Start at the finished edge
A piece described as A6 should finish at 105 × 148 mm. That rectangle is its trim size. Cutting removes the surrounding material; it does not make the bleed boundary the finished edge. Keep text and other critical content safely inside the trim according to the printer's specification.
A document's internal text margin or safe area is a separate concern from the parent sheet's outer margin. Our planner models rectangular placement, not the position of every element inside the artwork.
Then add bleed outside every edge
Bleed carries backgrounds or images beyond the intended cut. It provides spare printed artwork at that boundary. With 3 mm on each side, an A6 piece needs a 111 × 154 mm footprint: 105 + 6 by 148 + 6. Nothing about that addition changes the finished A6 dimensions.
Adobe explains bleed and trim in its print setup guidance. Ask your provider how much to supply. A design with a white border and no edge-reaching artwork may have different needs from a full-bleed photograph.
Define the gutter before entering a number
Different workflows can describe spacing differently. In Paper & Scale, the gutter is the extra clear gap between outer bleed rectangles. It is not measured between the two finished trim edges. This definition keeps each piece's artwork independent.
For two neighbouring pieces with 3 mm bleed each and a 3 mm gutter, the finished trim edges are 3 + 3 + 3 = 9 mm apart. Entering 9 mm as the gutter would count the bleed twice. A common-cut or shared-bleed production method needs a different model and approval from the printer.
Reserve the sheet margin separately
A 5 mm sheet margin means no footprint enters that band. On A3, 297 × 420 mm, subtract it twice from both dimensions to get 287 × 410 mm of usable area. Our single margin value applies equally to all four sides; a press with unequal gripper or registration requirements may need a more restrictive allowance.
| Step | A6-on-A3 example |
|---|---|
| Finished trim | 105 × 148 mm |
| Add 3 mm bleed per edge | 111 × 154 mm footprint |
| Reserve 5 mm at every A3 edge | 287 × 410 mm usable sheet |
| Place two footprints across | 111 + 3 + 111 = 225 mm |
| Measure trim-to-trim separation | 3 mm bleed + 3 mm gutter + 3 mm bleed = 9 mm |
Check the plan at actual size
The A3 example constructs five pieces using mixed orientations; the same allowances on A4 allow two. For a larger finished piece, A4 plus 3 mm bleed shows why nominal sheet sizes alone are insufficient.
Before printing, confirm the stock, rotation constraints and any room for printer's marks. Export the plan at physical size, disable unintended scaling and measure a test piece. Geometry establishes whether the stated rectangles fit; it cannot establish a particular printer's registration accuracy.
Sources and calculation method
- ISO 216:2007 identifies the trimmed A-series standard. Adobe's published A-series table supplies the nominal millimetre dimensions used here.
- Adobe: set a print bleed explains artwork extending beyond the finished trim. The 3 mm bleed in our examples is a chosen allowance; use your printer's requirement.
- Adobe: set printer's marks: cut and registration marks are separate production aids.
Placements, comparisons and proofs are Paper & Scale's calculations from those dimensions. They assume axis-aligned rectangular pieces at 100% scale, optional 90-degree rotation, separate bleed footprints and the stated spacing. They do not certify a production job.