Bleed & trimming.

Why bleed exists

Cutting a stack of paper is never pixel-perfect — the blade can shift by a fraction of a millimeter. Bleed gives that shift somewhere safe to land instead of leaving a thin white edge on the finished piece.

The numbers

• Build your file 0.125" (3mm) larger than the final trim size on every side.
• For an 8.5 x 11" book, the working file should be 8.75 x 11.25".
• Keep anything you don't want trimmed at least 0.25" inside the trim line (the safe zone).

Three zones on every page

• Bleed area — outside the trim line; background color and full-bleed images extend here.
• Trim line — where the blade actually cuts.
• Safe zone — inside the trim line; body content and logos stay here.