Book Designers' Resource Page


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Submission Standards
Create Your Cover
Create Your Text Block


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This page is designed as a reference tool, which will enable our customers to create and provide compliant files to Lightning Source. Please use this page to help you create your cover and as a reference for your cover and bookblock settings.
Submission Standards
Use the submission standards below to help create "Print Ready" files.
Digital File Submissions (click on)
Scan Title Submissions
"Custom" Cover Examples
Prepare Your Cover
Create Your Customized Cover Template Creating a custom cover template to Lightning Source specifications is easy. Once you complete and submit the form below, LSI will email you back a template and support files to be used to build your cover. Included in the email will be instructions for using the template, creating an appropriate PostScript file and distilling a PDF to LSI specifications.
Cover Template Creation Calculate Your Spine Width To calculate the correct spine width for your cover, enter the total number of pages, including front and back matter and any blank pages.
Spine Calculation PostScript Settings For Your Cover Select the PostScript Setting for the Platform/Application of your choice to create a PostScript file ready for distilling to a PDF file (using Adobe Acrobat).
Windows: PageMaker 7.0
Windows: QuarkXpress 5
Windows: InDesign 3.0
Macintosh: PageMaker 7.0
Macintosh: QuarkXpress 6
Macintosh: QuarkXpress 5
Macintosh: QuarkXpress 4
Macintosh: InDesign 3.0 PDF Reference Templates For Your Cover These templates may be used as a reference to determine the correct layout and dimensions for your desired cover. Completed books of 76 pages or less have special requirements regarding the design of cover art. Since a low-page-count book is so "thin", it cannot be designed with spine art or text. No straight edge artwork or text should be placed within a half-inch of the top, bottom, or side of the front or back cover. For more details, refer to the templates below or use the Custom Cover Template Creation.
5 x 8" (203 x 127mm) Perfect Bound
5.5 x 8.5" (216 x 140mm) Perfect Bound
6 x 9" (229 x 152mm) Perfect Bound
6.14 x 9.21" (234 x 156mm) Perfect Bound
6.69 x 9.61" (244 x 170 mm) (Pinched Crown) Perfect Bound
7 x 10" (254 x 178 mm) Perfect Bound
7.44 x 9.69" (246 x 189mm) Perfect Bound
7.5 x 9.25" (235 x 191mm) Perfect Bound
8.25 x 11" (280 x 210mm) Perfect Bound
8.268 x 11.693 " (297 x 210 mm) A4 Perfect Bound
5.5 x 8.5" (216 x 140mm) Casebound
6 x 9" (229 x 152mm) Casebound
6.14 x 9.21" (234 x 156mm) Casebound
7 x 10" (254 x 178 mm) Casebound
5.5 x 8.5" (216 x 140mm) Dustjacket
6 x 9" (229 x 152mm) Dustjacket
6.14 x 9.21" (234 x 156mm) Dustjacket
Prepare Your Bookblock
PostScript Settings For Your Bookblock Select the PostScript Setting for the Platform/Application of your choice to create a PostScript file ready for distilling to a PDF file (using Adobe Acrobat).
Windows: PageMaker 7.0
Windows: QuarkXpress 5
Windows: InDesign 3.0
Windows: Microsoft Word
Macintosh: PageMaker 7.0
Macintosh: QuarkXpress 6
Macintosh: QuarkXpress 5
Macintosh: QuarkXpress 4
Macintosh: InDesign 3.0
Create Your PDF file
Creating A PDF File From Your PostScript File These documents display screen captures of the Adobe Acrobat Distiller Job Options dialog boxes. They will help when distilling PDF files. Select the Distiller Setting for the Platform/Version.
Windows: Acrobat Distiller 6.0 Settings
Windows: Acrobat Distiller 5.0 Settings
Macintosh: Acrobat Distiller 6.0 Settings
Macintosh: Acrobat Distiller 5.0 Settings
Macintosh: Acrobat Distiller 4.0 Settings
Calculate Your Book Weight
To calculate the correct weight for your book (useful in planning shipping costs) you will need to enter the total number of bookblock pages in your book: do not include the front and back cover, but do include all interior and any blank pages.
Weight Calculation