Part 1 Missing extra trim at edges
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Bleed difference is an important characteristic for print data because it greatly affects the quality of the finished product. Without bleed area, printed products may show cut lines that, depending on your layout, can have a very negative optical effect. |
The only exception in this case is a layout that is created without a background colour and has absolutely no elements close to the edges. For all other data templates, an allowance must be made for cutting in order to assure that your product will not come out with white edges.
Why not simply cut more exactly?
Cut lines are caused by physical and technical factors. Your desired product is printed on a large sheet of paper alongside many other products that are then layered and cut at the same time. Several hundreds of layers of paper are then piled on top of each other according to grammage and are then cut to the desired format by the blade. In order to minimize displacement of the paper layers, the pile is pressed down to keep it from shifting during cutting. The layers do shift against each other lightly as a result of compression and squeezing.
Unfortunately, this displacement cannot be totally avoided mechanically. For this reason, allowing a bleed difference in every set of print data is standard in print shops today. This way, a minimum margin of error is built into the system, and the optical quality of the printed product is ensured.
If your data has been laid out with the proper bleed allowance, the slight variations will hardly be visible, because this tolerance is a maximum of only 3mm. Optically, these discrepancies can barely be made out. Correct bleed difference means that all elements that touch the edges (background colours, photos, etc.) extend completely into this area, so deviations in cutting will not result in any visible sections of unprinted paper. Rather, any extra area will still be part of the product’s design.
What happens when there’s no bleed allowance?
When the edge allowance isn’t there, every cutting deviation is immediately visible, because the paper is only printed on within the specified product size. White edges appear in the area within the cut that are easy to spot, no matter what the product. Especially for products with a dark background colour, this has a very negative optical effect.
When creating print data, you should always make sure you have included bleed difference. In professional software programs, a corresponding setting exists, which you will be asked to select when creating the document. But even without professional software, it is possible to create correct print data. Simply use the template to orient yourself. All of our templates are formatted with specifications that make the bleed allowance clear.
Here’s how to calculate and use bleed edges correctly
The correct data format can be calculated for all products using one simple method. Use your print data’s open end format as a starting point and extend the height and width by 6mm each. The print area of your product always goes out from the centre of the work surface, so a 3mm wide frame has now been created around your print template.
This frame must now be filled by every element that lies on the edge of the design. Extend your background colours and lengthen or move images, lines, bars, and other forms.
This way, all elements that lie adjacent to the cut line have been placed “bled-off.”
As you extend and move things around your layout, keep in mind that your template will be cut 3mm from the new edges, so no important elements should protrude into the bleed difference area. If existing photographs, for example, are not large enough to provide for the 3mm area, you should move them 3-5mm away from the cut line (6-8mm from the new layout edge). Text as well should always be situated with this distance between it and the edge to ensure that it will not be damaged by the cut.
If you keep our tips in mind or have used our print templates to create your data, then you have certainly protected your printed product from containing perceptible cut lines. If you are still unsure whether your data adheres to the optimal guidelines, it is advisable that you take advantage of the data check your print shop provides. With the data check, you’ll get helpful advice about any errors in your data, and then you can correct them.
Have fun creating your print data.
