Due to unavoidable shifts that occur during the production process, it is important to place any important content of your design (text and graphics) at least 0.125” away from the edge (trim line). Content within our recommended safety margin of 0125” will not be trimmed.

The safety margin can be defined in Adobe InDesign during the document setup process or in the Margins and Columns section under Layout. In Illustrator and Photoshop, you will have to set up these guides in the document.

Setting up proper safety margins will help avoid having your objects look as if they are about to fall off the page and ensure they are not trimmed off.

Bleed is the artwork that extends past the trim line or finished size of your product. If any element of your artwork is designed to be printed to the edge, it must be extended past the trim line and into the bleed area by a minimum of 0.125".

The addition of bleed compensates for uncontrollable shifts that occur during the printing and trimming process; and ensures that any content touching the edges does not leave unwanted gaps or borders.