File setup guide

Page size

Set your document to the trim size of your book, the size it will be after cutting. A novel is 6 x 9 in or 5.5 x 8.5 in. A picture book is 10 x 8 in, wider than it is tall.

Then add bleed (below). Exported pages end up slightly bigger than the trim size: 6.25 x 9.25 in for a novel, 10.25 x 8.25 in for a picture book.

The easiest way to get this right is to start from the template on your project page.

Bleed

Printers trim books after printing, and the blade can drift by a hair. Bleed is an extra 0.125 in of art on every outside edge that gets cut away, so color or photos that run to the edge never end with a white sliver.

In InDesign, Affinity or Canva, set bleed to 0.125 in when you create the document, stretch backgrounds past the trim line, and turn on Use document bleed when you export.

Hardcover case wraps use a wider wrap instead of bleed, because the art folds around the board. The cover template shows exactly how much.

Safe area

Keep text, faces and anything important at least 0.25 in inside the trim edge. That way a small trim shift never cuts into it.

On covers, keep text inside each panel. Text that crosses from the front onto the spine can wrap around the fold.

Image resolution

Photos and art need about 300 pixels per inch at the size they appear on the page. Below 150 they look blurry or blocky in print, even if they look fine on screen.

Enlarging an image in your layout lowers its resolution. Use the original, larger file, or place the image smaller.

To work out the most an image can fill, divide its pixel width by 300. A 1,800 pixel wide photo can fill 6 in.

Page count

Your PDF should have exactly the number of pages in your specs, counting every page including blanks, the title page and the copyright page.

Bindings need page counts in certain multiples, because pages are printed on large sheets and folded. If yours is off, add blank pages at the end.

Spine width

The spine width depends on your page count and binding. More pages means a wider spine, so your cover has to match.

Pick your specs first, then download the cover template. It is built for your exact page count, size and binding. If you change any of them later, download a new template.

Cover layout

Your cover is one file with the back on the left, the spine in the middle and the front on the right, plus bleed around the outside.

Dust jackets add a flap on each end. Foil and spot UV need a second file at the same size, solid black where the effect goes and white everywhere else.

Fonts

Fonts need to be embedded in your PDF, which means the font travels inside the file. Otherwise the printer swaps in a different font and your layout can shift.

Most apps embed fonts with their print presets. In InDesign or Affinity choose PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4. In Word, choose Save as PDF and turn on embed fonts in the options.

Color

Screens show color in RGB. Printers use four inks, called CMYK, which cannot reach the brightest screen colors, especially electric blues and neon greens.

We convert RGB files for you, so they still print. For the closest match, convert to CMYK yourself before exporting, and order a sample pack to see real printed color.