Print Design TipsTips and Information About Printing

It is common, especially for a new company, to cut costs on things such as business cards when they are trying to save money. This however should never be done since business cards will be the primary method of communicating to new customers.

Perhaps the worst mistake a company can make is to create their own business cards using their home printer. Nothing screams amateur more than this and in all actuality you won’t be saving much, if any, money at all. Custom printed business cards are not nearly as expensive as they once were and thanks to the internet you can buy them in bulk quite inexpensively.

These days it couldn’t be easier to find a printing company online that can design and print professional custom business cards for you. Using the internet you can even create your own cards using a variety of pre-made templates, clipart, etc. You can also upload your own photographs and graphics in order to create a more personalized finished product.

You may not have to use the internet if you prefer not to; there may be quality printing companies in your area that you can go to in order to have your custom business cards designed and printed. Chain and franchise stores may be the place to go if you are looking to save money and still get a quality product.

In short, business cards are one of your most important methods of reaching customers, so never attempt to cut corners by making your own cards unless you have the know-how and equipment that can produce professional cards.

Bleed is a word used in print design in order to explain when printing expands over the edges of the document. Every printer has some kind of bleed set on the sides of the document so that the printer has a small amount of space to move around the paper. It is possible for you to change the bleed settings on your printer should you need to do so for a certain project. Otherwise, the default, and most widely used bleed is at 3mm.

Each country has its own way of measuring the bleeds though, so this depends on the rules that your country uses. The United States and the United Kingdom both use inches to measure bleeds, so the standard bleed in these countries is 1/8 inch from the area that is to be cut. While in Europe, millimeters are used and 3mm to 5mm is the default measurement for bleeds.

The length of bleed that you want for your finished project will depend largely on what you are printing. For example, let’s say you are printing a 4×6 postcard. The graphics and image should be extended by 1/8 of an inch on all sides. The image itself should be created with a measurement of 4.25 inches by 6.25 inches. Then, once the postcard has been printed out, the 1/8 inch bleed will be trimmed, leaving you with the finished product.

The reason why leaving some room for a bleed is so important is due to the fact that it allows you some room for error. There are many possible errors that could occur during the printing process. For example, the wrong size paper could be used, or the cropping machine could even be set up wrong. Images will not be aligned as nicely if you do not allow for a bleed either.