What is bleed and why do I need it for my business card file?

Bleed is the extra 0.125 inches of artwork that extends beyond the trim line on every side and gets cut away during production. It exists because cutting machines drift slightly on each pass, and the bleed absorbs that movement so no white edges appear.

• Bleed amount: 0.125 inches on all four sides.
• Extend background colors, images, and patterns fully into the bleed, never stopping at the trim line.
• The bleed area is trimmed off, so nothing important should live inside it.
• Keep text and logos in the safe zone, at least 0.125 inches inside the trim.
• Without bleed, even a tiny cutting shift leaves visible white strips, one of the most common reasons a batch comes back with uneven edges.