What are crop marks, and do you need them?
In short
Crop marks are short lines placed outside the corners of a design to show where the sheet should be trimmed. They are also called trim marks or cut marks.
Crop marks are thin lines just outside each corner of a page, lined up with the trim edges, so whoever cuts the sheet can see exactly where the finished edge falls. They sit outside the bleed and never appear on the finished item.
Do you need them for an fPrint order?
You don't need to draw crop marks to tell us where to cut. The trim size comes from the size you choose on the product page, and your on-screen proof shows the trim line, bleed and safe area before you pay. What matters more is bleed: set your file up at the trim size plus bleed on every edge, which is 3mm on most products and 5mm on stickers, correx boards and roller banners.
Crop marks are not bleed
The two are easy to confuse because many design programs offer them in the same export step. Bleed is part of your artwork: background colour that carries on past the trim. Crop marks are guides drawn around it. Turning crop marks on does not add bleed by itself, so check that the bleed setting is on and that your background really runs into it.
Drawing them by hand
Don't draw your own crop marks, or a box around the trim line, inside the artwork. Anything drawn near the trim can show at the edge of the finished item if the cut moves a fraction.
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