White edges are one of the most common issues designers notice when reviewing their yearbook pages. These edges appear when content doesn’t fully “bleed” off the page, leaving thin white lines along the borders once printed. This article explains why white edges happen and how to fix them to ensure your pages print cleanly and professionally.

What Causes White Edges?

1. Missing or Insufficient Bleed

Yearbook pages require a bleed, which means your background, photos, or shapes must extend slightly past the page’s trim line.
If elements stop right at the edge, even a tiny shift during trimming can create white borders.

2. Backgrounds or Images Not Stretched Fully

If a background or image does not fully reach or extend past all edges, white spaces may appear in Preview Mode or in the final print.

3. Using Templates Without Extending New Elements

Some templates have built-in bleed, but any new items added (photos, shapes, colors) must also reach the bleed zone.

How to Fix White Edges

1. Extend Backgrounds to the Bleed Area

Make sure your background—whether it's a color, pattern, or image—extends beyond the page edges.

How to fix it:

Select your background.

Drag the corners slightly past all four sides of the page.

Confirm that the edges are fully covered in View > Preview Mode.  

2. Stretch Full-Page Photos Properly

Full-page or full-bleed photos must also extend beyond the trim line to avoid accidental white edges.

Tip:
Avoid leaving a thin margin around full-bleed photos unless intentional.

3. Use Shapes Behind Content for Clean Coverage

If certain elements don’t reach the edge, add a shape behind them to cover the entire background.

Example fix:

Click on Elements> Shapes Insert a square.

Resize it to cover the whole page with bleed.

Send it behind your content.

Match the color or desired background style. 

4. Check All Pages in Preview Mode

Preview Mode shows exactly how your pages will print.

Look for:

White lines along any edge

Photos that stop before the bleed

Backgrounds not covering the entire page

If you see white edges, return to the editor and adjust your elements outward.

Tips for Preventing White Edges

Always design with bleed in mind from the start.

Use full-bleed templates when possible.

Duplicate pages that already have proper bleed instead of starting from scratch.

Be cautious when repositioning or resizing photos—they may shift away from the bleed area.