Bleed Help

Bleed

Print files should have an extra 1/8 (0.125) inch that extends past the edge of the page. This ensures that when the design is printed and trimmed, no white edges are left, even if the cutting is sightly off.

For example, a design for a typical letter sized page would be 8.5 x 11 inches with an additional 1/8 inch bleed on all sides. Any images or elements that reach the edge of the page would also extend into the bleed.

Below is an example of a design built with bleed. (The orange square around it represents the trim, and it would not be present in an actual design.)

Define bleed in Adobe InDesign:

1. Create a new document (File -> New -> Document...), or for a pre-existing document, open the Document Setup (File -> Document Setup) menu.

2. Find the Bleed & Slug section of the menu (you may need to expand the dropdown).

3. Type "0.125 in" into the four bleed boxes.

Export PDFs with bleed in Adobe Indesign:

1. With a document open, go to File -> Adobe PDF Presets -> [Press Quality] (or use a similar high quality preset).

2. Choose a location for the pdf in the next menu. Click Save.

3. Navigate to the Marks and Bleeds tab, and click to check the box that says "Use Document Bleed Settings".

4. Click "Export" on the bottom right.

Define bleed in Adobe Illustrator:

1. Create a new document (File -> New...), or for a pre-existing document, open the Document Setup (File -> Document Setup) menu.

2. Find the Bleed section of the menu.

3. Type "0.125 in" into the four bleed boxes.

Export PDFs with bleed in Illustrator:

1. With a document open, go to File -> Save As...

2. In the next menu, set the file type to Adobe PDF (pdf) and choose a location for the file. Click Save.

3. In the next menu set the Adobe PDF Preset to [Press Quality] or a similar high quality preset.

4. Navigate to the Bleeds and Marks tab, and click to check the box that says "Use Document Bleed Settings".

5. Click "Save PDF" on the bottom right.

Canva: Show Print Bleed

This setting enables you to see the bleed box when editing a canva document.

Open a new or existing Canva document.
Navigate to the File menu on the top left.
Mouse over Settings, then Show print bleed.
Click Show print bleed to toggle the setting. When it is enabled a check mark will be visible next to it.
Ensure all images and elements that touch the edge of the page extend into the bleed.

Canva: Download PDF with Bleed

1. Navigate to the File menu on the top left.

2. Click the Download option.

3. The Download menu should open on the top right, use the following settings.

File Type: PDF Print

☑ Crop marks and bleed

☐ Flatten PDF

4. Click the Download Button.

Canva: Share PDF

Click the Share button on the top right.
In the People with access section, add epp@itpofusa.com, then click share.
Alternatively, set the Collaboration link section to Anyone with the link can access, then click the copy link button and send us the link.

Share the document with EPP...

...Or make the document visible to anyone
with the link.