Trim, bleed, and safe area are three zones that keep your design intact through cutting and binding. Get them wrong and you get white edges or cropped text.
Trim size
Trim size is the final size of the piece after cutting. Your document should be set to trim size (or to trim plus bleed, depending on the app).
Bleed
Bleed is the extra area beyond trim where background or full-bleed art extends. We need it because cutters are not perfectly exact; without bleed, you can get a thin white line at the edge.
Typical bleed
Most print jobs use 1/8" (0.125") bleed. Set your art to extend 1/8" past the trim on all sides. We will cut at the trim line.
Safe area
Safe area is the zone inside trim where important text and logos should stay. Keep type and critical graphics at least 1/8" inside the trim so they are not clipped by normal trim variance.
Common mistake
Running text or key art right to the trim with no bleed or safe margin. One small shift at trim and the edge looks broken or text is cut off.