Bleed is the part of your artwork that runs past the cut line on a dieline, so that when the knife cuts the box there is no thin white edge where the color stops short. How much bleed a job needs is set by the printer, and it is drawn on the dieline as a line outside the cut.
Why a box needs bleed
No press and no cutter lands in exactly the same place every time. The sheet shifts a little as it is printed, and again as it is cut. If a background stops exactly on the cut line, any small shift leaves a sliver of bare board along the edge. Running the artwork past the cut gives the knife room to move without showing it.
Bleed has a partner on the inside of the cut: the safe zone, where text and logos stay so that the same small shift never trims them.
What does a stated bleed mean?
When a printer asks for a .25 inch bleed, they mean that backgrounds, images and any color touching an edge should carry on a quarter of an inch past every cut line. A 3 mm bleed works the same way, measured in millimeters: the artwork continues 3 mm beyond the cut. Either way it is a distance outside the cut, not a border that shows on the finished box.
Should I include bleed when printing?
Yes, on anything with color, pattern or a photo running to an edge, and on packaging that is nearly every panel. A panel of plain board with a small logo in the middle does not strictly need it, but a file is simpler to set up, and safer, with bleed on every cut edge.
How much bleed does a box need?
Ask the printer that will make it. The right amount depends on the press, the board and the cutting method, so it can differ between printers and between a folding carton and a corrugated mailer. On our dielines the bleed line is already drawn for you, and we confirm it for your job on the free digital proof before anything prints.
Bleed, cut and safe zone together
| Line | Where it sits | What goes there |
|---|---|---|
| Bleed | Outside the cut | Backgrounds and images run out to it |
| Cut | The edge of the finished box | Nothing should depend on landing exactly on it |
| Safe zone | Inside the cut and away from folds | Text, logos, barcodes and anything that must not be trimmed |
Common bleed mistakes
- Artwork stops at the cut line, which leaves white slivers wherever the cut shifts.
- Bleed added around the outside of the dieline but not along notches, slots and flap edges, which are cut too.
- Text or a logo placed in the bleed, where it will be trimmed off.
- A photo stretched to fill the bleed instead of the background being extended, which distorts the image at the edges.
For the rest of artwork setup, see our print-ready artwork guide.
Send the inside dimensions and the box style, and a specialist replies within one business day. Free design help and no minimum order.
Request a dieline