Bleed (printing)

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Bleed is a printing term that refers to printing that goes to the edge of the sheet after trimming.

The bleed is the part on the side of your document that gives your printer that small amount of space to move around paper and design inconsistencies. A 3mm bleed on all sides is a safe standard for your work.
Quote from Printernational.org[1]

America
Bleeds in the USA and UK generally are 1/8 of an inch from where the cut is to be made.

Europe
Bleeds in Europe generally are 3 to 5mm from where the cut is to be made. This can vary from print company to print company. Some printers ask for specific sizes, most of these companies place the specific demands on their website.

"Bleed information" can refer to elements outside the finished piece. Often a printer requires bleed information on pieces that have bleed to allow for "printer bounce" when cutting a job down to size. Failing to provide bleed information and crop marks can result in some of your finished pieces showing a thin area of white on the edge. Also, your print provider will know you are an amature who doesn't know what he is doing.

More information about bleed in specific design situations can be found at Printernational.org[2]

"Die-cuts" sometimes require a 1/4" bleed from where the page is intended to be cut, this is because of the possible movement of the paper during the die-cut procedure.

"Full Bleed" is when the ink goes all the way to the edge.