Do I need bleed if my design has a white background?

Yes, bleed is still good practice even when the background is white. Bleed is about correct document dimensions and reliable alignment, not just color, so setting it up keeps your file predictable at the cutter.

• A properly sized file with bleed keeps your finished dimensions exact and avoids alignment surprises.
• Any colored element, border, or photo near an edge needs bleed even if the rest of the page is white.
• A full-white edge has no color to protect, but building the bleed in still keeps every file consistent and press-ready.