A bleed is the extra image, color, or design area that extends beyond the final trim size of your printed piece.
When printed materials are cut down to their final size, there can be very slight movement during trimming. If your artwork stops exactly at the edge of the page, even a tiny shift can leave an unwanted white line along the edge.
To prevent this, any background color, photo, or graphic that should go all the way to the edge needs to extend past the final size.
For most print projects, we recommend adding:
0.125 inch bleed on all sides
That means if your finished piece is 8.5" × 11", your file with bleed should be 8.75" × 11.25".
For a postcard that finishes at 6" × 4", the document size with bleed should be:
6.25" × 4.25"
The extra 0.125" on each side will be trimmed off after printing.
Bleed is for backgrounds and edge-to-edge graphics only. Text, logos, page numbers, QR codes, and other important information should stay inside a safe margin.
A good rule of thumb is to keep important content at least:
0.125" to 0.25" inside the final trim edge
This helps make sure nothing important gets cut off.
Image resolution affects how clear or blurry your printed piece looks.
Images that look good on a screen may not have enough resolution for print. Screens display images at a much lower resolution than most printed materials require.
For most printed pieces, images should be:
300 pixels per inch, or 300 PPI, at final print size
This means the image should still be 300 PPI after it has been placed, cropped, or enlarged in your design.
The resolution of an image changes when you resize it.
For example, if you place a photo that is 300 PPI and then enlarge it to twice its original size, the effective resolution drops to about 150 PPI. The image may print soft, blurry, or pixelated.
Here are a few common print sizes and the approximate image dimensions needed for 300 PPI:
| Print Size | Recommended Image Size |
|---|---|
| 4" × 6" | 1200 × 1800 pixels |
| 5" × 7" | 1500 × 2100 pixels |
| 8" × 10" | 2400 × 3000 pixels |
| 8.5" × 11" | 2550 × 3300 pixels |
Large-format prints are often viewed from farther away, so they may not need to be 300 PPI at full size. Posters, banners, and signs can sometimes print well at a lower effective resolution depending on size, material, and viewing distance.
When in doubt, send the highest-resolution file available.
Color on a screen is not created the same way as color on paper.
Most screens use RGB color, which stands for red, green, and blue. Printed materials typically use CMYK color, which stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
RGB color is used for:
RGB colors are made with light, so they can appear very bright and vibrant on screen.
CMYK color is used for most printed materials, including:
CMYK colors are made with ink or toner. Because of this, some bright RGB colors may become duller when converted for print.
If you submit an RGB file for print, it may need to be converted to CMYK during the production process. During that conversion, some colors can change, especially bright blues, greens, oranges, and neon colors.
This does not mean the file is wrong, but it does mean the printed piece may not exactly match what you see on your screen.
For print projects, it is usually best to design or export your file using a print-ready color setting, such as CMYK, when available.
For jobs where color accuracy is especially important, such as branded materials, logos, or official department colors, request a printed proof before the full run.
Before sending your file to print, check the following:
In most cases, a PDF is the best file format to submit for print. A properly exported PDF helps preserve fonts, images, layout, bleeds, and color settings.
When exporting your PDF, look for options such as:
High Quality Print, Press Quality, or PDF/X
Also make sure to include bleeds if your design goes to the edge of the page.
Setting up files correctly can save time, reduce delays, and help your final printed piece look its best. If you are unsure whether your file has proper bleed, resolution, or color settings, send it in and ask for a file review before printing.
A few small checks before production can make a big difference in the final result.
