Bleed is the area that goes beyond the edge of the sheet before trimming – the area to be trimmed off after printing.
If any elements in your document, such as images or blocks of colour, extend all the way to the edge of the page, it is adviseable to extend these elements 3mm beyond the width or height of the page. This is called bleed. It ensures that when the printed page is trimmed to size it will cut through the image edge, and will not leave an unsightly white mark at the trimmed edge. Files with bleed should also include crop marks so UniPrint will know where the file is to be trimmed.
Please be aware that some programs, such as the Microsoft Office suite, do not allow bleed to be set. You should avoid using these programs for page layout. If these programs are your only option, avoid having images or blocks of colour which go to the edge of the page. If you do not have access to programs that allow bleed to be set, UniPrint may be able to make the required adjustments at extra cost.
For further information and illustrations please see our 'Bleed and trim marks' guide below.
