resolution of 300 DPI to print a crisp and clean image. Images with a lower DPI may print fuzzy, distorted or pixelated.