Bleeds / No Bleeds

If you want an image to go all the way to the edge of the paper, the best way to do this is have the image be larger than the final size, then cut the paper to the size you want it. That way, no white space will appear between the image and the edge of the paper if you don't cut exactly on the edge of the image.

To cut an image out with bleeds, crop marks are provided

These marks allow you to cut along a line that will give you the final, desired size of the item. The box corner shown in the image above is not actually printed. This just indicates where the final cut edge would be.

To use crop marks for cutting you need a cutting mat, a metal straight edge (metal ruler or plastic ruler with metal straight edge), and a knife for cutting paper.

Align the straight edge with the crop marks along one line. Holding the edge firmly and keeping your fingers away from the cutting side, use the knife to cut through the paper going from crop mark to crop mark. Do NOT go from one edge of the paper to the other or you will essentially cut off crop marks you need to use later. Turn the paper and cut the three remaining sides.

Using this method gets you very straight lines but it requires the tools. If you don't have the tools, use the pdf marked 'no bleeds' and just cut along the edge of the image with a pair of scissors.