WHAT ARE THEY AND WHY DO I NEED THEM?
Bleeds consist of the art that extends past the final size (or trim size) of the label. The bleed ensures that you have enough art left if the die shifts.
A bleed of .125” on all edges is recommended.
Set up bleeds for a new document
For this example, we are using Adobe Illustrator, the preferred program.
- Create a new Document.
- Set Artboard Width and Height to your desired size.
- Set Bleed to .125 in. on all sides, Top, Bottom, Left, and Right.
- Under Advanced Options, set Color Mode to CMYK Color – this is VERY important.
- Any other color profile will result in unexpected color shifts when converted to CMYK and printed.
In this example we are using a custom shape for our dieline; this is what your file will look like with the guides on and the bleed line showing.
To create bleeds on a document already created, follow these steps
- File > Document Setup.
- Set Bleed to .125 in. on all sides, Top, Bottom, Left, and Right.
Artwork to the bleed line
Now that the bleeds are set, ensure your artwork goes past the artboard and to the bleed line. All images, color, or graphic elements that you want to continue off the edge needs to be included up to the bleed line.
- Keep any text, important content, or anything not intended to bleed .125” inside the final trim size.
This is what your finished label file will look like when submitted to prepress when your guides are showing. The dieline layer is not showing in this example.
This is what your finished label will look like when printed and die cut.