Hi danc...

Bleeds are when the image runs "OFF" the page. therefore, YES, you do need to extend those pictures to at least 0.125" off the edge. I usually make the document size 0.125" larger on each edge. Then you also have room to draw your crop marks in. Crop marks lets the printer know where the "actual size" of the document is, and where to cut. If you need a visual... when you go to the print option, click the box that says crop marks, it'll show you. I usually draw them in myself for printers.

I'm not exactly sure what slugs are...

Check this site out..it will be a great reference for you!

http://www.prepressure.com/

Thankyoos muchly, now - everything's clear

a slug is a jump line, like "con't on next page" or something at the bottom, or "con't from page 6C" somewhere in a story... Also, in In Design under Document Set Up, you can set your bleed... like Kink, says, .125, 1/8" of bleed is the best setting. Also, it sounds like you might be kind of new at this, so be VERY VERY careful about submitting a PDF of your job, if in fact they ask for that.

You should let them handle the crops, and submit your native ID file to them with links, fonts, and images, a.k.a. "prepare for service provider" because a good prepress team will be able to get your stuff ready to go and work on their machines. With a limited knowledge of print technology and the printing process you could end up really throwing your money away. In the worst case scenario you would have a job that the prepress folks weren't conscientious about and it could get really jacked especially if there's an issue with gutters and bleeds...

Case in point. Recently I had a friend show me a book he did for school. Beautiful, full color process, spot varnish and UV coating. I mean this thing was bitchin'! It was a small run of 500... I guessed that it probably cost him 10Gs, he said just a little over. He wasn't a designer, but a photographer. He didn't really know what he was doing, and he didn't set his gutters and his bleed properly. His proofs came back as PDFs as single pages, which obviously looked just the way he designed them. However, they didn't clearly indicate the gutters... this where it's a bummer... he had these beautiful two page photo spreads, and every one of them had .25" white gutter running up the middle. So caveat emptor, but also the printer really screwed him. He didn't know better, and so now he's out ten grand and has 500 books that with compromised prints... a real bummer... more like a print nightmare.

Food for thought...

matt

And dont forget ur Bleed, Cutmark or Crop marks it all the same called with different names should be in 100 % on all the colours for example if you use CMYK Format C100 M100 Y100 K100. Because every colour takes a positive. so if you keep only k as 100 and rest of the colours as 0, only the k positive will be seen and the others will not be visible.

ITS VERY IMPORTANT NEVER FORGET THIS STEP IN YOUR LIFE.

People i too need help

Here in India we use CMYK for printing. so the Bleed colour will be C100 M100 Y100 K100. How is it in PMS Format. That is if the printer asks me in Pantone how do i change or keep the bleed. Is there any positive they take the way in CMYK format.

I gotta jump in and say "MAKE YOUR PAGE SET-UP THE SIZE OF YOUR TRIMMED PIECE". (sorry, I'm not yelling, just making a point). Prepress people such as myself quite often get a job in with a single business card with 1", 2pt crop marks stuck in the middle of an 8.5x11 page. Commercial printers don't print business cards (or not very much of anything) just one up. Most runs for an offset printer are ganged and making your page oversized is just more work for me and extra charges to you.

Use your software the way it was meant to be used. If your printed piece is going to be 7x10, make your page size 7x10. If it's 3.5x2, make it 3.5x2. All of the programs out there have settings for bleed, even (OMG...Publisher).

And my mantra every day...call your printer, PLEASE. I am more than happy to talk to someone BEFORE they get in too far, instead of helping someone try to salvage a job that you know they won't make any money on after it's all fixed.

Rick

Where bleed falls depends on the print vendor. I want bleed and crop marks placed in the file and ON the artboard. To each his own. But a very good illustration of why it is a good idea to call your printer before sending files. My desktop time is money out of your pocket.

Good point PD! I always call my printer if I'm not sure.