How to Trim Art to the Bleed in Adobe Illustrator

Here you will find everything you need to make sure your art is trimmed to the bleed in Adobe Illustrator.

Let’s get started!

1. Sample Document

Locate the bleed line from the sample document.

A technical drawing showing a square die cut with a green dashed bleed line, labeled with specifications and a red arrow pointing to the bleed line. Manufacturer info and pressure sensitive label details are at the bottom, ideal for custom labels produced using digital printing.

2. Select Bleed Line

Select the bleed line. Navigate to “Document Setup” Window. Click “edit artboards”.

Screenshot of the Document Setup dialog box in Adobe Illustrator showing options for units, bleed, grid settings, resolution, and a checkbox for discarding white overprint in output—ideal for precise custom labels and flexible printing in digital printing workflows.

3. Select “fit to selected art”

In the Preset drop-down menu, select “Fit to Selected Art”.

A screenshot of the Artboard Options menu in a design program, displaying a dropdown list of preset artboard sizes on the left—ideal for flexible printing needs—and a blank artboard with dashed guides on the right.

4. Enter Correct Width and Height

Ensure width and height reflect accurate bleed dimensions. If not, slightly adjust them to be exact.

Artboard Options dialog box in a design program showing custom preset settings tailored for pressure sensitive label design, with width set to 5.375 in and height to 4.625 in. Various display and global settings are visible, including options to update while dragging, supporting flexible printing workflows.

5. Exporting PDFS

If using Esko, navigate to File- Export- Export As. Then adjust Format to “Esko PDF”.

A dropdown menu displays various file format options for flexible printing, with “Esko PDF (.pdf)” selected. Other formats include PNG, BMP, CSS, DWG, DXF, EMF, JPG, PSD, SVG, TGA, TXT, TIFF, WebP, and VMF—making it easy to choose the best format for custom labels or digital printing projects.

The PDF export settings window is open on the left, displaying options for images, mapping, and output. An empty white document with blue and green margin guides is visible on the right, highlighting features ideal for flexible printing and custom labels.

If Esko is not available, navigate to File- Save As- Adjust Format to “Adobe PDF”- Navigate to “Marks and Bleeds” and ensure “Use Document Bleed Settings” is checked.

A dropdown menu displays file format options, with Adobe PDF (pdf) selected. Other options include Adobe Illustrator, Illustrator EPS, Illustrator Template, SVG Compressed, and SVG—providing flexible printing solutions ideal for a private label manufacturer or pressure sensitive label projects.

Screenshot of the Save Adobe PDF dialog box with Marks and Bleeds options on the left and a preview of a document with printer marks and guides on the right, illustrating settings often used for flexible printing or digital printing applications.

A Closer Look at the Process

Click HERE to access a PDF version of these instructions!

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