Trim Line
The trim line represents the final size your printed product will be cut down to. On our dielines, it’s usually shown as a dashed line. Think of it as the finished edge of your design and anything outside this line will be cut off. To avoid losing important elements like logos or text, keep them inside the trim line.
Bleed Line
The bleed line goes beyond the trim line, usually by 3 to 5mm on each side (depending on the product) and is often shown as a pink or red line. It’s used for background colors, images, or patterns that you want to extend all the way to the edge of your printed piece.
When a printer cuts a large sheet of paper into individual products, there's always a slight margin of error (a millimeter or two) due to machine movement. Adding bleed ensures that there’s no white border or unprinted edges after trimming even if the cut is slightly off.
Safe Area
Some dielines also include a safe area, usually marked with a blue line. Keep all critical content (like text or logos) within this area to make sure nothing gets too close to the edge or trimmed off accidentally.