Bleeds driving me nuts!

[Curly creations]

I have done a design front and back for a business card!

I have no graphics around the edges on either side. it is all centred. I know i need bleeds as getting it trimmed at printers. I tried adding a coloured box just for the bleeds and a bit on card but they are all on the card at different lengths.

I also tried a white box around the edge and that didn't work either as i do it in illustrator then put front and back on InDesign as the software i use to print so many onto a A3 works with it!

Help! Any suggestions

Discussion moved by moderator from Adobe Creative Cloud to InDesign, as it looks like the final output is InDesign.

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[jane-e]

Is your final output in InDesign? In either software, you can add Bleed guides that sit outside the edge of the page.

Then you size your artwork to go past the edge of the page to at least the bleed guide. Is that what you are doing?

Is your final output Illustrator or InDesign?

[Curly creations]

Hi! I do it first in illustrator then put it in indesign so I can do front and back! The final software I use is called digital repress and it puts the design evenly to one page! that is 27 cards go on 1 page!

[Curly creations]

I got it sorted! I just increased the art board by 3mm each side so there is room to trim! Thanks all for ur help!everyone!

[jane-e]

Confirm with your printer that increasing the size of the artboards is what they expect at their end.

[Curly creations]

Yes that is what they want! Every printer is different but he likes it that way!  

[jane-e]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/christina+mc+gurgan  wrote

Yes that is what they want! Every printer is different but he likes it that way!  

Yes, that's why it's important to work closely with your printer, especially when you are choosing a non-standard approach when there is a standard solution that is in place and used world-wide for a common occurrence, such as a bleed.

If it were me, I would run, not walk, to another printer right now. But that's just me.

[Danny Whitehead.]

To be fair, it sounds like they're only doing the trimming. Christina's imposing and printing them. I'd guess it's a actually 6mm gutter that they want. I'd be interested to know what imposition software expects the trim and bleed to be defined in such an ill-advised manner, as 'digital repress' doesn't seem to exist.

[Curly creations]

Hi Danny! I have done my business cards a second time and understand more now about bleeds trim box etc! Yes I have went to a different printers to get my cards trimmed for the second batch and didn’t hav to do anything unusual like increase canvas size! Yes the gutter between the designs Works well! Digital repress is a small imposing software created by a man in Dublin for printed material! It was Offered to me when I purchased the printer! thanks everyone for your help! I have learned loads!

[Laubender]

Hi Christina,

it seems that you are using your own imposition software that may not honor the TrimBox, but uses perhaps the MediaBox of a PDF. So your case is a special case and your solution is a solution for your special case only.

Without that increasing the page size to gain space for bleed would be counter productive for most of the printers.

See also into the different PDF Boxes that define trim, bleed etc.pp. in a PDF:

The PDF page boxes: MediaBox, CropBox, BleedBox, TrimBox, ArtBox

Regards,
Uwe

[Curly creations]

Thank you I will check out that info link u gave! By increasing 3mm extra on the art board solved the problem as I print it myself but get my local printer to trim it! They like to hav a 3mm free to cut in even if there is nothing to bleed! Got it worked out with them! It Is confusing bleeds trims etc so thankyou for the link 

[Danny Whitehead.]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/christina+mc+gurgan  wrote

I got it sorted! I just increased the art board by 3mm each side so there is room to trim! Thanks all for ur help!everyone!

That's a bad idea. It will offset your Trim Box - an invisible box in a PDF that imposition software will reference to put the trim marks in the right place. If you really need bleed (and it sounds like you don't), you should set it using File > Document Setup in both Illustrator and InDesign.

Incidentally, why are you imposing it when you're not printing it?

[Curly creations]

Hi! Thanks! I’m imposing it as I print it myself but get it trimmed at my local printers! They do the same way as i Done so got it sorted! Thanks

[Barb Binder · Accepted solution]

Hi Christina:

You need to establish bleed lines when you have content that extends to the edge of the printable area. You don't.

For page trimming purposes, you just need crop marks, which you can enable when you export to Adobe PDF (Print) prior to sending the PDF file to the printer.

~Barb

[hammer0909]

I have no graphics around the edges on either side.

If this is the case then your business card doesn't bleed and you don't have to worry about it.

I know i need bleeds as getting it trimmed at printers. I tried adding a coloured box just for the bleeds and a bit on card but they are all on the card at different lengths.

To add bleed, go to File > Document Setup and in the Bleed and Slug section add the desired bleed value (typically 1/8" or 3.5mm). Now extend anything that bleeds to that bleed guide and you should be good to go.

Your two statements above contradict each other so further explanation might be needed.