Bleed, trim, and margin are terms that describe the dimensions and boundaries of your printed document. Bleed is the extra area that extends beyond the final size of your document, to ensure that there are no white edges after cutting. Trim is the actual size of your document after cutting, and it is also the size that you set in your print design software. Margin is the space between the trim and the content of your document, to avoid any important elements being cut off or too close to the edge.
Bleed, trim, and margin are important because they affect the quality and accuracy of your printed document. If you do not include bleed, your document may have white edges or gaps after cutting, which can ruin the appearance and professionalism of your design. If you do not set the correct trim size, your document may not fit the paper or the printer specifications, which can cause scaling or cropping issues. If you do not leave enough margin, your document may lose some content or look cramped and unbalanced.
Photoshop is a popular print design software, but it does not have a built-in feature for setting bleed, trim, and margin. To manually create these settings, start by creating a new document with the desired trim size; for example, 8.5 x 11 inches for a letter-sized document. Then, add 0.125 inches to each side of the trim size to get the bleed size; for example, 8.75 x 11.25 inches for a letter-sized document with bleed. Go to Image > Canvas Size and enter the bleed size in the Width and Height fields with the anchor in the center. Next, go to View > New Guide Layout and enter the trim size in the Width and Height fields with columns and rows set to 1. Repeat this step with your desired margin size; for example, 0.5 inches for a letter-sized document. Design your document within the margin area and extend any background or images that you want to bleed to the edge of the document.
Illustrator is a popular print design software with a built-in feature for setting bleed, trim, and margin. To use it, create a new document with the desired trim size, such as 8.5 x 11 inches for a letter-sized document. In the New Document dialog box, click on the More Options button and enter the bleed size – for example, 0.125 inches for a letter-sized document with bleed – and the Advanced button to choose CMYK as the colour mode and High (300 ppi) as the raster effects resolution. Design within the artboard, which is the trim area, and extend any background or images that you want to bleed to the edge of the bleed area. To view or edit the margin area, go to Layout > Margins and Columns and enter the margin size – for example, 0.5 inches for a letter-sized document – to create guides that mark the margin area on your document.
InDesign is a print design software created for layouts and publications, featuring a built-in tool for setting bleed, trim, and margin. To use it, create a new document with the desired trim size – e.g., 8.5 x 11 inches for letter size – and enter the margin size in the New Document dialog box. Additionally, click on the Bleed and Slug option and enter the bleed size – e.g., 0.125 inches for letter size with bleed – to add the bleed area to your document. To ensure that your document is suitable for printing, choose Print as the intent and CMYK as the colour mode. Finally, design your document within the margin area and extend any background or images that you want to bleed to the edge of the bleed area.
