The three zones
A print file has three distinct zones, measured from the centre outward:| Zone | Position | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Safety margin | 3–5 mm inside the trim line | Keep all important content inside this line |
| Trim line | The finished size of the piece | Where the cutter targets |
| Bleed | 3 mm outside the trim line | Background and images must extend to here |
Safety margin (3–5 mm inside trim)
The safety margin is the zone where you should keep all text, logos, and critical visual elements. This buffer compensates for any slight variation in cutting position — even in precision production, a sheet may shift by 1–2 mm.- Place no text closer than 3 mm to the trim edge.
- For important logos or legal text, use 5 mm for extra safety.
Trim line
The trim line is the finished dimension of your piece. If you are designing a DL flyer (99 × 210 mm), the trim line is the boundary of that rectangle. The cut happens along this line.Bleed (3 mm outside trim)
Bleed is artwork extended beyond the trim line. Background colours, photos, and patterns that reach the edge must extend 3 mm past the trim on every side. This ensures that if the cutter position shifts slightly, no white paper appears at the edge.The standard bleed at Reprodisseny is 3 mm on all four sides. This applies to the majority of small and medium format jobs. If you are unsure about a specific product, mention it in your quote request and the team will confirm.
Why bleed exists
Paper and board move slightly in production. Sheets are printed in batches, then cut with a guillotine or die cutter. Even with careful setup, there is a cutting tolerance of ±1–2 mm. Without bleed, this tolerance produces thin white lines at the edge of the finished piece. Bleed solves this by giving the cutter a zone of “safe to cut” artwork. As long as the background extends into the bleed area, the final piece will have clean, full-colour edges regardless of minor cutting variation.When NOT to add bleed
Bleed is only needed when the design touches the cut edge. Do not add bleed if:- The design has an intentional white (or light-coloured) border around the content.
- You are printing on a substrate that does not require edge-to-edge artwork (for example, a document with a white background).
Setting up bleed in your application
Adobe InDesign: When creating a new document, enter3 mm in the Bleed field under More Options. Use File → Document Setup to adjust an existing document.
Adobe Illustrator: Go to File → Document Setup and enter 3 mm in the Bleed fields.
Adobe Photoshop: Add 6 mm to each dimension (3 mm per side) and keep a guide at the trim position. Note the total canvas size in your PDF export settings.
Affinity Publisher/Designer: Set bleed in File → Document Setup → Margins & Bleed.
Exporting with bleed
When you export to PDF, you must tell the application to include the bleed area. In InDesign and Illustrator, check Use Document Bleed Settings in the Marks and Bleeds section of the PDF export dialog. See Exporting to PDF for full export settings.Large-format considerations
Large-format products such as banners, roll-ups, and outdoor displays may have different bleed requirements — typically larger, because the cutting tolerance is greater for wide-format finishing equipment. When requesting a quote for a large-format job, confirm the bleed requirement with the team before preparing your file.