Why Bleed and Safe Margins Matter: Avoiding Clipped Text on Guillotine Cuts

How Industrial Hydraulic Guillotines Work

Commercial printing presses gang-print thousands of cards and flyers on massive mother sheets of artboard. These sheets are then cut at high velocity using industrial hydraulic guillotines. Even with microscopic laser calibration, tiny mechanical shifts of up to 1mm are physically normal. Without proper bleed, your finished Business Cards or Flyers may display unsightly white hairline borders.

The 2mm Bleed Rule Explained

Bleed is the extension of artwork beyond the physical cut line. In Australia, the standard bleed requirement is 2 mm on all four edges:

• Standard Australian Business Card: Trim size is 90 x 55 mm. Artwork file size must be 94 x 59 mm.
• A5 Flyer: Trim size is 148 x 210 mm. Artwork file size must be 152 x 214 mm.
• Large Banners: Outdoor vinyl requires 5 mm bleed on all edges. See Vinyl Banners.

The 3mm Safe Text Zone

Just as background color must extend outwards into the bleed, crucial text (names, phone numbers, email addresses, and logos) must sit at least 3 mm inside the cut line. This guarantees that your critical contact details are never accidentally clipped. Learn more on our Artwork Guidelines page.