Printed sheets get trimmed on a cutter, and the blade is never perfectly aligned to the millimetre. If a background or photo stops exactly at the trim line, even a hair of misalignment leaves a sliver of raw white paper along the edge.
The fix is to extend backgrounds and images past the trim line — commonly 3mm (2–5mm depending on the print shop). That extra margin is the bleed, and its outer edge is the bleed line. The trim line marks where the blade actually cuts; the bleed line marks "fill out to here so nothing shows through."
The demo alternates between two states — art that stops at the trim line (risky, leaves a white gap if the cut drifts) and art extended to the bleed line (safe, stays full-colour no matter which way the blade slips).
When to use
Essential whenever a background or photo touches the page edge — business cards, posters, brochures. Text and logos go the other way: keep them at least 3–5mm inside the trim line (a safe zone).