Frequently Asked Questions

12 common questions on bleed, safe area, resolution, folds, and color.

Q1. Is bleed always required?

Yes, if any background color or image touches the trim edge. Guillotines have a ±0.5–1mm tolerance, so without bleed you risk a white sliver on the finished piece. If your design is white-background throughout, you can omit it — but including 3mm bleed is always safer.

Q2. What is the standard bleed size?

Korean shops require 1–3mm; ISO international standard is 3mm. Small-run personal shops (Red Printing, Mosheet) use 3mm; high-volume flyer shops (Sungwon Adpia) accept 1mm. Always check your vendor's spec sheet before submitting.

Q3. What is the difference between bleed and safe area?

Bleed is the outer buffer (it's OK if it gets trimmed away). Safe area is the inner buffer (content here must not be trimmed). Always place logos, text, and critical information inside the safe area.

Q4. How do I calculate tri-fold panel widths?

For a roll fold (trifold), the inner panel must be ~2mm narrower so it tucks in without buckling. For A4 landscape (297mm): outer and middle ≈ 99.5mm, inner ≈ 98mm. For a Z-fold (accordion), all three panels are equal (99mm each). This calculator's tri-fold modes handle the math automatically.

Q5. What is the difference between 300dpi and 72dpi?

dpi = dots per inch. Screens render at 72–96dpi, but print material is viewed at ~25cm so you need 300dpi to avoid visible pixels. A 72dpi image printed at full size will show severe pixelation.

Q6. What is A4 in pixels at 300dpi?

Finished size 210 × 297mm = 2480 × 3508px. With 3mm bleed the working size is 216 × 303mm = 2551 × 3579px. This calculator converts automatically.

Q7. What size is a standard business card?

Korean standard is 90 × 50mm (vs. US 89×51, European 85×55). Working size with 3mm bleed: 94 × 54mm. Place text and logos inside the safe area (80 × 40mm).

Q8. Can I design in RGB?

Yes, but the press will convert it to CMYK and you can expect 10–20% saturation drop, especially in bright blues, fluorescent greens, and oranges. Starting in CMYK from the outset is recommended.

Q9. Should black text be set to K100?

Yes. Black mixed with CMY ink will show color fringing if the four plates are even 0.1mm out of register. Body text must be K100. For large solid black areas, use rich black (C40 M30 Y30 K100) for a deeper appearance.

Q10. Do stickers and labels need bleed too?

Yes. Die-cutting machines also have ±1mm tolerance. If the background fills to the cut edge, add at least 2mm bleed. For circular stickers: diameter + 2mm bleed on each side.

Q11. What file format should I submit?

PDF/X-1a is the industry standard. It requires CMYK, embedded/outlined fonts, and bleed marks. AI (CS6 or older) and TIFF (300dpi CMYK) are also accepted by most shops, but PDF/X-1a has the broadest compatibility.

Q12. Does large-format print like posters still need 300dpi?

No. Posters viewed from 1m+ are fine at 150dpi; banners viewed from 3m+ can go as low as 72dpi. Large-format presses often prefer lower resolution to manage file size.