GET THE MOST FROM YOUR DESIGN: TIP # 1
We are all too familiar with deadlines and the havoc they can often wreak on your life when one is missed! It is incredibly frustrating to spend hours and hours designing your work, only to have it printed and get back something far from what you had envisioned. These last-minute problems do more than increase your stress levels and blood pressure, they’re actually hugely damaging to your productivity. Evolution wants to help you get your project printed right. The first time. If we have questions regarding your project, we ask them. If you have questions or concerns regarding your project, we're here to answer them.
We know that everything needs to be perfect to save you time, money, and protect your reputation. We are here to help! Enter our tips and tricks section where we will share with you our knowledge on how to get the most out of your printed piece, either from files you are providing us or files we are creating for you.
Our most recent email mentioned the importance of sending us files with proper margins and bleeds. Margins and Bleeds are some of the most important elements in helping us deliver a final product that meets your expectations.
WHAT ARE BLEEDS?
A document has bleeds when it has images or background printed to the edges of the paper without a white border. This is a commonly seen practice in flyers, brochures and business cards.
The standard bleed for your document should be .125 inches to allow for any variations in paper shifting during the printing and cutting processes. When you create your document, the bleed amount needs to be specified and all artwork that is intended to bleed, needs to extend to this new bleed line.
Exporting your files to send to us with bleeds is easy. Simply go to your export option and select Marks and Bleeds in the left column. If your document was created with .125 inch bleeds, simply check the "Use Document Bleed Settings" option in the center of the menu. If your document was not created with bleeds, you will need to manually enter the value and ensure that your images are pulled past the edge of your document.
- Export your files with .125 inch bleeds
- Keep all information in the "safe" zone
WHAT ABOUT MARGINS?
Margins are just as important as bleeds but the amount will vary depending upon the size of the final printed piece. All important text should be kept within a smaller area than the document size to avoid any of that being cut off during the printing and cutting processes. At Evolution, we request that business card margins be no smaller than .1875 inches. For flyers and brochures, margins should be no smaller than .25 inches and on multi-page programs or booklets, margins should be no smaller than .375 inches or more depending on page count. For more specific information, please contact us regarding your project to find out what size margins we require for your project.
WE ARE HERE TO HELP!
We are always more than willing to help you with any questions you may have when sending us "PRINT READY" files for printing-- just give us a call!
We hope that this information has been helpful and answered the question "Bleeds? What are bleeds!?!?" and then some! Next time, we'll discuss image resolution and color modes!
