Make an A5 flyer with bleed for the printer
Design an A5 flyer at 300 dpi with a safe margin, then deliver it from Studio as a print PDF with 3 mm bleed, crop marks and trim and bleed boxes set.
Beginner4 min readUpdated 25 September 2026Studio · Workflow
On this page
- You will need
- Result
- Trim, bleed and safe area
- 1. Set up a job with an A5 format
- 2. Open the flyer in the Editor
- 3. Mark the safe area
- 4. Take backgrounds to the edge
- 5. Set type that prints
- 6. Check against the brief
- 7. Go back to Studio and send a proof
- 8. Build the print package
- 9. What to tell the printer
- Common problems
Printers print on bigger sheets and cut them down. If your background stops exactly at the edge, a slight slip of the blade leaves a white sliver. Bleed is extra picture past the edge so the cut always lands on colour. This recipe gets you a flyer the printer can use straight away.
The Editor's own PDF export has no bleed or crop marks. Studio's delivery step adds both, so even for your own flyer you set up a small Studio job. It takes a minute.
You will need
- The flyer's words, written and checked.
- Photos at least 1748 px wide if they fill the width (A5 at 300 dpi is 1748 × 2480 px).
- Logos as PNG or SVG.
- The printer's requirements: paper, finish, quantity, and how much bleed they want.
Result
A print PDF at A5 trim size (148 × 210 mm) with 3 mm bleed on every side, crop marks outside the bleed, TrimBox and BleedBox set, and a slug line with the job details. A JPG for proofing and a delivery note come in the same zip.
Trim, bleed and safe area
| Area | What it is | What goes there |
|---|---|---|
| Trim | Where the flyer is cut: 148 × 210 mm for A5. | The design, exactly as you see it on the canvas. |
| Bleed | 3 mm past the trim on every side, cut off after printing. | Background colour and pictures only. Studio makes it for you. |
| Safe area | A margin inside the trim. | All text, logos and anything that must not be cut. |
1. Set up a job with an A5 format
- Open Studio and click Start a job. Give it a client and job name at the top.
- Paste the flyer copy or a one-line brief into The brief. Anything Studio reads from it goes to the Editor as a checklist.
- In Formats, click All sizes and custom, then under Print click A5 flyer. The row shows 148 × 210 mm.
2. Open the flyer in the Editor
- Open the Key visual step. Under Master format, A5 flyer (1748 × 2480) is selected.
- Click Start key visual in the Editor. The Editor opens a white 1748 × 2480 px page.
3. Mark the safe area
At 300 dpi, one millimetre is about 11.8 px. A 5 mm safe margin is about 60 px, which is exactly the Safe margins preset.
- Choose View > Guides > New guide layout….
- Click Safe margins (Columns 1, Rows 1, Margin 60 px) and click Make guides.
- Turn on View > Rulers (Ctrl+R) if you like to see positions. On a Mac, use Cmd for Ctrl.
4. Take backgrounds to the edge
Studio makes the bleed by repeating the outermost pixels 3 mm outwards. That works for any colour or photo that reaches the edge. It shapes a few decisions:
- Anything meant to run off the page must touch the canvas edge. A photo that stops 2 px short leaves a white line after trimming.
- Avoid thin borders or frames near the edge. Cutting tolerance makes them look uneven, and the repeated edge pixels turn them into a thick band in the bleed.
- Keep important detail in a photo away from the very edge, since the repeated strip is a stretch of those pixels.
5. Set type that prints
Type on paper is judged in points. At 300 dpi, one point is about 4.2 px.
| Use | Size in points | About this many px at 300 dpi |
|---|---|---|
| Small print, terms | 7 to 8 pt | 29 to 33 px |
| Body text | 9 to 11 pt | 38 to 46 px |
| Subheads | 14 to 18 pt | 58 to 75 px |
| Headline | 36 pt and up | 150 px and up |
- Keep all text inside the guides.
- Small text over a photo is hard to read on paper. Put it on a solid panel, or darken the photo behind it with an adjustment layer.
- Check the smallest text at View > 100% (Ctrl+1).
6. Check against the brief
The Brief panel shows how many brief items are on the design, for example 4 of 5 on the design. Anything missing is usually the thing the client rings about. If the job has a brand, the same panel flags off-brand colours.
7. Go back to Studio and send a proof
- Click Back to the job in Studio at the top of the Brief panel. It saves first.
- On the Review step, click New version from the design, then Review pack PDF to send the client something to sign off.
8. Build the print package
- Open the Deliver step. The A5 flyer row has Print PDF and JPG ticked, the defaults for print formats.
- Click Build the package.
- The zip holds the PDF and JPG named client_job_a5-flyer_vN, where N is the version count, and a delivery note with print notes.
The slug line printed outside the trim reads like: Client - Job - A5 flyer - v1 - Trim 148 x 210 mm - Bleed 3 mm - RGB, convert with your printer's profile. It tells whoever opens the file what they are looking at.
9. What to tell the printer
| They will ask | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Trim size | 148 × 210 mm (A5) |
| Bleed | 3 mm on all sides, included |
| Crop marks | Yes, outside the bleed. TrimBox and BleedBox are set. |
| Resolution | 300 dpi |
| Colour | RGB. Please convert with your profile and send a proof. |
Common problems
- White sliver after trimming. The background did not reach the canvas edge. Stretch it with Ctrl+T and deliver again.
- Text too close to the edge. It sat outside the 60 px guides. Move it in.
- Photo looks soft on paper. It was enlarged past its real size. Use a bigger original. See Image resolution explained.
- Colours shifted. Screens show RGB; presses print CMYK. Ask for a printed proof for any colour that matters.