What Is Bleed in Printing? 3mm Bleed & Safe Area Explained
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If you're preparing artwork for professional printing, you'll often be asked to include 3mm bleed. It sounds technical, but the idea is simple: bleed gives us a little extra printed area around your design so it can be trimmed cleanly to its finished size.
What is bleed in printing?
Bleed is the part of your artwork that extends beyond the final trim edge. It is designed to be cut off during finishing.
When printed sheets are trimmed to size, there can be a very small amount of movement in the cutting process. If a background colour or image stops exactly at the finished edge, that movement can leave a thin white line. Extending the design beyond the trim edge prevents this.
How much bleed do I need?
For most standard Wright Print products, we recommend 3mm bleed on every edge. Always check the requirements for the particular product you're ordering, as some specialist and large-format products can have different artwork requirements.
| Finished size | Artwork size with 3mm bleed |
|---|---|
| A6 – 105 × 148mm | 111 × 154mm |
| A5 – 148 × 210mm | 154 × 216mm |
| A4 – 210 × 297mm | 216 × 303mm |
| A3 – 297 × 420mm | 303 × 426mm |
| Business card – 85 × 55mm | 91 × 61mm |
Because you're adding 3mm to both sides, the overall width and height each increase by 6mm.
Bleed vs trim vs safe area
Bleed area: the extra artwork outside the finished size. Background colours, photographs and graphics that are meant to reach the edge should extend into this area.
Trim line: the intended finished edge of your printed product. This is where the artwork will be cut down to its final size.
Safe area: the area inside the trim line where important content should sit. Keep logos, text, phone numbers and other essential information comfortably away from the edge.
Does every design need bleed?
If your design has a plain white background and nothing needs to print right to the edge, bleed may not be visually necessary. If any colour, image or graphic reaches an edge, however, it should normally extend into the bleed area.
What happens if my artwork has no bleed?
Artwork without sufficient bleed can produce unwanted white edges after trimming. It may also mean your file needs to be amended or resupplied before production, which can delay an order. Adding the correct bleed when you create the artwork is the best approach.
Is bleed the same as a margin?
No. Bleed sits outside the finished trim size and is removed. A margin or safe area sits inside the finished size and protects important content from being too close to the edge.
How do I add bleed in Canva?
In Canva, use the print bleed/view settings to display the bleed area and extend backgrounds or images fully into it. When downloading your finished design, choose PDF Print and make sure the required bleed is included. Check the exported PDF before uploading it.
How do I add bleed in Adobe Illustrator or InDesign?
Both Illustrator and InDesign allow you to specify bleed in the document settings. Set the required bleed, extend edge-to-edge artwork into the bleed guides and include the document bleed settings when exporting your print-ready PDF.
Do I need crop marks?
For most Wright Print orders, the important thing is supplying the artwork at the correct size with the required bleed. You don't normally need to add printer marks unless the individual product instructions specifically request them.
Check your artwork before ordering
Before uploading your file, check the finished size, bleed, image quality, colours, fonts and safe area. Wright Print includes an artwork check on supplied print-ready files, and we'll contact you if we identify an issue that needs your attention before production.
For more help, see our guide to preparing artwork for professional printing, our UK paper size guide and our print-ready PDF guide.