Initially, it might seem a little like magic how books are printed until the cost is revealed. Pages are made of design choices that contribute to the setup, but also opportunities for waste and rework. For advice from Book Printers Cheltenham, visit https://wheatleyprinters.co.uk/printing-services/marketing-materials/book-printers/cheltenham/
- No bleed (or bleed set up mistakenly
If your background colour or images go right to the edge of the page, you will need a bleed. Without it, you will get white slivers on the trimmed edge, or you might have to obtain new files (which takes time and money).
- Using the wrong page size
If you design for A5, but the paper is A4, when you reflow text on a page, this can slow down production and make exporting files more complicated. Production of custom sizes can require additional cost as well, so you might also want to commit yourself to your final trim size sooner rather than later.
- Low-resolution images
Images found on websites are generally not large enough to use for print. Reshooting the images at a later stage takes time – and if you happen to only notice your blurry photographs after approving a proof, it can end up costing more money out of your pocket whenever additional prints are required.
- Too many “special” elements
Foil, embossing, spot UV, and unique inks can bring a design to life, but they add more steps of production. Use intentionally (e.g., cover) instead of broadly.
- Ignoring spine width
Spine width is page count and paper dependent. All you can do is guess, and your cover might not fit, which means redesign.
Quick Tricks: Before you design, check your sizes (trim size and binding type) with the printer! This is the easiest way to maintain your book looking good and not go broke from printing.
Leave a Reply