How to upload your files

We accept files in any way that suits you. You can send us single pages or spreads, or put all the pages of your book into one large, combined file.

For best print reproduction, we recommend creating your artwork in a 300 DPI resolution and in CMYK colour using the GRACoL 2006 colour profile, then uploaded as a PDF.

The maximum file upload is 2GB. Please contact our team if your file size is larger and we'll help you get your file into the workflow.

For the pages of your book, we recommend adding a 3mm bleed to the outside of your page designs and a 5mm quiet area on the inside of the page edges. Be sure to increase the quiet area to 8mm on the spine-facing edge of the page.

Perfect Bound Book Covers

Because the cover for a perfect bound book has a spine, we need you to either supply a separate ‘spine’ file or to upload a single cover design named ‘coverspread’ with your front cover, spine and back cover in a single spread. Our online ordering system will calculate the spine depth when you add pages to your order, so you will know how large it is.

Hardback Book Covers

The cover for a hardback book differs from the covers for our other products. Rather than four pages making up the cover, like a booklet, a hardcover book has a front cover, spine, and back cover.

Hardcover Bleed

To print the cover for your hardback books, we need a large bleed area so that your cover design wraps around the top of the inside cover area. Please add a 20mm bleed area to the edges of your cover design with the expectation that this will wrap around to the other side of the hardcover.

Hardcover Spine

Our online ordering system will calculate the spine depth when you add pages to your order, so you will know how large it is. We ask for a 20mm bleed area on the top and bottom of the spine and 5mm bleed area ‘hinges’ added either side.

Do not upload a separate ‘spine’ file. Please upload a single cover design file named ‘coverspread’ with your front cover, spine and back cover in a single spread.

Total Hardcover Width with Bleed

20mm bleed +  front cover width + 5mm hinge + spine width + 5mm hinge + back cover width + 20mm bleed

And don’t forget the 20mm bleed across the top and bottom.

​​Once your artwork is set up correctly, our system will automatically populate the cover area for you to see in the proof.

Hardcover Quiet Area

For the hardcover of your book, we also recommend leaving a “quiet area” or margin of 8mm around the edge.

Endpapers

Endpapers are the inside front and back covers of your hardcover book. These endpapers cannot be printed on. Please note that when you are ordering a hardcover book, the endpaper pages will be locked and you will be unable to add anything to them. Pay attention to the order of your pages, as the locked endpapers may throw off your page sequence. You can choose either solid white or black endpapers.

Dust Jacket Print File Set Up

If you choose to add a dust jacket for your hardcover book, please upload a separate file named ’dustjacket’’ with your dust jacket design as a single spread.

Your dust jacket will be printed on a single sheet of paper that wraps around the outside of your hardcover book. So we recommend dividing your dust jacket design into several sections. These include a front flap, hinge, front, spine, back, hinge, and back flap.

The flaps are 60mm or 80mm wide, depending on the size of your book. The hinges where the dustjack wraps around the edges of the hardcover are 7mm, while the front and back are the same size as your book. The spine will be the same size as the spine of your book, so it fits tightly in place. And don’t forget to add a 3mm bleed to all of the edges of your single sheet dustjacket design.

Total Dust Jacket Width with Bleed

3mm bleed + front flap width + 7mm hinge + front cover width + spine width + back cover + 7mm hinge + back flap width + 3mm bleed

And don’t forget the 3mm bleed across the top and bottom.

Dust Jacket Flap Sizes