Here at CatPrint, we often get a lot of questions regarding full-bleed printing. What does it mean? How do you set up your file? It can sound like a foreign term to some.
Usually, when you order prints, you need to choose if you'll have a white border that appears around your printed artwork, also known as no bleed, or not. Some people like it. Some people don’t. For those of you that are satisfied with the white border, you’re good to go!
But what about those of you who want your image printed to the very edge and make that white border disappear? That’s where full-bleed printing comes in.
So, what is full-bleed printing?
Full-bleed printing makes sure that your image or artwork is printed all the way to the edge of the paper. There will be absolutely no white border.
But first, you have to set up your file for full bleed printing.
When creating an order for full bleed printing with CatPrint, we very much advise and recommend that your file needs to be 0.25" larger than the finished cut size. Still confused?
Let's discuss file setup and sizing!
Let’s say you want to print a full-bleed business card. A typical business card has dimensions of 3.5” x 2”. So we need to add 0.25” to those dimensions for a proper full-bleed setup:
3.5" + 0.25" = 3.75”
2" + 0.25" = 2.25”
Your file size would be 3.75” x 2.25” for optimization of full-bleed printing.
When selecting full-bleed printing, we trim into the design 0.125" on all sides to ensure that the artwork is printed to the edge of the paper. If you do not set up the design as required, the final product may not meet your expectations.
But don’t worry too much– the CatPrint Customer Service Team reviews each file before sending it to Production for printing. If our team sees a concern, we will reach out to you to discuss it further.
Templates
On our website, you'll find a list of design templates that are available to assist you in creating your order. These design templates are usable in any design software program, such as Photoshop and Illustrator.
All of the files are in PDF format.
The shaded bleed area in the template should be where your artwork extends to the edge of the design. The safety line shows where all important text and design elements should be inside to avoid being trimmed into.
If you don't see a template for a job that you are trying to create or need help understanding how to use the templates, please contact our Customer Service Team for further assistance.
Questions? Contact the experts.
For additional questions on full-printing printing and file setup, contact our Customer Service Team at support@catprint.com or call us at 877-228-7768.