The file attached to this Gist in XCF format is a template ready for professional printing with correct bleed and safety margins applied for editing in GIMP. Feel free to download and use it for your own projects. I've created this file because while I found a bunch of instructions on how to set up the file, I couldn't find a good starter. Here it is! I've followed the instructions on The Online Printer's guide to preparing GIMP files, but I also welcome any additional tips.
- Download the file
- Make changes as required:
- Treat the first level of guides as the edge of your image. This is the bleed line, and you can expect that this would normally be cropped.
- Treat the second level of guides as the safety margin. You should not have any important content or imagery crossing this margin.
- Make sure that all background colours and images go right the edge of the image (respecting the safety margin above for background image content)
- When you have finished, save your changes, and then select
Image->Flatten Imagefrom the menu, and export in your printer's preferred file format (PDF is common).
This file is licensed under GNU v3, as it seems the best fit. Essentially, feel free to take this file, adapt it for your own use, and share it with others, as long as that sharing remains in the public domain for others to benefit from as well.