Full-Bleed Printing

a.k.a. Print to the Edge

When your letter has ink going all the way to the edge of the page, without the typical white border, it's referred to as "full-bleed" printing.

We can do this for an extra $0.04/sheet, with $8.00 added to the final cost for cutting – full-bleed printing is done by printing on a larger sheet of paper and then trimming it down to size.

To include this service, mention it in the special instructions box when you send us your letter, choose Full or Standard service, and prepare your letter in one of the following ways.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Using Adobe InDesign

InDesign makes it easy to manage bleeds. Just set up a 0.125" (1/8") bleed around each edge, and you're all set. This will be an option when you create the document – if you don't see it, click "More Options" on the New Document dialog.

When you export a PDF from InDesign, go to the "Marks and Bleeds" section, ensure that "Use Document Bleed Settings" is checked, and leave everything else unchecked.

Using Other Software: Method 1 (Setting the Page Size)

In order to get the best control over how your letter will print, set the page size as follows:

Width: 8.75"
Height: 11.25"

This gives you an extra 1/8" around each edge of the page.

When you're laying out your document, make sure anything that will be printed to the edge of the page actually goes all the way to the edge of this page size. After we print it, we'll cut the outer 1/8" edge off (give or take a millimeter or so), so if you're including a picture at the edge of the page, make sure that there aren't any important details right at the edge.

Likewise, ensure that any text (or other important layout elements) are at least 0.25" from the edge.

If you're sending us a PDF file, please check the page size after you create the PDF – many PDF programs will automatically convert to letter-sized paper unless you set a custom paper size. You can check this in Adobe Reader by clicking on the File menu, and choosing Properties.

Please don't include any crop marks in your document or PDF – we'll take care of adding them on our end.

Using Other Software: Method 2 (Scaling)

If you want to have full-bleed printing but don't want to go through the trouble of setting page sizes, we can enlarge your document just a little (roughly 3%) when we print it, and then trim off the edges, giving you the same effect.

If you go with this option, make sure that there aren't any important details within 0.25" of each edge of the page, as there is a good chance they'll get cut off.

Then, just send us the original file or a PDF normally, and we'll take care of the rest for you.