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Prepress Guidelines

All files must incorporate a 1/8" bleed on all four sides. Orders submitted with files that do not have a bleed will be charged an additional $25.

"Bleed" is a printing term used to indicate the area that will be trimmed off after the job is printed and cut down to the finished size. Since the bleed extends 1/8" all around the card, your document set-up should be 1/4" taller (1/8" on top and 1/8" on the bottom) and 1/4" wider (1/8" on the left and 1/8" on the right) than the finished size of the card. The chart below indicates what the document set-up should be for a particular finished size.

If Your Card Is a	YOUR DOCUMENT SET-UP SHOULD BE
Business Card (2" x 3.5")	2.25" x 3.75"
3" x 3"	3.25" x 3.25"
3" x 4"	3.25" x 4.25"
4" x 4"	4.25" x 4.25"
4" x 6"	4.25" x 6.25"

If Your Card Is a	YOUR DOCUMENT SET-UP SHOULD BE
5" x 5"	5.25" x 5.25"
5" x 7"	5.25" x 7.25"
6" x 6"	6.25" x 6.25"
6" x 8"	6.25" x 8.25"
6" x 9"	6.25" x 9.25"
8.5" x 11"	8.75" x 11.25"
11" x 17"	11.25" x 17.25"
13" x 19"	13.25" x 19.25"

Since the bleed area will be trimmed off during the cutting process, there can be no text or other important information in the bleed area. Furthermore, 4over4.com requires an additional 1/8" safety margin. Although the background image, photo or texture used on the card must match the document set-up in the chart above, all your text and important information must be contained in the live area (see example below). The distance between the live area and the edge of the card is 1/4" (1/8" bleed which will be cut-off, and 1/8" safety margin). The examples below show both a correct and incorrect document set-up. If you have any questions regarding postcard sizes, you may call toll free 888.5.4OVER4 (546-8374), Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm E.S.T.

In the above example, the text “Ouch! No Good!” will get partially cut off, the left side of the baby picture will show white (the blue background image must extend PAST the SOLID RED line as it does on the top, right and bottom)

“BLEED”: printing term used when ink prints to the edge of the page. If your job “bleeds”, you must add 1/8”, or .125”, bleed on all four sides. This .125” will be trimmed off after the job is printed and cut down to final trim size.

Be aware that text or images too close to the TRIM LINE (shown in SOLID RED) will be cut off. Make sure that your background image extends 1/8” past the TRIM LINE.

In the above illustration, the background image needs to extend to the BLACK LINE. Be sure to extend the background image to bleed or the white of the paper may show in the final cut down product.

The chart above indicates what the document set-up should be for a particular finished size.