How do you test and preview your flyer or brochure before sending it to the printer or the client?

Bleed is the space we leave for the printer outside the actual document to cut off. This technique is used to get a clean edge to edge design without any white gaps in your design. Similarly margins are the inner space we leave between the trim line & the content of the document. Margins help our content to not being cut off after printing and also gives that extra breathing space to your design.

To ensure your flyer or brochure looks polished and professional, create a document with the final trim size, add a bleed area around it (usually 3 mm or 0.125 inches), and establish a margin area inside the trim size (usually 5 mm or 0.25 inches). Utilize guides, rulers, or grids to align your content within the margin area and avoid placing anything important in the bleed area. By following these steps meticulously, you can guarantee that your design appears as intended when printed, minimizing errors and ensuring a professional outcome. Paying attention to these details can make a significant difference in the final look of your printed materials.

Every software may have a different way to setting up bleed for the document but you can add the bleed margin using the following method. Lets say your document size is 210 x 297 mm and you will add 3mm or 0.125 inches on each side of the document so your total size after bleed will be 216 x 303 mm. Once you are on your blank canvas you can now create a new rectangle to setup Margins, Margin size can also vary depending on your choice but a standard practice is to use 5mm or 0.197 inches on each side, so your rectangle size for margin will be 200mmx287mm. After aligning the new rectangle in the center you can use guides to setup the margin are bleed area which will help you identify the bleed and margin area while you design your artwork.

For anything more involved than a poster or 1 page flyer, I build in InDesign. I always preflight before sending to the printer. If I can I’ll also get fresh eyes to look at the print ready pdf before sending the the press.

I will send along to a few trusted people - sometimes there are things you don't see - like a confusing layout or colors that might not be easy to read. I will say I am amazed by getting information from people that has no date or location for an event. So always have another set of eyes to look at something.