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Gatefold Setup Guide
Artwork Setup Guide
Below are some requirements to be mindful of for both single and double gatefold additions to your project:
For casebound books with endsheets and perfect bound books:
- Gatefold pages must be placed within the book so that the total number of pages before and after the gatefold are both divisible by four. When counting pages to determine gatefold placement, you should begin with the first interior page and end with the last interior page—do not count the covers, inside covers, or endsheets.
- Gatefolds cannot be placed within the first or last 8 pages of the book. When counting pages to determine gatefold placement, you should begin with the first interior page and end with the last interior page—do not count the covers, inside covers, or endsheets.
For casebound books without endsheets:
- Gatefold pages must be placed within the book so that the total number of pages before and after the gatefold are both divisible by four. When counting pages to determine gatefold placement, you should begin with the front cover and end with the back cover—be sure to include all four outside and inside covers in addition to your interior pages.
- Gatefolds cannot be placed within the first or last 8 pages of the book. When counting pages to determine gatefold placement, you should begin with the front cover and end with the back cover—be sure to include all four outside and inside covers in addition to your interior pages.
For saddle-stitched books:
- Single gatefolds can be placed anywhere in the book.
- Double gatefolds must only be placed at the center of the book.
For spiral-bound and wire-bound books: any page can have a gatefold.
For all books with gatefolds:
- Gatefold pages (in addition to covers, inside covers, and endsheets) should NEVER be included when calculating your interior page count for quoting purposes or when calculating your spine width using our Spine Width Calculator.
- Each gatefold panel needs to be a minimum of 2 mm shorter than the trimmed interior page width to accommodate the folding and binding process.
Single Gatefolds
How Do I Setup my Artwork in my Design Program?
Below is a screenshot example of a recommended way to set up a single gatefold in InDesign for a 16-page perfect bound book:
If you have decided to print your single gatefold on a textured stock or different paper stock, here is a screenshot example of a recommended way to set up a single gatefold in InDesign for a 12-page casebound book:
There is also a helpful link here that provides a step-by-step walkthrough on how to allow your pages to shuffle for this!
Setting Up Artwork for Pagination and Readability
Ok, but how do I prepare each panel for the presentation in the book?
- Download these PDFs (SingleGatefold_Reference.pdf & SingleGatefold_Reference_v2.pdf) for visual examples of the above screenshots. The gatefold panels are labeled in RED.
- Once you have done this, reference this video for a live flip-through of the “dummy version” of the SingleGatefold_Reference_v2 PDF. The video will provide a visual example of how each panel will be presented in the bound book.
Double Gatefolds
How Do I Setup my Artwork in my Design Program?
Below is a screenshot example of a recommended way to set up a double gatefold in InDesign for a 12-page casebound book:
There is also a helpful link here that provides a step-by-step walkthrough on how to allow your pages to shuffle for this!
Setting Up Artwork for Pagination and Readability
Ok, but how do I prepare each panel for the presentation in the book?
- Download this PDF (DoubleGatefold_Reference.pdf) for a visual example of the above screenshot. The gatefold panels are labeled in RED.
- Once you have done this, reference this video for a live flip-through of the “dummy version” of the PDF. The video will provide a visual example of how each panel will be presented in the bound book.