Graphic Design: What is a Bleed?

Bleed allows us to print your piece slightly over-sized and the commercial printers will cut it down to its exact size. This gives a final seamless edge on the boundaries of the printed material and the print.
The most common file bleed dimensions is an extra 1/8 inch (.125") on each side. This increases the total width and height of your document by 1/4 inch (.25"). (ie: a 3.5" x 2" business card is designed as a 3.75" x 2.25" file.)