Bleeds are used to show any objects in the document that are intended to go all the way to the edge of the printed page. A standard bleed (0.125”) gives you some breathing room to make sure the printed piece is correctly cut down to size. If you’re new to print setup, understanding how to add bleed marks to a pdf will help you avoid cutting off important design elements. Here is how to work with bleeds in different Adobe programs:
InDesign requires you to click the “More Options” button in the new file dialog box to display your bleed settings. Simply enter “0p9 or .125”. Once the document opens, the bleed will be a red box that surrounds the page area. The object you want to bleed needs to extend all the way to the red box as opposed to the edge of the page. This is one of the easiest ways to ensure you know how to add bleed marks to a pdf correctly before exporting.
Illustrator uses the same setup steps like the ones listed above for InDesign.
Photoshop does not have bleed settings in the program when you are creating a new document. It is possible to create a bleed by adding the bleed size to the document size. To do this, add .25” to the width and height to make sure you have an extra .125” on each side. This workaround is essential knowledge for designers who want to master how to add bleed marks to a pdf using different tools.
