Heads up on a common bleed mistake I see in submitted files

People keep sending me print files with a 0.125 inch bleed when my shop's RIP software needs exactly 0.25 inches to process correctly. It's causing a ton of last-minute fixes because the crop marks get cut off. Has anyone else's printer given you a different bleed spec than what you learned in school?

3 comments

3 Comments

skylershah27d ago

Used to be the guy who thought 0.125 was fine because that's what I learned in class and all my school projects worked great. Then I sent a big order to a local printer and they rejected the whole file because their auto cutter couldn't track the marks with such a small bleed. Had to redo everything at 0.25 and it made me realize the school specs are just a starting point, not the final word. Now I always ask the printer what they need before I even open Illustrator.

pat5401mo ago

My old print shop required a full 3mm bleed, which was a pain to remember after switching from the standard 2mm.

janab871mo ago

That "pain to remember" feeling is so real, it's like every company has its own secret rulebook.