| If you are serious about your business and/or | | | | may charge for this service, but the more |
| your professional image, you would be well-served | | | | reputable ones do not. |
| to invest in professional-looking, premium business | | | | The primary advantage of this type of printing |
| cards. Because your card is often the first piece | | | | process is that it facilitates seamless, |
| of marketing collateral your customers & clients | | | | edge-to-edge full color printing. Professional |
| receive, it can have a huge impact on that | | | | business cards printed via a full bleed process are |
| all-important first impression. | | | | simply more visually attractive and professional |
| Although your card by itself is not the | | | | looking than custom business cards printed |
| end-all-be-all, it is clearly a large part of the | | | | without full bleed. |
| perception puzzle, and the best way to produce | | | | Without full bleed printing, any minor paper shift |
| highly professional business cards is to utilize a full | | | | during the production process could result in the |
| bleed printing process. | | | | color and/or design not extending all the way to |
| What is Full Bleed? | | | | one or more of the edges. And this shifting |
| The term bleed refers to any design elements | | | | possibility is an industry-accepted standard, so it |
| that overlap a document’s border, and full | | | | must be addressed. The cardstock could expand |
| bleed printing is the process of printing your | | | | or contract, the machines could “skip,” or |
| artwork on a surface that is slightly larger than | | | | human error could occur during the set-up |
| the size of the finished product. The excess is | | | | process. |
| then trimmed off, or “cropped,” to get | | | | If your printer does not print full bleed and simply |
| the finished product down to its final size. | | | | tries to line up your artwork with each edge, it |
| Although it could vary from printer to printer, the | | | | would be difficult to produce truly premium |
| average bleed is about 1/8”. In other words, | | | | business cards. This is because any minor shift |
| a full bleed business card printer will usually require | | | | during printing would result in an off-center |
| your design file to measure 3.625” x | | | | design. This in turn could create unwanted |
| 2.125.” After the printing has finished, the | | | | borders along one or two of the edges, resulting |
| extra 0.125” is trimmed off of each | | | | in an amateurish-looking end result. Full bleed |
| dimension, leaving you with a standard 3.5” x | | | | printing is sometimes referred to as |
| 2” business card. | | | | “borderless” printing for this exact reason. |
| Note that there is another relatively common | | | | Summary |
| term called “partial bleed,” which is where | | | | To sum it all up, you would be well-served to get |
| only some of the design elements extend off one | | | | elegant and unique business cards that exude a |
| or more of the edges. Although this process can | | | | visually-pleasing, highly professional look and feel. |
| create relatively unique business cards, it is limited | | | | This, in turn, will help your efforts to generate |
| in terms of design flexibility. If you are looking | | | | positive first impressions. In this capacity, full |
| for the highest-quality custom business cards | | | | bleed printing is a requirement, as it enables |
| possible, you will want to make sure that your | | | | edge-to-edge distribution of the ink to generate |
| printing company prints “full bleed.” | | | | attractive, full color custom business cards with |
| Advantage of Full Bleed | | | | no amateurish-looking borders. First impressions |
| Full bleed printing is something you ought to | | | | are simply too important to skimp on this critical |
| require from whichever business card printing | | | | component. |
| company you use. Some printing companies | | | | |