Layout for Interior Pages

The finished file size is your trim size. All files should have proper bleed, trim and safety. Bleed is required for all print jobs and should be 3mm(.125”) on all four sides. For example, if your trim size is 216 x 279mm(8.5” x 11”), your bleed size is 222 x 285mm(8.75” x 11.25”) and all text should be placed at least 3mm(.125”) inside from the trim lines to allow for a safety margin. Having bleed prevents white edges from showing if the cut is too close to the border.

Saddle Stitched Binding

If the binding choice is saddle-stitching, you do not need to worry about the layout of the cover. Just export your entire file as single pages into one PDF in consecutive order.

Cover of Perfect Bound Book

We have an automatic calculator in our quote tool that will generate the spine width once you input your specifications. When making the layout, you will need to include the spine with your covers. For example, a 216mm x 279mm(8.5” x 11”) document with a 9.5mm(0.375”) spine should have a width of 441.5mm(17.375”). And if you add bleed for safe trimming, the overall bleed size should be a width of 447.5mm(17.625”) and a height of 285mm(11.25”).
The image on the first page-from left to right-will include the Outside Back Cover (OBC), followed by the spine, followed by the Outside Front Cover (OFC). The image on the second page will include the Inside Front Cover (IFC), followed by the spine, followed by the Inside Back Cover (IBC). The inside spine should be left completely blank. If there is a printed image on the inside spine, the glue used to bind the publication will not properly adhere to the paper and the pages will eventually loosen and fall out. A blank inside spine allows the glue to better adhere to the paper.

Covering of Harcover Book

The covering of the book should be designed in an unfolded form (as spreads). The width of the book (spine) is calculated by summing the thickness of the inside paper, end paper, and the thickness of the hard board, which can be found in the NetPrint quotation program.
If you have an image on the covering background, you should expand the image into the turn-in area. The turn-in of the covering should be 15mm(0.59”) on all 4 sides, and the horizontal width of the outside should be 13mm(0.51”) for squared spine, and 9mm(0.36”) for round spine. For vertical width, 17mm(0.67”) should be added regardless of spine shape.

Dust Cover

If you are ordering a dust cover for your book you will need to supply a third PDF file for your dust jacket in addition to your cover and text PDF files. The dust cover PDF file should be a flat spread showing all 5 parts of your dust cover from left to right; inside back flap, back cover panel, spine panel, front cover panel, and inside front flap.
For dust cover required for hardcover binding, the spine size must be calculated differently between the squared spine and rounded spine and can be found in NetPrint's quote calculating program. It is recommended that the horizontal size of flaps is set over 100mm (3.94”) at least. Download the Layout Guide from NetPrint's online quote system and use it for your files.

Size Limitation

The size of the spine varies depending on the number of pages and paper types of the book, and the maximum horizontal size of perfect binding and hardcover binding may be a little smaller than the number displayed on the table.