Here’s some helpful information for you BookSmart users who want detailed page and trim specs for pages designed outside of and imported into BookSmart. I originally posted this as an FAQ, but have added a graphic for full effect. Take away what is helpful and let me know what other hints I can give you in the future.
When importing high-resolution designs as a JPG or PNG from other layout apps (such as Adobe inDesign), size your documents to the following page measurements. These specs can also double for those who want exact sizing for full-bleed images. Please make sure your images are at least 150 DPI at 100% scale (300 DPI is preferred) and to set your color profile to sRGB.
Note: Full-bleed page measurements below include 1/8-inch (.3175 cm) bleed on top, bottom, and outside edge.
Here goes:
Updated August 4, 2008
Square
Cover (full bleed): 2225 x 2142 px – 7.417 x 7.14 inches, 18.84 x 18.14 cm
Page (full bleed): 2063 x 2076 px – 6.877 x 6.92 inches, 17.47 x 17.58 cm
Standard Landscape
Cover (full bleed): 3059 x 2555 px – 10.197 x 8.517 inches, 25.9 x 21.63 cm
Page (full bleed): 2888 x 2475 px – 9.627 x 8.25 inches, 24.45 x 20.96 cm
Standard Portrait
Cover (full bleed): 2530 x 3080 px – 8.433 x 10.267 inches, 21.42 x 26.08 cm
Page (full bleed): 2363 x 3000 px – 7.877 x 10 inches, 20.01 x 25.40 cm
Large Format Landscape
Cover (full bleed): 3942 x 3342 px – 13.14 x 11.14 inches, 33.38 x 28.30 cm
Page (full bleed): 3788 x 3263 px – 12.627 x 10.877 inches, 32.07 x 27.63 cm
Need trim information? (See graphic below or click for larger image.)
For pages we trim 1/8 inch off the top, bottom, and outside edge (not the gutter/binding side of your page). I recommend keeping vital text or important imagery away from the edge unless it’s okay if it gets trimmed. Look at your own favorite books to see how text and image bleeds are oriented toward the edge of pages to get a good idea of what I’m talking about. For book dust jackets, the full-bleed front and back panel, we trim 1/8 off the top, bottom edge, and the outside edge of the flaps for a dust jacket.
Plain and simple: To get that cool full-bleed look we have to trim the edge of your image. Knowing this simple info lets you design your book with added confidence!
Next week’s post will focus on the best way to save out pages from other layout applications to import into our beloved BookSmart. Note: We’ve moved this discussion to the Forums.
From the desk of …
Bryan Burkhart
Creative Director
14 Comments
You programm would be a lot better if I could (like in photoshop)
control T and than resize the plus or minus key is not very acurate.Or am I doing somethin wrong
Hi Anton – The Zoom/Crop tool +/- at the top of BookSmart’s nav bar works just fine for me. But I’ll be sure to pass your suggestion onto the team in any case. Thanks!
I will be designing my pages. I am confused about the full breed measure. If the top, bottom, and outside will be trimmed, isn’t the measure for 10×8 landscape should be 10.125 x8.25 rather than 9.63×8.25? Why is 9.63 not 10.125?
Hello Lee,
Regarding the Standard Landscape measurement, 10×8 refers to the cover size only. The measurements for the pages are quite accurate, because the pages are slightly smaller than the hardcover dust jacket measurement.
If you want to test it yourself, make a file using the exact measurements I have listed, and drop it into the full-bleed page, and then make a file the exact size you have listed and see which one fills the container out to the edge.
Hope that helps.
I need clarification on the front pages of the 13×11 book.
In the software thumbnails, we have the dust jacket then a page 1(Title Page) then Copyright page 2 then page 3.
Q: Is page 1 the hard cover of the book or an INSIDE title page?
What and where is the OUTSIDE hard cover?
I need to send this book off urgently this week so I can get it back by July. It’s approx 120 pages of full colour bleed images but unfortunately there is no template with page numbers for bleed pages so I can’t do a contents page that references the images! Just have to do without I suppose!
Thanks
Hi Bryan,
I am desperate trying to figure out how to import a full bleed image (with no text) onto the front cover in booksmart (i’m building an 8×10 landscape hardcover book). I can’t seem to find a template that has a full bleed image area… yet full bleed dust jacket designs are shown on the Blurb site. Can you please help?
Melissa
Hi Melissa - Just click on the front cover page in BookSmart and choose a full-bleed layout from any of cover layouts. Image areas are greyed out in BookSmart and when grey runs to all sides of the page, that’s a bleed if you desire. Text is optional so even though a layout shows text containers, adding text is optional.
Hope this helps.
Please make sure your images are at least 150 DPI at 100% scale (300 DPI is preferred) and to set your color profile to sRGB.
What does the above mean?
thanks
I selected a link to here thinking I would find out how to do a 2-page full bleed spread, but I don’t see that info. If I’m doing a 100 page 13 X 11″ book (pages 12.625 X 10.875) how do I set up my 26 X 11 original photo so the crease between pages (gutter?) looks natural? Thanks.
Hi Scott - I think this post may provide the info that you’re looking for:
http://blurberatiblog.com/index.php/2006/11/15/create-a-full-bleed-spread-across-2-pages/
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ll look there now…
again could someone please tell me what this means?
“Please make sure your images are at least 150 DPI at 100% scale (300 DPI is preferred) and to set your color profile to sRGB.”
thankx
I read Lee’s question, and I understand that according to the dimensions given for the pages for the portrait style book, the final page sizes when cut (1/8 inch off from the width on one side and a total of 1/4 off the height - 1/8″ off each top and bottom) would be 7.75″ wide by 9.75″ high, leaving 1/8 inch clearance from the cover all around and 1/8 inch gutter in the binding. However, if the same logic is followed for the dimensions given for the landscape style book, (1/8″ off the width, and 1/4″ off the height), when the pages are cut they would be 9.505″ wide by 8″ high, leaving 1/4″ on the side and gutter, and being the same size as the cover in height. Shouldn’t the dimensions for the landscape book be 9.875″ wide and 8″ high? That way the cut size would end up being 9.75″ wide by 7.75 inches high which is the same proportions as the portrait pages. I haven’t done a book yet - I have to upgrade my system before I can use BookSmart, but would like to design some pages to be ready when I get the $ to upgrade my system and start ordering some books. So I want to be sure I have the proper dimensions:) Thanks!
We’ve moved this discussion to the Forums – http://forums.blurb.com/forums/2/topics/89 – so that everyone can participate.