What is full-bleed?
Full-bleed printing is a technique used in the printing process where the design extends all the way to the edge of the final document size without any white borders. To achieve full-bleed, the artwork or document setup must include a bleed line or area. A bleed line/area is an extra space beyond the trim line. This bleed area ensures that when the print project is trimmed to its final size, there are no visible lines or unsightly white borders. In full-bleed printing, bleed lines are the extended guidelines that indicate the area beyond the trim edge where artwork or images should extend to prevent white borders when the document file is trimmed.
Why is bleed important?
Understanding bleed is essential for creating professional-looking prints. In software like Adobe InDesign or Photoshop, you can set up the document with the appropriate bleed settings. The bleed refers to the background colors or images that extend beyond the final size of the image in the design. Crop marks or trim lines are added to the white background to indicate where the trimming process should occur.
What is the difference between full-bleed and partial bleed?
When it comes to printing, full-bleed and partial bleed are two terms that refer to the extent to which the design extends beyond the margin of the trim line of a printed file or document.
Full-bleed printing is the technique where the design extends all the way to the edge of the final document size without any white borders. It requires including a bleed area in the document setup, which allows for a seamless and professional-looking final product. With full-bleed, the artwork or background colors extend one inch beyond the trim line, ensuring there are no visible lines or unwanted white borders after the trimming process.
On the other hand, partial bleed refers to a printing technique where the design extends only partially beyond the edge of the paper or trim line. It involves creating a smaller bleed area compared to full-bleed printing. This means there may be a narrow white border or white space around the edges of the printed document. While partial bleed can still add some visual interest to the design, it doesn’t provide the same edge-to-edge effect as full-bleed printing.
