Quick Specifications and Info for Print Books Cover Specs and Info 2 Black and White Interior Specs and Info 4 Color Interior Specs and Info 5 Most Common Print Errors 6 1 revised 6/9/2015
Cover Specs and Info Preparing your cover for print is easy! Use the Cover Generator provided by our printer, Lightning Source. To reach it directly click this link: https://www1.lightningsource.com/covergenerator.aspx Simply fi ll out the specifi cations with these things in mind: Use all zeros for the 13 digit ISBN. We do not include barcodes; do not use your ISBN if you have one. When entering the page count, remember that the count should be divisible by 4 or 6 (depending on book size) AND you will be removing the last page for Lightning Source to use in production. Even though this page is NOT included in the Book Block file submission, it needs to be part of the page count for the generator. All the information should be fi lled in. Double check to be sure that none of the fi elds have reset. Here s a little info about color options to help you through making choices and fi lling out the generator. STANDARD COLOR Standard Color uses new technology and is an economical option for printing more of your titles in color. Standard Color lowers the cost per unit and is available in all Lightning Source B&W trim sizes with additional color sizes. Bind Types: Perfect Bound Case Laminate (Saddle Stitch not available.) Paper: 50#, 512 PPI White Page Range: 18 1200 pages Trim Sizes: All Black & White and Color trim sizes offered. PREMIUM COLOR Premium Color prints superior color books with premium paper using our existing, high-quality color print technology. Bind Types: Saddle Stitch Perfect Bound Case Laminate bind types Paper: 70#, 378 PPI White Page Range: 4 48 pages saddle-stitch only 24 900 pages perfect bound only 24 840 pages case bound only For current trim sizes, please see out website. 2
Cover Specs and Info Quick Specs The following are specifi cations that you should know when laying out cover fi les. Resolution: 300 dpi Color Space: CMYK LPI (lines per inch): 180 Preferred file format: PDF (.pdf) on LSI cover template. PDF Output Compliance: PDF/X-1a:2001 (PDF/X-3:2002 Scribus) Template: Created with LSI template only. Spine: NO spine text for page counts below 48. Requirements PDF COMPLIANCE: Files must be PDF/X-1a:2001 compliant, or PDF/X-3:2002 compliant if outputting from Scribus. TEMPLATE: Cover artwork should be placed within the crop marks on the correct template produced by the template generator. Please do not reposition any items on the template (except the barcode) all items (trim size / crop marks / spine calculation) are required and placed for LSI s specifi c printing workfl ow. * Note: The only exceptions are the pink and blue areas that can be removed or covered up from EPS/PDF templates before submission. Final PDF should be created at the size it s received. Artwork should not extend past the crop marks. BARCODES: Barcode on LSI cover template should be deleted (the barcode on the cover only, leave the other) from the back cover. * LSI will add a Production barcode to the back cover. * If you would like to designate where the barcode should be placed, put a white box, exactly 0.5 Tall x 0.75 Wide, where you would like it on the back cover, and LSI will insert a barcode on that box. SPINE: NO spine text is allowed for books with page counts below 48. MARGINS: 0.25 (6 mm) recommended margin on all sides from fi nal trim size. COLOR: All images in a cover fi le must be CMYK. Images that are less than 200 dpi may be rejected for higher-resolution submissions. (Resolutions this low are considered too low in quality for printing.) BODY TEXT: For best results for text that is 24 pt. or below, please use 100% black only - CMYK values of 0% Cyan (C), 0% Magenta (M), 0% Yellow (Y), and 100% Black (K). BLACK/RICH BLACK / DENSITY: We recommend a rich black with CMYK values of 60% Cyan (C), 40% Magenta (M), 40% Yellow (Y), and 100% Black (K). CMYK total value should not exceed 240%. * Files sent with densities higher than 240% may be rejected for correction. INK COVERAGE: Total ink coverage should not exceed 240% anywhere on the cover. SPOT COLORS / RGB: Please convert all spot colors (PMS / PANTONE) with/without transparencies to CMYK (even in supporting.eps fi les). * Note: RGB fi les received will be converted to CMYK before printing. RGB / spot color with/without transparency may produce unexpected color results including white or black boxes over text when printing. Any dissatisfaction with color shift will be the publisher s responsibility to correct. 3
Black and White Interior Specs and Info Quick Specs The following are specifi cations that you should know when laying out text for Black and White Interiors. Resolution: 600 dpi for black & white line art 300 dpi for grayscale continuous tone images. Color Space: Grayscale LPI (lines per inch): 106 Preferred file format: PDF (.pdf) PDF Output Compliance: PDF/X-1a:2001 (PDF/X-3:2002 Scribus) Bleed: 0.125 on outside three edges Margins: Recommended minimum 0.5 (13 mm) on all sides. Accepted Submission Methods: Web upload for fi les. Requirements ALL FONTS must be embedded in all PDF fi les. PDF COMPLIANCE: Files must be PDF/X-1a:2001 compliant, or PDF/X-3:2002 compliant if outputting from Scribus. MARGINS: It is best that you use a minimum of 0.5 (13 mm) margin on all sides of your text block. If text or images are too close to trim edges, they could be cut in the printing and binding process. BLEED: Black and white book fi les can be submitted with or without bleed. Books without bleed must be submitted at the appropriate trim size and with the recommended margins. Books with bleed must have the added bleed space to the three outside trim edges. Do NOT add bleed the the inside bind (gutter) side. CROP MARKS: Please do not include crop, printer or registration marks in a fi le. These are not necessary for LSI s workfl ow. Marks included in a fi le could show up in printed copies. PAGE COUNT: Books that are 6.69 x 9.61 and larger should have a page count divisible by 4. Books that are 6.14 x 9.21 and smaller should have a page count divisible by 6. For all sizes, be sure page counts are divisible by 2. Creating fi les with proper page counts will help to ensure the least amount of blank pages are added to the back of the book. The publisher should end text fi les of a book without padding pages, and Lightning Source will add the additional pages necessary to achieve page counts during the setup and the print process. * The fi nal page of all submissions must be completely removed and is reserved for a check barcode and information for LSI. SPOT COLORS / ICC PROFILES: Please do not include Spot colors or ICC profi les in your fi le as these can produce unexpected color shifting results during processing. ICC profi les applied to 100% black text often convert to a shade or percentage of gray (less than 100% black). This will result in text in your proof that is not solid black. If text is intended to appear as solid black, including Spot colors or ICC profi les can cause delays in receiving a correct proof. 4
Color Interior Specs and Info Quick Specs The following are specifi cations that you should know when laying out text for a STANDARD COLOR or PREMIUM COLOR color book title. Resolution: 300 dpi Color Space: CMYK LPI (lines per inch): 175 visual Standard Color 180 Premium Color Required file format: PDF (.pdf) PDF Output Compliance: PDF/X-1a:2001 (PDF/X-3:2002 Scribus) Bleed: 0.125 except on bind side (gutter). Margins: Recommended minimum 0.5 (13 mm) on all sides Accepted Submission Methods: Web upload. Gutter Allowance: Saddle Stitch Books no gutter margin required. Perfect/Case Laminate Books 0.125 gutter margin (no-ink area) is required. Requirements For both Standard and Premium Color Submissions: PDF COMPLIANCE: Files must be PDF/X-1a:2001 compliant, or PDF/X-3:2002 compliant if outputting from Scribus. * Text fi les must be submitted as a single PDF fi le. Submissions with multiple fi les will be rejected. CROP MARKS: Please do not include crop / printer / registration marks in a fi le. MARGINS: All text and non-bleeding art is recommended to be a minimum of 0.5 (13 mm) from fi nal trim size. BLEED: Graphics and art intended to print to the edge of a page should bleed a full 0.125 past the final trim size (except on the bind side). If an image used does not provide for enough bleed (full 0.125 ), please extend a complimenting color the full amount of bleed required. GUTTER MARGIN: Saddle Stitch Books: no gutter margin required. Perfect or Case Bound Books: 0.125 gutter margin (no-ink area) is required on the bind side of the interior. These are bound with glue, and the area is designated so it can adhere to all pages. COLOR / RESOLUTION: All images in a text fi le must be CMYK. Images should be 300dpi/ppi. Those that are less than 200 dpi will be rejected. (Resolutions this low are considered too low in quality for printing) BODY TEXT: For best results for text that is 24 pt. or below, please use 100% black only - CMYK values of 0% Cyan (C), 0% Magenta (M), 0% Yellow (Y), and 100% Black (K). BLACK / RICH BLACK / DENSITY: We recommend a rich black with CMYK values of 60% Cyan (C), 40% Magenta (M), 40% Yellow (Y), and 100% Black (K). CMYK total value should not exceed 240%. * Files sent with densities higher than 240% may be rejected for correction. INK COVERAGE: Total ink coverage should not exceed 240%. Files sent with ink coverage higher than 240% may be rejected for correction SPOT COLORS: Please convert all spot colors with / without transparencies to CMYK. These may produce unexpected results when printing. Any dissatisfaction with color shift will be the publisher s responsibility to correct. PAGE COUNT: Creating fi les with proper page counts will help to ensure the least amount of blank pages possible are added to the back of the book. The publisher should end text fi les of a book without padding pages, and Lightning Source will add the additional pages necessary to achieve page counts during the setup and the print process. * Books that are 6.14 x 9.21 and smaller must have a page count divisible by 6 * Books that are 6.69 x 9.61 and larger must have a page count divisible by 4 * The fi nal page of all submissions must be completely blank or removed and is reserved for a check barcode and information for LSI. 5
Most Common Print Errors PDF/X Compliance If a book is not PDF/X-1a:2001 compliant, our automated system will try to preflight it to be compliant. If it is successful, the files will print. If it is unsuccessful, either the files will be found to not meet specs and an email will be generated to notify the publisher or it may try to print the file which will result in many print errors including white boxes around art and text. Be sure books are compliant BEFORE you upload them. Use the PDF/X-1a:2001 setting to export your PDF. Bleed Some black and white books and all color books need a 0.125" bleed on the outside three page edges only. If you created your book using any version of InDesign, set your fi le to export using the PDF/X-1a:2001 setting and be sure the Allow Document Bleed box is checked. If that is not an option, it can be converted using Acrobat. Open the fi le in Acrobat: 1. Open the Tools menu; 2. Under Print Production open the Prefl ight window; 3. Click on Standards, set it to PDF/X and click through to the last window; 4. Make sure the settings are in place, then click Save as and give it a new name. Gutter Color books must have a gutter allowance (white space) of 0.125" on the inside edge of every page, top to bottom. This area is glued into the spine, so it is not the live area of the page, and nothing should be lost. The gutter allowance ensures that the spine glue holds as tight as it should. If there is no gutter allowance in a color book, it will not be printed. If you are working in InDesign, adding a gutter allowance is not diffi cult. On your master page, simply add a new layer (be sure it's on top) and make a white box 0.125" wide that runs top of bleed to bottom. If your pages are set to use the master, the white line will appear on all pages and will look similar to this: 6
Ink Coverage Most Common Print Errors Color books cannot have ink coverage that exceeds 240%. When selecting colors in layout, set blacks to: Cyan 0%, Magenta 0%, Yellow 0% and Black 100%. If you want a richer black you can set values to: Cyan 60%, Magenta 40%, Yellow 40% and Black 100%. The rich black may look better, but if it is layered with other elements it may push the combination to be over ink. If you are working in any version of Adobe CS, ink coverage can be viewed and corrected in a few steps. Check Ink Coverage in InDesign layout Click on the Window pull-down menu (1) at the top, mouse over Output and select Separations Preview. In the window that opens, there is a little pull-down menu next to where it says View, select Ink Limit (2) and set the percent to 241% (3). It will show you all the things that are over ink coverage in red. Ink Coverage Correction in Photoshop Open the art fi le in Photoshop. In the Edit pull-down (1) menu select Convert to Profi le (2). In the menu that opens, under Destination Space - Profi le select Custom CMYK (3). Make sure the Ink Colors is set to SWOP (Coated) (4) and change the total ink limit to 235% (5). Leave all other settings as they are. Save as.tif or.psd. When the fi les are corrected, you can relink them to the InDesign fi le or replace them in the Illustrator fi le. Over ink is best corrected and checked in Photoshop and layout. If you are able, that is. If you are unable to, you can check and force correct in Acrobat, although the results may be poor. If you have no better option, the instructions to correct in Acrobat are on the next page. 7
Most Common Print Errors Over ink is best corrected and checked in Photoshop and layout. If you are able, that is. If you are unable to, you can check and force correct in Acrobat, although the results may be poor. Check Ink Coverage in Acrobat Open the final PDF/X in Acrobat. Click on Tools (1) to open the menu, then under Print Production, click Output Preview (2) to open that menu. In Acrobat 9 and earlier, this menu can be found in the pull-down menu, select Advanced > Print Production > Output Preview. In the window that opens, tick the box next to Total Area Coverage and set it to 241% (3). Anything that is over ink will be bright neon green. Ink Coverage Correction in Acrobat This is a last resort fi x. Open your fi nal PDF/X fi le. Open the Print Production menu (in Acrobat 9 and earlier, it's under the Advanced menu at the top), choose Convert Colors. In the window that opens, fi nd the shaded section called Conversion Attributes. Change the center pull-down menu to Japan Color 2002 Newspaper. Under the shaded Convert Options area, check all three boxes (Preserve Black, Promote Gray to CMYK Black, Preserve CMYK Primaries). Click OK. You will get a warning. Click OK. When the fi le is done processing, choose Save As and give it a different name (so as not to save over the original fi le, in case there's a problem). There can be a large color shift when this process is used; that is why it is referred to as a last resort. Please check to make sure it is now within Ink Coverage range and that the color value is acceptable before uploading to print. 8