Getting your artwork set up correctly before print helps avoid unwanted white edges, trimmed text, missing logos and last-minute delays. Two of the most important things to understand are bleed and the safe area.
Whether you are designing business cards, flyers, posters, menus, stickers, folded leaflets or banners, this guide explains what bleed and safe areas are, why they matter, and the most common print artwork mistakes to avoid.
Most standard print jobs need 3mm bleed on every edge. Important text, logos, QR codes and key information should usually sit at least 3mm inside the final trim size, and ideally 5mm inside where possible.
Bleed is the extra background that extends past the edge of the finished print. The safe area is the space inside the edge where important content should stay so it does not get trimmed too close.
Bleed is the extra artwork that extends beyond the final trimmed edge of your printed item.
When print is trimmed down to size, there can be tiny movement during the cutting process. If your background, image or colour block stops exactly at the edge of the page, you may end up with a thin white line along one or more edges.
Bleed prevents this by giving the printer a little extra artwork to trim through.
For most standard printed items, we recommend adding:
3mm bleed on each edge
For example, an A6 flyer is normally 105 × 148mm finished size.
With 3mm bleed added to each side, the artwork should be supplied at:
111 × 154mm
That is because you add 3mm to the left, 3mm to the right, 3mm to the top and 3mm to the bottom.
The safe area is the area inside the final trimmed edge where important content should stay.
This includes:
As a general rule, keep important content at least:
3mm inside the final trim edge
Where possible, we prefer:
5mm inside the final trim edge
This gives your design more breathing room and helps the finished print look cleaner and more professional.
Bleed and safe area are often confused, but they are not the same thing.
| Area | What it means | What should go there |
|---|---|---|
| Bleed | Extra artwork outside the final trim size | Background colours, images and shapes that run to the edge |
| Trim size | The final finished size after cutting | The edge of the finished printed item |
| Safe area | Space inside the trim edge | Text, logos, QR codes and important details |
A simple way to think about it:
Backgrounds go into the bleed. Important content stays inside the safe area.
Here are some common finished sizes and the artwork size needed when adding 3mm bleed on every edge.
| Finished size | Artwork size with 3mm bleed |
|---|---|
| A6 — 105 × 148mm | 111 × 154mm |
| A5 — 148 × 210mm | 154 × 216mm |
| A4 — 210 × 297mm | 216 × 303mm |
| A3 — 297 × 420mm | 303 × 426mm |
| DL — 99 × 210mm | 105 × 216mm |
| Square 148 × 148mm | 154 × 154mm |
| Business card 85 × 55mm | 91 × 61mm |
| Business card 90 × 55mm | 96 × 61mm |
These are general guide sizes. Some products, especially banners, signage, folded items or specialist finishes, may need different setup requirements.
Follow these steps when creating print-ready artwork.
Set your document to the final finished size
For example, if you are designing an A5 flyer, set the document size to A5.
Add 3mm bleed on every edge
Most design software allows you to add bleed when setting up the document or exporting the file.
Extend backgrounds into the bleed area
Any colour, image or design element that should reach the edge of the finished print must extend into the bleed.
Keep important content inside the safe area
Keep text, logos, QR codes and key information at least 3mm inside the final trim edge, ideally 5mm where possible.
Export as a high-quality print PDF
A PDF is usually the best format for supplying artwork for print.
Check the final file before uploading
Open the exported PDF and check the size, edges, text, images and crop marks.
This is one of the most common artwork issues.
If the design goes right to the edge but no bleed has been added, the finished print may have thin white lines around the edges after trimming.
This often happens with:
If the background is meant to go to the edge, it needs bleed.
Text placed too close to the edge can look awkward, even if it is not actually cut off.
It can also be risky because small trimming movement may make the spacing look uneven.
Try to avoid placing important text right on the edge of the artwork. Give it room to breathe.
A logo sitting too close to the edge can make the finished design look cramped or poorly balanced.
Keep logos within the safe area unless they are deliberately being used as a background or cropped design element.
QR codes need clear space around them to scan properly.
Do not place QR codes right against the edge of the design, and avoid putting them too close to folds, cut lines or busy background graphics.
Before sending artwork to print, always test the QR code from the final exported PDF.
Thin borders around the edge of a design can be difficult to trim perfectly.
Even a tiny amount of movement during trimming can make the border look uneven.
If you want to use a border, keep it well inside the safe area, or make it thick enough that slight movement will not be obvious.
Artwork should usually be supplied at the final print size, plus bleed.
For example, if you are ordering an A5 flyer, the artwork should be designed as A5, not as an A4 file that needs scaling down.
Scaling artwork up or down can sometimes cause issues with:
If you need to create multiple sizes from one design, each size should ideally be checked and adjusted separately.
The bleed area is designed to be trimmed off.
Do not place important information in the bleed area.
This includes:
Only background graphics or design elements that can be safely trimmed should extend into the bleed.
Bleed and safe area are not the only things that matter. Image quality is also important.
Images that look fine on screen may print blurry or pixelated if they are too low resolution.
As a general rule, use high-quality images and avoid taking images directly from social media, screenshots or small web graphics.
When exporting artwork, use a print-quality PDF setting.
Avoid low-quality, compressed or web-optimised PDF exports, as these can reduce image quality or cause print issues.
If your software gives you the option, choose settings such as:
Business cards usually need bleed if the design, colour or background reaches the edge.
Because business cards are small, safe areas are especially important. Keep names, job titles, phone numbers, email addresses and QR codes away from the trim edge.
A little extra breathing room often makes a business card feel much more professional.
Flyers often use full-colour backgrounds, images and blocks of colour, so bleed is important.
Make sure the background extends into the bleed and that key information stays within the safe area.
This is especially important for:
View flyer and leaflet printing
Posters are usually viewed from further away, so clean spacing and clear edges matter.
If your poster has a full background image or colour, it should include bleed.
Avoid putting small text too close to the edge, especially for event details, ticket links, sponsor logos and QR codes.
Banners and signage may need more space than standard printed items because of finishing methods such as hems, eyelets or fixing points.
For some banners, we may recommend keeping important content much further from the edge.
As a guide, leave generous space around the edges of banners and large-format print. If you are unsure, contact us before ordering.
If you are designing in Canva, make sure you export your file as a print PDF with bleed included.
Before sending the file to print, check that:
Read our Canva print PDF guide
InDesign is ideal for print artwork because it allows you to set up bleed properly from the start.
When creating your document, add 3mm bleed to each edge. When exporting, make sure the PDF includes the document bleed settings.
Read our InDesign print PDF guide
Photoshop can be used for print artwork, but you need to set up the canvas size correctly.
If you are creating artwork in Photoshop, make sure the file includes the final size plus bleed, and check the resolution before exporting.
Read our Photoshop print PDF guide
Before uploading your artwork, check that:
If you are not sure, send us the file before ordering and we can advise.
You may also find these guides useful:
Ganda Media is a Brighton print shop helping local businesses, venues, events, organisations and individuals prepare artwork for professional print.
You can order online for Brighton collection or UK delivery, and if you are unsure whether your artwork is set up correctly, we are happy to help.
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If your spec is awkward, custom, or just not listed yet, send us the details and we will help.
Most standard print jobs need 3mm bleed on each edge. Some products, such as banners, signage or specialist items, may need more.
If your artwork does not have bleed, the finished print may have thin white edges after trimming. This happens because small movement can occur during cutting.
No. Bleed sits outside the final trim size and is designed to be trimmed off. The safe area sits inside the final trim size and keeps important content away from the edge.
No. Text should not go in the bleed area. The bleed area should only contain background colours, images or design elements that are safe to trim.
Yes, if your Canva design has a background, image or colour that goes to the edge of the page, you should export the file with bleed included.
Yes. Business cards usually need bleed if the background, image or design reaches the edge of the card.
Usually, yes. If the poster design goes right to the edge, bleed should be added to avoid unwanted white borders.
Yes. If you are unsure whether your artwork is print-ready, contact us and we can check the file before you order.
Not always. Banners may need more space because of hems, eyelets and finishing. If your banner has important content near the edge, speak to us before ordering.
Crop marks are helpful for many print-ready PDFs, especially when exporting from software such as InDesign, Photoshop or Canva. If in doubt, include bleed and crop marks when exporting your print PDF.