When you’re making files to send to a printer, you need to add a 1/8″ bleed area around your document. This is so that when the printer trims the pages, there’s some room to cut the pages cleanly; otherwise, you might see white edges, especially as things “creep” (slip slightly) on the printer. We always design a little larger and keep text and important areas within the boundaries. While there’s no Bleed setting in Photoshop, you can easily create a preset using guides. (Just remember to make your document 1/4″ larger in height and width: 2 x 1/8 = 1/4.) Choose View>New Guide Layout, and you’ll see the New Guide Layout dialog. Turn off Rows and Columns. Turn on Margin, and type .125 in into each of the four fields. This will create the bleed guides for you. If you want to dial this in again in the future without having to enter everything each time, create a preset. In the same dialog, choose Preset>Save Preset. 

This tip previously published in Colin Smith’s Photoshop Tips column, in the January, 2019 issue of Photoshop User magazine.