Set up a bleed area for the artboard from File > Document Setup. You'll see the bleed area around the artboard with a red-colored boundary.
Last updated on
Sep 11, 2025
Learn how to use Generative Expand to fill the print bleed area around an artboard.
Select Print Bleed in the upper-right corner of the bleed boundary. Print Bleed creates a copy of your artwork and generates bleed:
- Three variations appear in the Properties panel. The first variation automatically appears on the canvas as a Generative Object on top of your original copy, indicated by on its bounding box.
- A Generative Object group appears in the Layers panel with two subgroups: Expanded Art and Original Art.
Note
You can also select the Artboard tool, and then access Print Bleed from the Contextual Task Bar, the Object menu, the Properties panel, or the Control panel.
If you don't want the Print Bleed icon on the bleed boundary, turn off Show 'Print Bleed' generative AI button on Bleed from Illustrator > Settings > General (macOS) or Edit > Preferences > General (Windows).
Preview all the variations and select the one that best suits your artwork. Then, select Done in the Contextual Task Bar.
Select Combine in the Contextual Task Bar to merge parts of objects across Expanded Art and Original Art. You get a logical grouping of objects that helps you edit them easily in the future. Once you combine, the artwork is no longer a Generative Object.
The Combine option isn't available if you move the expanded artwork from its original position.
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