Content Layout

For body text, we advise that you maintain a minimum 0.75" margin at the inside edge (gutter) and 0.5" on the top, bottom, and outside edge.

We recommend you keep all important elements at least 0.25" from the page edge. This includes page numbers.

If you want perfectly even margins (e.g. similarly placed art or photographs throughout), we suggest margins of 0.5" or greater.

We refer to the interior pages of your book as the content.

To print your book's content, we require a print-ready PDF. Books must always have an even number of pages because each sheet of paper has two sides.

Book layouts start with a right-hand page and end with a left-hand page.

The content file should only include the interior pages of the book.

Anything else — cover, endpapers, dust jacket, inset, foil stamp mockup — should be kept separate from the content layout.

When exporting the PDF, make sure it is formatted as pages, not spreads.

Your document should be set up to have 0.125" bleed on the top, bottom, and outside edge of the page. You can find our PDF export instructions here.

A crossover is any image that spans across a spread (the two open pages in view). When a book is bound, there is reduced visibility at the spine, so we recommend keeping any important content away from the gutter.

We do not recommend having any text continue from the left page to the right page of a spread.

The page curl near the gutter typically makes any text across the spread illegible.

Similarly, do not place the most important part of your image (especially faces) in the center of the spread, as it will appear distorted in a bound book.

We suggest using Adobe InDesign page layout software to build your files. If you need help creating your layout, you can find a list of skilled book designers on our website.

Regardless of who is doing the layout, there are some key things to keep in mind:

• The content file should only include the interior pages of the book.
• Anything else — cover, endpapers, dust jacket, inset, foil stamp mockup — should be kept separate from the content layout.
• Books must always have an even number of pages, because each sheet of paper has two sides.
• Book layouts start with a right-hand page and end with a left-hand page.
• We recommend you keep all important elements 0.25" from the page edge.
• If you want perfectly even margins (e.g. similarly placed art or photographs throughout), we suggest margins of 0.5" or greater. For body text, we advise that you maintain a minimum 0.75" margin at the inside edge (gutter) and 0.5" on the top, bottom, and outside edge.
• When exporting the PDF, make sure it is formatted as pages, not spreads.
• Your document should be set up to have 0.125" bleed on the top, bottom, and outside edge of the page. You can find our PDF export instructions.

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