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Some character and paragraph formatting will be maintained, but most page layout settings, such as margin and column settings, will be ignored and will need to be set up directly in InDesign. Use clean, edited copy so you’ll only need to make minimal changes after everything is carried over to InDesign. Next, you’ll need to import your book text into InDesign. (Bleed is the term for an image that touches the edges of the page slug refers to non-printing information that might appear in the document such as date or time.) You can leave the Bleed and Slug values as is. Margins make pages easier to read, and they guarantee that none of your content gets cut off during the printing process.Īt TCK Publishing, we start most of our projects with the values below, which are fairly industry-standard: Margins allow space around the edges of the pages and in the gutter (where the pages meet along the spine). When in doubt, use this trim size for general nonfiction, novels, and memoirs.īe sure to leave fairly generous margins. TCK Publishing layouts are generally 6” x 9” for both fiction and nonfiction it is an industry standard for traditional and print-on-demand distribution. If you plan to have widespread distribution online and in bookstores, you’ll probably want to limit your trim size to 6″ x 9″ as anything larger might not fit on all bookshelves. If this is a concern, consider, for example, a 6” x 9” book instead of a 5” x 8” book in order to reduce the number of pages.
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In the publishing world, this is referred to as “trim size.” One thing to bear in mind when deciding your book’s trim size: The cost of printing will depend heavily on the number of pages.
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This will open a dialog where you can configure your document layout and name your document.įirst, you’ll need to decide what size your book will be. To do this, open InDesign and go to File, then click New Document (or click on Create on the left side). To get started, you’ll need to create a new document. Use already published books as a reference to figure out how you want to sequence these sections.įollow these simple steps to create and lay out your book using InDesign: 1. You’ll also need to figure out where and in what order to place the front matter, such as a table of contents, copyright page, foreword, preface, introduction, etc., as well as the back matter, such as an author page, glossary, appendix, index, etc. Manuscripts can be created using any word processing application-make sure to complete all edits and apply character and paragraph styles prior to beginning your design.
Blurb templates for indesign how to#
How to Lay Out Your Book in InDesignīefore you begin your book layout, you’ll need a complete manuscript. This tutorial will give you the basic tools you need to start formatting your book using InDesign. After all, the pages are what readers experience as they read the book. While the cover of a book may get all the glory, the interior layout is equally (if not more) important than cover design.
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