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Print to Edge

Print to Edge Tradeoffs

Borderless Printing Tradeoffs

How to print to edge and how to fake it.

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I have tried to make, create, my own greetings cards.

I don't care which printer I used or use, I cannot overcome the margin or edge of white. Some of my designs use color backgrounds for the whole card so I end up with those white edges.

I use Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0.

Is there a way to overcome the edges?

Thanks,

Kanna

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"Borderless" printing is a bit complicated. Even printers which offer "Borderless" ("Print to Edge" or "Full Bleed") have limitations.

The main limitation is that the Borderless option is only available for selected paper sizes.

[Note that a "No Margins" option is not quite the same as "Borderless". "No Margins" will print to the left and right edges but leave a margin on the top and bottom.]

If the size you want to print is not one of the options given in your print setup options, you can often work around it as I did with my example.

This is a photo I uploaded to Rollip.com to create a faux Polaroid look.

When I downloaded the result, the dimensions were 5.778 by 6.944 inches.

I elected to change the width to 5 inches (while constraining proportions) and got an image of 5 by 6.014 inches. This allowed me to print the example above using the 5 by 7 Borderless Photo option.

See the white strip at the bottom? All I have to do is trim that away and I have a Borderless print.

There is a slight quality compromise with Borderless printing.

No printer can register (or guide) every sheet of paper along exactly the same path. You know how sometimes the feeder picks up the paper just a little off and you end up with a crooked print?

That happens more often than you think but the difference is usually not noticeable.

In order to compensate for registration quirks and get a Borderless print, the printer will actually print your design about 5 mm larger all around.

A built-in "sponge" inside your printer picks up the ink overspray*. Consequently you lose about 3/16ths inch of your design on every side.

You may be disappointed with the speed and some of the quality aspects of Borderless printing.

I find Borderless printing to be mind-numbingly slow. So I only use it when I am printing a single copy of a very special card or photo.

Most of my work is card sets in quantities of ten and up. No way would I use Borderless for those, because people wouldn’t pay for my extra time and ink.

Time is money, right?

So I have a way to get around the Borderless conundrum when I want a Borderless look.

My HP Deskjet 5150 printer has a "Minimize Margins" option (in addition to Borderless) which leaves a 1/8-inch margin on each side. After printing, I trim off the excess and preserve 100% of my design.

The card may be a little loose in a stock size envelope, but not enough that customers comment.

It’s a Catch-22. With Borderless, I would lose 6/16ths inch of my design around the edges. With my method, the card is 4/16ths inch smaller but contains all of my design. Your choice.

* If you print Borderless most of the time, your printer will need extra maintenance. Eventually the overspray "sponge" or tank will be filled with ink and will require emptying or replacement.

P.S. Just a general printer maintenance tip: make sure you have the latest drivers for your printer. I needed to update my HP drivers to do the example here.

The incremental edge added in the latest driver update may be just what you need to get results that you are happy with.

Just Google "_____ _____ drivers" with your brand and model number in the blank spaces.

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Eileen, Thank you for the in depth information. I was hoping you knew some magical mechanical override.

I have been doing it the cut it off way.  Or in some cases I design with the white in mind.

Thank you again. I do appreciate your time and in depth reply.

I found your site very informative and helpful.

Kanna

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The cool background papers, scotch tape embellishment and worn seal brush in this layout were designed by Scrap Girls graphic artists Shalae Tippetts, Syndee Nuckles, Mandy Steward and Brandie Valenzuela.

The LO was created in Photoshop CS3.

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