Format your PDF

One list of all guidelines for PDF authors or their designers.

Ash Davies avatar
Written by Ash Davies
Updated over a week ago

If you're working with a designer — or you're a designer yourself — you can follow these guidelines and rules to prepare your PDF of your book.

Cover dimensions

To build your cover to the correct size, you can ask Tablo for a template or create a template yourself with our easy instructions.

Paperback template

To create your own paperback template, you need two things:

  • Trim size. The height and width you want your book to be.

  • Spine width. The width of your spine, measured using your book's total page count and its paper settings. Use a formula to calculate your spine width →

Front cover

  • Width: 0.125″ (3mm) + Trim Width

  • Height: 0.125″ (3mm) + Trim Height + 0.125″ (3mm)

Back cover:

  • Width: 0.125″ (3mm) + Trim Width

  • Height: 0.125″ (3mm) + Trim Height + 0.125″ (3mm)

Spine

  • Width: (Page Count/PPI) + 0.01”

Interior Color

Paper

PPI

Black & White

Cream, 50#

444

Black & White

White, 50#

512

Standard Color

White, 70#

377

Premium Color

White, 70#

377

  • Height: 0.125″ (3mm) + Trim Height + 0.125″ (3mm)

Hardcover template

To create your own hardcover template, you need three things:

  • Hardcover type. Digital Cloth with a Dust Jacket or Case Wrap.

  • Trim size. The height and width you want your book to be.

  • Spine width. The width of your spine, measured using your book's total page count and its paper settings. Use a formula to calculate your spine width →

Dust Jacket

To use the formulas, first find the Cover Width and Cover Height for your trim size.

Trim Size

Cover Width

Cover Height

5×8″

5.4375″

8.25″

5.5×8.5″

5.9735″

8.75″

6×9″

6.4375″

9.25″

Front cover

  • Width: Cover Width + 3.25 (83mm) + 0.25 (6mm) + 0.125 (3mm)

  • Height: 0.125 (3mm) + Cover Height + 0.125 (3mm)

Back cover:

  • Width: Cover Width + 3.25 (83mm) + 0.25 (6mm) + 0.125 (3mm)

  • Height: 0.125 (3mm) + Cover Height + 0.125 (3mm)

Spine

  • Width: Calculate using our formulas →

  • Height: 0.125 + Cover Height + 0.125

Case Wrap

To use the formulas, first find the Cover Width and Cover Height for your trim size.

Trim Size

Cover Width

Cover Height

7×10″

6.818″

10.25″

7.5×9.25″

7.318″

9.5″

8.5×8.5″

8.318″

8.75″

8×10″

7.818″

10.25″

8.5×11″

8.318″

11.25″

Front cover

  • Width: 0.625 (16mm) + Cover Width + 0.5 (13mm)

  • Height: 0.625 (16mm) + Cover Height + 0.625 (16mm)

Back cover:

  • Width: 0.625 (16mm) + Cover Width + 0.5 (13mm)

  • Height: 0.625 (16mm) + Cover Height + 0.625 (16mm)

Spine

  • Width: Calculate using our formulas →

  • Height: 0.625(16mm) + Cover Height + 0.625(16mm)

Cover layout

Here's what we recommend for laying out your cover, including the space to leave around certain content, and what areas to pay particular attention to in your design.

Spine text

  • For spines thinner than 0.35″ (8.89mm) leave a space 0.03125″ (1mm) left and right of your text logos.

  • For spines wider than 0.35″ (8.89mm), leave a space 0.0625″ (2mm) left and right of your text and logos

Barcodes

  • All books must have a barcode, which may be put anywhere on the back cover.

  • Leave a space 1.755″ wide by 1″ tall in your design, and we will place it for you.

Paperback only

  • Keep text and non-bleed images at least 0.25″ (6mm) from the trim edges.

  • No spine text for paperbacks books with fewer than 48 pages.

Dust Jacket only

  • Keep text and non-bleed images at least 0.25″ (6mm) from the trim edges.

  • Keep important content outside the fold area.

Case Wrap only

  • Fill as much of the foldover area as you can.

  • Keep important content off the hinge area.

Interior dimensions

Set the page size to your chosen trim size, plus bleed (if any).

  • No bleed. Set the page size to your chosen trim size.

  • Bleed. Set your page size to your chosen trim size, then add 0.25″ (6mm) to the height, and 0.125″ (3mm) to the width. More on bleed here →

Interior layout

Keep important content at least 0.5″ (12mm) from the edges of your pages. More on margins here →

Page count

  • Make your final page count an even number.

  • Our minimum page count is 18, including blank and unnumbered pages.

Font

  • Embed fonts in your PDF. Our printer can only see and reproduce your fonts if they have been embedded.

Images

  • Images will print best if they are 300 PPI at the size you need.

  • We cannot print images below 72 PPI.

Related articles

Did this answer your question?