In printing, the concept of bleed represents an essential technical notion, especially for real estate brokers who aim to showcase their properties with professional quality. But what is bleeding, and why is it so crucial in your communication materials?
What is bleed?
Bleed refers to an extra margin added around your document before printing. This excess area, generally 1/8 of an inch (or 0.125 inch per side), is intended to be trimmed off after printing. The purpose? To ensure that your image or background colour extends right to the edges of your finished document, without leaving any undesirable white borders.
For example, for a “Direct Mail with Addresses” product of size 8.5 x 11 inches, your file should have a size of 8.75 x 11.25 inches.
The importance of bleed
For real estate brokers, the visual impact of communication materials is paramount. Whether it's for brochures or business cards, a well-finished document, where the image extends perfectly to the edge, is more aesthetically pleasing and conveys a more professional image.
The presence of bleed allows for, during printing:
Visual perfection: Bleed prevents white margins after cutting, enabling an impeccable finish for your documents.
Cutting precision: In the printing process, slight variations can occur. Bleed ensures that these variations do not affect the aesthetics of your documents.
Design flexibility: With bleed, you can incorporate design elements that extend to the edges of your materials, without fear of them being truncated.
Practical application
When importing your designs onto different platforms, ensure to include bleed by the specifications. This not only guarantees the quality of the print but also that your message is printed without alteration.
For example, on Canva, you can add bleed to a file by going to: File > Show Settings > Click on Show Bleed.
It is also possible to add this setting to tools from the Adobe suite.
By wisely integrating bleed into your designs, you give yourself the best chance of having the printing carried out as you wish, thereby showcasing real estate properties effectively. It's a technical detail that makes all the difference in the perception of your brand and image in the real estate market.
