Book Printing File Setup Guide

If you’ve never printed a book before, this book printing file setup guide will give you all the information that you need to successfully format and submit files.

The easiest way to understand book printing file setup is to think of your cover as one file and your interior pages as another file. (Dust jackets are a third file.) . Breaking these files down through the correct setup allows all of us to understand and manage the printing process for each piece of your book project, making the overall process easier on everyone involved.

Some examples: a hardcover book with a dust jacket would have three files – a dust jacket, the hard cover itself, and the interior pages. A perfect-bound book with a spot UV on the front cover would have a cover file, a cover spot UV file, and an interior pages file.

Select a book printing file setup guide below to get started creating your document in your page layout software. When your document is nearing completion, you should view our file format suggestions for information about the best file formats for printing. We’re happy to answer any questions you may have.

Interior Page Setup Guide

A step by step guide to create your interior pages.

Cover Setup Guide

A step by step guide to create your cover pages.

Spine Width Calculator

A calculator to determine your spine width for setting up your files.

Creating Spreads

A guide on how to make spreads in your print-ready files.

Wire and Spiral Bound Project Setup Guide

A step by step guide for setting up your covers and interior pages for print