WHAT IS ‘BLEED’ – AND DOES YOUR YEARBOOK NEED IT? (Spoiler – YES!)
When creating a yearbook, there’s one design concept that often causes confusion: BLEED.
It looks simple on screen, but it can feel mysterious when you’re asked to add it to your files.
What is bleed? Why does it matter? And why doesn’t it look the same on your screen as it does in the final printed book?
Let’s break it down in a clear and practical way.
WHAT IS ‘BLEED’?
Bleed is extra image or background that extends beyond the final trim size of your book. In other words, it’s the part of the page that will be cut off during printing.
WHY DO WE NEED IT?
Because no industrial printer cuts paper with 100% precision every single time.
Even the tiniest variation – less than 1mm – can leave thin white edges if the artwork stops exactly at the trim line.
Bleed ensures that your images or background colours reach the very edge of the page, even after trimming.
BLEED ON SCREEN vs. BLEED IN PRINT
This is where most confusion happens.
ON SCREEN:
You see everything, including the bleed area.
It can look like important content is too close to the edge.
The page may appear bigger than expected.
IN PRINT:
The bleed is cut off.
Only the “safe area” and trim area remain.
The page looks exactly the size you expect.
Think of bleed as a safety margin – something you include for the production process, not something readers ever see.
THE KEY AREAS YOU’LL SEE IN A PRINT-READY LAYOUT
BLEED AREA (the outermost 3mm)
This is the part that gets trimmed away. Use it for backgrounds, patterns, and images that need to go to the edge – never for text or logos.
TRIM LINE (the final page size)
This is where the cutting happens. If your yearbook is A4, this is the exact boundary of an A4 page.
SAFE AREA (usually 5 – 10mm inside the trim)
Nothing important should cross this line. This is where all text, portraits, names, and logos should sit to guarantee they are not trimmed off.
A HELPFUL WAY TO VISUALISE BLEED
Imagine colouring a picture right up to the border of a page. To ensure no white shows at the edge after cutting, you colour slightly past the border. That “extra colouring” is your bleed.
When we trim your yearbook pages, that extra bit disappears – but because it existed, the colour or image reaches the final edge cleanly.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS WE SEE (…and the truth!)
“It looks wrong on screen! The margins look too big.”
This is normal. Bleed only looks strange before printing. Once trimmed, the final result is perfect.
“Why do photos look zoomed in on the printed page?”
They aren’t zoomed – part of the photo was intentionally trimmed. If a photo touches the edge of the
page, expect 2-3mm of it to be removed.
“Can I put text in the bleed area if it looks better?”
Unfortunately, no. Anything in the bleed area has a high chance of being cut off.
HOW MUCH BLEED DO WE REQUIRE?
For all yearbook pages, we require:
3mm bleed on all sides
Safe margin: keep all important content at least 5mm inside the trim line
Export as PDF with bleed included
If you’re using Canva, InDesign, or any other design tool, just make sure bleed is enabled when exporting.
WHAT HAPPENS IF BLEED IS MISSING?
If your file doesn’t include bleed, one of two things may happen:
We may have to enlarge your artwork slightly (which can crop important details).
OR
You may end up with unwanted white edges in the final book.
Neither is ideal – which is why we always recommend adding it correctly from the beginning.
FINAL TIP: IF IT TOUCHES THE EDGE, IT NEEDS BLEED
Background colours, full-page photos, borders, patterns – anything that extends to the edge of a page must extend into the bleed area as well.
If you remember that one rule, your yearbook is already 90% of the way to perfect print-ready quality.
