A press-ready file is one that will need no corrections or formatting adjustments in order to print properly on our press.

Most books consist of two files: the TEXT FILE and the COVER FILE.

Text Files

Press-ready text files have been thoroughly edited and proofed. There is no need for copy or punctuation changes. Page numbers, headers, table of contents, indexes or appendices are all included with the file.

A press-ready text file contains all necessary pages for the book, including the blank pages. A list of the commonly expected page order for professionally published books is available from your Publishing Consultant.

If the book is to be folded and saddle stitched (stapled in the spine), the number of pages needs to be divisible by four. That means if your book is 103 pages, you need to add one more page to get to 104 pages. This can be a blank page somewhere or a page with copy.

Cover Files

There are different types of cover files, which may be submitted depending on the type of book we are producing:

Soft cover/paperback

Coil or wire-o binding

Hard cover (case bound)

Dust jacket for hard cover (case bound) book

Saddle stitched

 

Check with your Publishing Consultant for more information.

Bleeds: 1/8″ minimum (1/4″ preferred) of color or image that extends beyond the trim line to prevent white edges on the cover. Covers for casebound books require 3/4″ bleed.

Accurate, Consistent Color Definition: CMYK is preferred. Do not mix CMYK and RGB. Rich black and registration will be billed as CMYK since they contain other colors to enhance the black.

Adequate Image Resolution: minimum of 300 dpi at the size being used.

ISBN Barcode: necessary only if the book is to be placed in bookstores and other retail settings.

Note: if eBooks are also being produced, a separate ISBN is necessary for each ebook format, just as a separate ISBN is required for each binding method of a printed book.

Back Matter: First time authors often forget to “market” their books on the back cover with information about themselves, their book or testimonials from pre-publication readers.

Spine: The width of the spine is dependent upon the number of pages (front matter + body of the book + back matter) and the weight of the paper used to print the book. Consult our handy spine calculator.