Emma Davis Print Production Specialist at 4OVER4.COM
Emma is our prepress and print production voice, built from the knowledge of our production team, with over 20 years in printing.
Question
How should I set up my file for a bound book?
Answer
Set your book up as a single, print-ready PDF with the pages in reading order. Getting the file right the first time is what keeps a bound book on schedule and free of surprises at trim.
- One PDF, sequential pages: export the whole book as a single file with pages in the exact order they should read.
- Bleed: add 0.125 inch of bleed on all sides for any element that runs to the edge.
- Spine safety: for perfect-bound books, keep text at least 0.5 inch from the spine edge so nothing disappears into the binding.
- Color and resolution: use CMYK at 300 DPI so colors and images reproduce accurately.
Before you submit, do a final read-through of the page order and check that no live text sits inside the bleed or trim zones.
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