bleeds

Bleeds is a term that appears in several fields. In medicine, a bleed refers to the loss of blood from the circulatory system, which can be external or internal. Bleeding may be acute or chronic and arises from injury, surgical procedures, diseases, or medications that affect clotting. External bleeds may present as visible blood on skin or clothing; internal bleeds may cause pain, swelling, dizziness, pale skin, or rapid pulse. First aid emphasizes stopping the bleed and preventing shock: apply firm pressure with clean material, avoid removing any embedded object, and seek urgent care for heavy bleeding, signs of shock, or bleeding that cannot be controlled. In clinical settings, diagnosis and treatment address the source of blood loss and may involve fluids, transfusion, or surgical intervention.

In printing and publishing, bleed describes ink or artwork that extends beyond the final cut edge of a page. The purpose is to prevent thin white margins after trimming. Bleed size is specified by printers and varies by project and region. Common standards are approximately 3 millimeters (about 0.125 inch) beyond the trim on each side for many Western formats; larger formats or digital workflows may use 5–6 millimeters. Designers add an extra safety margin to keep critical text within the safe area away from the edge. If a file lacks sufficient bleed, results may include white edges or misalignment when cut. In comics and magazines, "full bleed" denotes artwork that runs to the edge of the page.

Beyond medicine and printing, the term bleed is used in various contexts to describe crossing boundaries, from color spill in photography to edge-to-edge design in publishing. The specific meaning depends on discipline and the surrounding terminology.