Bleed

Bleed is the part of the artwork that extends beyond the cut line. It ensures that if the cut shifts slightly during pouch making, no unprinted white or clear strip appears at the edge.

How much bleed?

It depends on the pouch type, machine and print method. Flexible packaging converters sometimes ask for more than commercial printers do. Always follow the value marked on your supplier's dieline.

Bleed, safe zone and seal area

• Bleed: outside the cut line; only backgrounds and edge-to-edge images go here.
• Safe zone: inside the cut line, where text and logos must stay.
• Seal area: the heat-sealed strip at the edges; print can appear there but looks textured, so avoid text.

Common mistakes

• Ending backgrounds exactly at the cut line.
• Scaling the whole design up to create bleed, which moves logos and text.
• Thin borders close to the edge, which look uneven after small cutting shifts.

Tip

Build backgrounds slightly larger from the start and check that photo resolution holds out to the bleed edge. On rollstock, continuous repeats and registration matter more than side bleed.