What is bleed in printing?

Bleed is the part of your artwork that extends past the trim line, usually 1/8 inch (0.125"), so that after the piece is cut there are no unprinted white edges. It exists because cutting can shift slightly, and bleed gives that shift room to move without exposing paper.

• How much: a standard 1/8" (0.125") on each side, unless a product specifies otherwise.
• What to extend: run backgrounds, colors, and images fully into the bleed area.
• What to avoid: keep text and logos away from the bleed and inside the safe zone.

Without bleed, a small trim shift can leave a thin white sliver along an edge, so it is safest to always extend edge-to-edge artwork past the trim.