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Need to submit artwork with Photoshopย for your Vancouver business cards or another printing project? Here’s how correctly set up the bleed lines with Photoshop. Questions? Feel free to contact us at PrintPrint: 604-265-5914, info@printprint.ca.
Creating the Bleed linesย with Photoshop
Create a new fileย
Sizing
Make sure the document is set up at 300 dpi. when sizing a document you have to add theย bleed to the final file size. This is done by adding 0.25 inches to the size in both directions.ย
So if you wanted a final size of 3.5 x 2 inches you would set that up in Photoshop as 3.75 x 2.25. Thisย rule is the same regardless the size.
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Setting up the bleed
Next is setting up the interior bleed, or gutter.ย This step is very similar to the Illustrator setupย except Photoshop doesnโt have an โartboard.โ Inย the place of an artboard we use the guides to buildย an artboard area and gutter. As done before in the Illustrator tutorial, click andย drag the guides from the rulers but this time placeย the guides on 0.125 and 0.25 in each direction.
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Re-setting Zero
Resetting zero to the first intersecting guides (0.125 in guides) by clicking in the top leftย corner of the rulers and drag it to where you want zero to be. This will align the rulers soย that the first guides will represent the artboard.
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Understanding Bleed in Photoshop
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Any image or colour that youย want to bleed off the edge ofย the card (printed right up to theย edge) needs to be set up so theย colour or image bleeds both theย interior gutter safety and the cutย line all the way to the edge of theย file.
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Common Mistakes
Sometimes people think thatย because a file barely passesย the cut guide that then theyย have enough bleed. This isย incorrect because we need aย full extra 1/8th inch to accountย for any shifting or slipping onย the cut. This is the same reasonย we use the gutter safety keepingย the text 1/8th inch from the cut.
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Another classic move is justย adding white or black to theย extra bleed area. This is alsoย incorrect. Think about the bladeย and how if it isnโt absolutelyย perfect in itโs cut there could beย a ugly thin white or black lineย on the edge.
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The example below showย correct bleed lines with Photoshop!ย
