Four file problems ruin almost every print job: missing bleed, content too close to the cut, RGB colour, and low resolution. All four are preventable in about five minutes. Bleed for a standard horizontal business card is 0.0625 inches per side, safety is 0.0625 inches inside the cut, and artwork should be CMYK at 300 DPI at final size.
Here is what each term actually means, what happens when it is missing, and the exact numbers rather than a vague "add some bleed".
The three lines on every template
Download the template for your product and you will see three coloured guides. They are not decoration and they are not interchangeable.
| Line | Position | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Blue (outermost) | End of bleed | Background colour and images must extend all the way to here |
| Red (middle) | Cut line | The finished product is cut here. This is the size you receive |
| Green (innermost) | Safety line | Anything you cannot afford to lose goes inside here |
Get blue and green the wrong way round and you will place your phone number exactly where the blade lands. It is worth checking which is which every time, because not every printer uses the same colour convention.
The actual numbers
Measured from our own production templates, not rounded off:
| Product | Bleed per side | Total added | Safety inside cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business card, 3.5 x 2 horizontal | 0.0625" (1/16", 1.6 mm) | 0.125" (1/8") | 0.0625" |
| Business card, 2 x 3.5 vertical | 0.125" (1/8", 3.2 mm) | 0.25" (1/4") | 0.0625" |
| Rounded corners | as above | as above | 0.25" corner radius |
The thing nobody tells you about bleed
Look at that table again. The horizontal and vertical business card templates use different bleeds. Same product, same stock, same press. One wants 1/16 inch per side, the other wants 1/8 inch.
That is not an error in the table. It is how print templates actually are, across the industry, and it is why "just add an eighth of an inch" is advice that will eventually cost you a reprint.
The rule that always works: download the template for the specific product and orientation you are ordering, and build to its blue line. Do not carry a bleed setting over from the last job. Do not assume a number you read on a different printer's site applies here.
If you would rather not think about it, send us the file at trim size and say so. We would rather add the bleed correctly than have you guess at it.
Bleed: why your background must be bigger than your card
Paper is cut in stacks, and cutting has a hair of natural movement. Bleed is extra background extending past the trim line, so when the blade lands a fraction off, the colour still runs to the edge.
Without bleed, that fraction shows up as a thin white sliver along one side. It is the single most common reason a job looks cheap. If any colour or image touches the edge of your design, it needs bleed behind it.
Note that the canvas you design on should be the bleed size, not the trim size. If your document is exactly 3.5 x 2 inches, there is physically nowhere for the bleed to go.
Safe area: keep the important things away from the blade
The same cutting variance works in reverse. Anything within 0.0625 inches of the trim line risks being clipped. Keep logos, text and phone numbers inside the green line.
The classic trap is a thin border running parallel to the edge. Even a tiny shift in the cut makes it visibly thicker on one side than the other, and the human eye is very good at spotting it. Either make borders substantial, 0.25 inches or more, or leave them off entirely. A 1pt keyline around a business card is a job that will come back.
CMYK: the colour space presses actually use
Screens mix light, which is RGB. Presses mix ink, which is CMYK. Some vivid screen colours simply do not exist in ink. Electric blues, neon greens and pure bright oranges are the usual casualties.
An RGB file gets converted at print time whether you convert it or not. The difference is whether you see the shift on your screen first or on the delivered job. Convert to CMYK yourself and you will see roughly what the press sees.
One practical note: rich blacks. A black built from 100% K alone prints as a slightly washed dark grey on large areas. For a solid black background, ask for a rich black build rather than flat K.
Resolution: 300 DPI for small format, 100 DPI for large
This one has two answers, and using the wrong one costs either quality or a file you cannot upload.
- Small format (business cards, flyers, postcards, brochures, stickers): 300 DPI at final size. These are held at reading distance and detail shows.
- Large format (banners, yard signs, posters over about 18 x 24): 100 DPI at final size is correct and standard. Nobody inspects a banner from six inches away, and a 12 x 8 foot file at 300 DPI is unusably large.
The test either way: view your file at 100% zoom at actual size. What you see is what prints. Enlarging a small image never adds detail, it just enlarges the blur.
Fonts: outline or embed
If we do not have your font installed, an un-embedded file substitutes another font and your layout reflows. Sometimes subtly, sometimes catastrophically.
Export a print-ready PDF, which embeds fonts, or convert type to outlines before sending. Outlining is the safer of the two because it removes the possibility entirely, but it also means you cannot edit the text later, so keep an editable copy.
Common questions
How much bleed do I need for a business card?
0.0625 inches per side on a standard 3.5 x 2 horizontal card, which is 0.125 inches added across the whole sheet. A 2 x 3.5 vertical card uses 0.125 inches per side. Always check the template for the product you are ordering.
What is the difference between bleed and safe area?
Bleed is outside the cut line and gets trimmed away. Safe area is inside the cut line and is where your content must stay. Bleed protects against white edges, safe area protects against clipped text.
What DPI should print artwork be?
300 DPI at final size for anything held in the hand. 100 DPI at final size for banners, large signs and big posters. Both measured at the printed size, not at whatever the file happens to open at.
Should I send RGB or CMYK?
CMYK. An RGB file will be converted anyway, and converting it yourself means you see the colour shift on your screen instead of discovering it in the box.
Do I need bleed if my design has a white background?
Technically no, since a slight miscut on white against white is invisible. In practice it costs nothing to add and protects you if the design changes later.
Why did my border print uneven?
Because it sat close and parallel to the trim line, and the cut moved by a fraction. This is normal cutting behaviour, not a defect. Thick borders or no borders.
Can you add bleed for me?
Usually yes, if the artwork has enough background to extend. Send it and say the bleed is missing. If the design goes right to the edge of the canvas with nothing to pull outward, it may need rebuilding, and we will tell you before printing rather than after.
What file format should I send?
A print-ready PDF is best, because it embeds fonts and preserves vector artwork. High resolution TIFF or PNG at the correct size also works. Avoid sending files exported for web.
The safety net
Every order includes a free artwork check. A person reviews bleed, safe area, colour mode, resolution and fonts before anything prints, and contacts you if something needs fixing.
No file yet? Our design team builds print-ready artwork from scratch. Prefer to fix it yourself? Start your document at the product's size plus its bleed, work in CMYK, use 300 DPI for small format and 100 for large, and you are most of the way there.