Print has hard rules and no second chances. A gutter two millimetres too narrow loses the inner margin of every page; a spine calculated for the wrong paper stock wraps your title around the fold. The interior is the part readers judge physically, and it is entirely mechanical work — which is exactly why it should not be improvised.
What you receive
- A print-ready interior PDF: correct trim, bleed if required, mirrored margins with a gutter sized to the page count.
- Front and back matter: half title, title, copyright, contents, about the author, also by, and a blank leaf where the printing convention needs one.
- Chapter openers starting on the recto with the first paragraph unindented, and running heads that reflect the current chapter.
- A cover wrap with spine width calculated from your exact page count and paper choice, plus barcode space on the back.
- Preflight report covering fonts, image resolution and page-count parity.
How it is prepared
- Fix the trim and paper first, because both determine the spine and the margin inside.
- Set margins by page count — a 400-page book needs a wider gutter than a 120-page one.
- Flow and correct, watching for stranded headings, bad breaks and pages that end with a single word.
- Build the wrap from the final page count, never from an estimate, then preflight everything.
The numbers that cause rejections
Minimum margins vary by page count: roughly 6 mm outside for a short book, more for a long one, with the gutter growing as the block thickens. Low-resolution images below 300 dpi are the other common rejection. And the page count must be even, because a printed book is made of folded sheets — an odd count means the last page is blank whether you planned it or not.
Hardcover is not paperback with a board
The case-bound wrap needs a hinge area, a wrap allowance around all three edges and a spine that accounts for the board thickness rather than just the text block. Those measurements are supplied by the printer and differ between them, so we build from your specific printer’s template rather than a generic one. Getting this wrong is the single most expensive print error, because the whole run is wrong.
Proofing is part of the process
Once a print file is approved, corrections mean a new edition and a new upload, so the check happens before that approval. We read the interior as a reader would: chapter openings, page turns, the blank leaves, the last page of each chapter. A proof copy from the printer is still the final word on colour and paper, and we tell clients to order one before a launch run rather than after.
Pricing
| Tier | Scope | Price | Was | You save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | 1 ebook | $60 | $65 | |
| Professional | 3 ebooks | $160 | $175 | |
| Bulk / Authority | 5 ebooks | $250 | $250 |
Frequent questions
Can I use the same interior for paperback and hardcover?
Usually yes, with a different wrap and sometimes a slight margin adjustment for the hinge.
Do you handle the ISBN and barcode?
Yes, and we place it inside the printer’s clear zone so it scans on the first attempt.
What if the page count changes after proofing?
The spine is recalculated and the wrap rebuilt. Always proof the interior before approving the cover.
Prepare my print files — send the manuscript and your printer’s template.