Full bleed?

[valleycreativedesign]

I've been toying with the idea of making downloadable to-do lists, calendars, etc, but I'm not sure if I should include a full bleed & crop marks in my file? I see tons of 8.5x11 printables on Etsy but I would assume when printed on a home printer they actually have a margin (making them smaller than 8.5x11) and as such would not actually be full bleed.

Am I overthinking this? What is the customer expecting? Should I bleed larger than 8.5x11 in case someone has the ability to print that way or just make an 8.5x11 file and assume my customers won't have the ability to print larger and cut down? I'm not sure customers know or care anything about bleeds, but it's making my head spin trying to account for the lowest common denominator.

[PaperbyCharmCat]

I don't think most people who can print borderless would think to do it anyway. So you could just stick with the standard home printer margin. I don't think you need to make your head spin :).

[valleycreativedesign]

Yeah you're probably right. The average customer probably hasn't got a clue about any of this. Lol.

[TheCampingYears]

I wondered the same thing. I work in a print shop as well as sell on Etsy and we prefer crops and bleeds on everything. I sometimes forget too that the average person isn't going to know or care about a bleed! I guess it shows that we care about the details :) Nothing wrong with that.