I'm new and I need help with bleeds!

[eleonore]

Hello! I'm a web designer who must turn out with a print design portfolio quite soon (I have 2 months!) and I am stuck trying to understand how to apply bleeds in either InDesign or Quark, so I've lost much time trying to get it on my own, through books, etc...but I still don't get how to apply it!

For example, if I want to create a 5x7 postcard and I want my photo to run all the way to the edges, I know I should place it so it 'bites' outside of my document layout by 1/8th of an inch (or whatever the printer says)??

...so..

I did so and when I had my postcard printed there was a white line extending on the width and height of the postcard...so I must have done something wrong but I can't figure out what!

I understand the theory of bleeds, I just don't know HOW to apply it concretely in a Quark/Indesign document!

I'm desperate here because if I don't figure out this bleed stuff soon, which is BASIC, I won't be able to even start on this portfolio! If anyone here is willing to kindly explain to me what step I need to take to have 'bleeds' in my designs, I would appreciate tremendously!

Eleonore :doh:

[Boozer]

just dont put the white line there...bleed is just incase that doesnt mean there is going to be a bleed...if I were tou I'd make the image in a way that I wouldnt mind it being cropped a few from the edges but I also wouldnt mind if it doesnt. if you leave the lines there you may suffer. printers are weird...I actually have no idea about this too but when a printer mentioned about bleeding I just left a few free space.
I consider bleed caused by the shape of the pile of papers...if its not well I dont put a line or anything as a frame and keep the content away from the corners and edges and for now there's been no problem.

I dont know anything about printing tho...but so far I survived from all printing jobs I ever had...good luck :cheers:

[eleonore]

Thank you for the answer, Boozer, I appreciate it! Unfortunately I'm still stuck. I didn't put any 'white line" in my design. In fact I had the photo go over the edge of my document layout....

I found this tip for Quark:

Bleed is the term used to describe items that are printed to the edge of a finished page. You can create a bleed item with QuarkXPress by extending it from a print layout page onto the pasteboard, and then entering the distance you want to extend the bleed in the Print dialog box Bleed field (File → Print → Document tab). Once a page with bleed elements is reproduced on press, a commercial printer can trim the layout to its finished page size.

BUT...my BLEED TAB is faded, I can't enter bleeds , or check what kind of bleed!!! I think this is the problem....How can I activate this bleed tab??

I hope somebody who knows this type of stuff will answer!

[Cone Graff]

BLEED TAB :confused:


You do it manually, drag your image boxes outside the document area
http://www.inosteve.dk/bleed-02.jpg

I usually type in the measurements in well the measurement tool box
http://www.inosteve.dk/bleed-01.jpg

[Prepress-Online]

Is bleed on? Check to see if yoy have checked in print set up.

[Boozer]

hey eleonore now that I read your first post again you sound like there is a margin (hence the white line on the sides and top), or your print positioning or smtg...but not bleed.

[Zuiun]

Originally posted by eleonore
Thank you for the answer, Boozer, I appreciate it! Unfortunately I'm still stuck. I didn't put any 'white line" in my design. In fact I had the photo go over the edge of my document layout....

Without seeing your document, I can't know for sure, but what likely happened is that your printer simply didn't know where to trim.

Let's assume that you size your image to 5.25 x 7.25, to accommodate a 1/8" bleed on all 4 edges. You give the image to your printer and just tell him that you want a 5x7 card. With no other information, he may simply size your image down to 5x7, print it and trim it out at 5x7, leaving the possibility of white edges.

Or, another possibility, if you don't specifically tell your printer there is to be a bleed, he may even size your image down below 5x7 to create a border -- printers generally don't print bleeds by default.

In addition to setting up the artwork for a bleed, you should also include trim marks (I'll edit this later to include an image for an example). Trim marks tell the printer where to cut. Also, you need to tell your printer that the artwork is set up for a bleed. Ideally, you should also provide a printed proof (even if it's just off of an inkjet) that shows what you want the final product to look like.

-- Robert