How should I set up my document for books and magazines?

In general, do not add bleed or cut marks - we will generate mirror bleed and cut marks for you depending on which printing partner will print the order. This way, you can just focus on publishing online without creating a separate print-ready file.

There are a few simple rules for both Magazines and Hardcover books:

• The cover and inside pages should be in the same/single PDF file.
• The PDF file should consist of single pages only (thus, no double-page spreads).
• The first page of the PDF will be printed on the front cover.
• The second page of the PDF will be printed on the first available left page! See the distinction between Hardcover, Layflat Hardcover and Magazine below.
• If the last page on the PDF is a left-hand page (or an even-number page), it will be printed on the back cover.
• If the last page on the PDF a right-hand page (or an odd-number page), it will be the last right-hand page of the content and the back cover will be white.
• The recommended color profile is RGB. More information on this can be found on this article: What is the recommended color profile?

The above rules translate to specific book types as follows:

Important notice: AS OF JULY 17 2024, we adjusted our default settings for Hardcover books: the new default set up is A1. If you are a merchant who created an account before this date, your default set up in A2 still applies.
The set up for all other products remain the same, we have only adjusted the Hardcovers.

A1. Hardcover books (perfect-bound)

• The first page of the PDF will be printed on the front cover.
• The inside of the front cover will be white followed by a white binding sheet.
• The second page of the PDF will be on the first right-hand page inside the book. 
• The inside of the back cover will be white preceded by a white binding sheet.
• If the PDF contains an odd number of pages, the back cover will be white. The last page will be inside the book.

A2. Hardcover books (perfect-bound)

• The first page of the PDF will be printed on the front cover.
• The inside of the front cover will be white followed by a white binding sheet.
• The second page of the PDF will be on the first left-hand page inside the book! See sample on the photo below: the indicated page is page 2 of the PDF.
• The inside of the back cover will be white preceded by a white binding sheet.
• If the PDF contains an odd number of pages, the back cover will be white. The last page will be inside the book

B. Layflat Hardcover books

• The first page of the PDF will be printed on the front cover.
• The second page of the PDF will be printed on the first right-hand page inside the book!
• If the PDF contains an even number of pages, the page before the last page will be printed on the last available content page and the last page of the PDF will be printed on the back cover.
• If the PDF contains an odd number of pages, the last page of the PDF will be printed on the last available content page, and the back cover will be white.

C. Matte and glossy magazines

• The first page of the PDF will be printed on the front cover.
• The second page of the PDF will be printed on the interior of the front cover.
• If the PDF contains an even number of pages, the page before the last page will be printed on the interior of the back cover, and the last page of the PDF will be printed on the back cover.
• If the PDF contains an odd number of pages, the last page of the PDF will be printed on the interior of the back cover, and the back cover will be white.