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Printing Templates & Guides

Printing the cover of a book comes with very specific needs for the design. There are a variety of factors that influence the layout of every cover, including the width of the spine and the gutters and bleed.

The final page count (which determines the width of the spine) and the trim size of the book are primary factors in the initial setup of the cover.

Below is a simple diagram (based on an Amazon KDP template). LightningSource/IngramSpark templates are similar in appearance, but with a few cosmetic differences (blue guides instead of red for example). An interesting fact to keep in mind is that a KDP template and LS/IS template for the exact same book (trim size, page count, etc.) typically have a few differences that have to be accounted for in the design. So if you’d like to print with KDP and LightningSource/IngramSpark, please let us know so we can discuss formatting the layout for both and additional cost.

A standard KDP template layout, with added explanations.

Want to learn more about print layouts? Visit our article on trim sizes here.

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