Prepare cover for printing

Tutorial – video

In this video, we explain in 5 minutes how to create a print file for a book cover in Adobe InDesign:

Please note the tutorial is in Dutch only – we have included the english text below.

How to get your cover ready for printing?

In InDesign, you can create a cover file that is completely print-ready. Print-ready means that the printer can start the printing process immediately.

Robbert explains how to design a book cover in Adobe InDesign in the tutorial, or view the steps below. The settings are virtually the same for a hardcover and a softcover book, the only difference being the bleed and the format.

Cover file settings

Adjust the page from 1 to 3 pages, these are for the front cover, the back cover and the spine in between. These pages should be next to each other.

Dimensions: 6 mm extra for both height and width for hardcover/net size for softcover
Margins: set to 0
Bleed area: 18 mm all around for hardcover/3 mm for softcover
You do not need to add white space to your document.

Placing pages side by side

You can open the pages with F12 (or via windows in the main navigation).

• Right-click on one of the pages and uncheck “Allow changing the order of document pages”
• Now you can drag all 3 pages side by side
• Optionally, you can check “Allow changing the order of document pages” again to make sure nothing changes
• Select the middle page, which will become the spine
• Go to the bottom and click on “Edit page size”
• There you can enter a custom width. This depends on the rest of your book’s specifications.

If all goes well, you now have an empty book cover in front of you. You have the front cover, the spine and the back cover next to each other with a nice bleed around them.

Exporting the cover file

Export the cover file as an Adobe PDF file. To do this, follow these steps:

• First, go to ‘File’
• Click on “Adobe PDF Presets”
• Then click on the “[PDF/X-1a:2001]” preset, which will already set a lot of things correctly for you
• You still need to change the pages to spreads, so it will be exported as a spread
• Under “Characters and Bleed Area”, tick the crop marks
• Under “Offset”, change the “Offset” to the same number as your bleed (3 mm for softcover/18 mm for hardcover)
• Also tick ‘Use document bleed settings’
• Under “Output”, you can choose between “Coated FOGRA39” or “Uncoated FOGRA29”. This depends on the type of paper used for your cover. Is your cover made of coated paper? Then choose ‘Coated FOGRA39 (ISO 12647-2:2004). Is your cover made of uncoated paper? Then choose ‘Uncoated FOGRA29 (ISO 12647-2:2004).
• Once everything is correct, click on “Export”.

Need more help?

Are you having trouble setting up the cover for your print file? We are happy to help.

View all delivery specifications for printing your book.