06/10/2026
Print Tips: What are bleed and tick marks?
If you’ve ever supplied artwork for print, you’ve probably heard us mention bleed and tick marks, but what do they actually mean?
What is bleed?
Bleed is the extra area of artwork or image that extends beyond the finished edge of your print, usually by 3mm. When your job is trimmed to its finished size, that additional 3mm is cut off. This helps prevent an unwanted white line appearing around the edge.
Our tip: If an image or background colour is meant to go right to the edge of the page, make sure it extends into the bleed area too.
What are tick marks?
Tick marks are the small horizontal and vertical lines positioned outside your artwork that show us exactly where the finished job needs to be trimmed. We use these as a guide when guillotining printed materials, with the tick marks corresponding to the finished size of your document.
It might sound technical, but these little details can make a big difference to the finished result.
Not sure whether your artwork is ready to print? Don't worry, we always check the artwork is print-ready before it goes to press.