Page Size:
Page size is the final trimmed size of your project, usually before folding or binding. For example, if you are ordering Flyers, your page size will be 8.5" x 11" whereas a standard postcard would be 4" x 6" and a business card is 3.5" x 2". Whatever program you are using to create your layout, be sure to set up the correct page size for the job.

Bleeds:
A "bleed" is printing term for ink that goes all the way to the edge of the paper. In other words, there is no white margin between the printing and the end of the page. It looks as if the ink goes right off the edge. Bleeds are very popular because of the increased impact they lend to a design.

If you want colors or images to extend to the edge, you'll need to add extra onto your artwork because of the cutting process. Here's an example:

The edge of this business card is shown as a white line.

Here, we've lightened the bleed area to emphasize what will be trimmed.

The paper is cut according to the page size. The extra is discarded.

This is the finished product. Notice how the overall size has been reduced through trimming.

Using bleeds will increase your cost. Why? Because a printing press needs small margins (or gripper space) on the edge of each sheet so it can grip the paper and feed it through the machine. As a result, we must use a sheet of paper that is larger than the page size in order to print ink beyond the edge. Once the oversized sheet is printed, it is then trimmed to final page size, giving the appearance of colors or images extending to the paper's edge. Due to the larger sheet of paper and extra labor involved in cutting and trimming, a project using bleeds is more expensive.

Full and Partial Bleeds:
Sometimes you may wish to extend bleeds to every edge of your document. This is called "Full-Bleed" artwork. Look at the sample business card to the right. The image of the light bulb goes beyond the top, bottom and left sides of the card, while the black background extends to the top, bottom and right edges. Every side has a bleed.

Live Area:
Wether your project is full-bleed or is non-bleed, you always need to keep aware of the live area, or the safe printing zone. This is the area that will be safe from variations in the cutting and bindery process. To ensure that you stay within this area, do not place any important items closer than 1/8 inch to the edge of the page. If you have straight lines or shapes that run parallel to the page, please leave 1/4 from the edge.