Bleed
Printing term that describes when a graphic image or other element
exceeds the
edges of the paper to compensate for a margin of error that occurs during
cropping and printing. For example, when printing business cards with a graphic
that touches an edge of the card, if the image does not account for bleeding
there may be a small but noticeable white edge. In the picture to the right, is
an example of what a print with no bleed may look like. As can be seen in this
picture, the last example has a small white border on the left-side of the
image.
To create an image or other document that accounts for the print bleed the image needs to be slightly larger than the printing area, regularly between 5mm and 25mm on each edge. However, this value can vary depending on the printing press, how the image is sent to the printer, and the size of paper.
Also see: Printing definitions, Registration mark, Slug area