Printing to the Edge
If you want your design to go all the way to the edge of the page, we’ll need to print on paper or a card that’s larger than the final size and then trim it down with a guillotine. It’s important to note that slight movements during printing make it nearly impossible to cut through a stack of paper accurately without leaving white edges. To avoid this, include “bleed” and, if possible, trim marks in your artwork.
Bleed Explanation
Bleed means extending the printed area slightly, typically by 3mm on each side. This extra space allows us to cut into it without risking any white edges. For example, if you want us to print a business card that’s 85mm x 55mm with a solid red background, provide artwork with a solid red area of 91mm x 61mm. The 3mm bleed will be removed during cutting, leaving the finished cards at 85mm x 55mm. Keep important content away from the bleed area (5mm is recommended)
Trim (Crop) Marks
If your software allows, always add trim marks where bleed is needed. Trim marks are small lines indicating where the page ends and the bleed begins. These marks guide the guillotine cut to ensure the correct print size. Place trim marks away from the edge of the finished page size to avoid them appearing on the prints after cutting. We recommend setting an offset of 3mm to prevent them from entering the bleed area. If you need assistance setting-up artwork with bleed and trim marks, please don’t hesitate to contact us. If you can’t provide artwork with these elements, we can add them for a small artwork charge whenever possible.