Here’s a summary of info about paper (size, trim size, color, weight), covers, binding, length of book… and technical restrictions.
Paper size
- 8.5″ wide is the max
- 11″ high is the max
- For industry standard trim sizes, scroll down to the foot of the page
Paper color & weight
- White paper: 60# and 444 ppi [pages per inch – this tells you how fat your book will be]
- Cream paper: 60# and 440 ppi
- Full-color paper: 60# and 426 ppi
How do you know whether to use cream paper or white? One consideration is: Which one goes best with your cover? And which one do you find easier to read? Also, some distribution outlets only handle cream paper in certain trim sizes.
A tip from the SRP book design team: If you use cream paper, try using a heavier weight in your typeface / font (otherwise the cream tends to eat up the black color of the text, making it look a bit grey). By the same token, if you’re using white paper, go for a lighter weight in your typeface / font.
Covers: specs for the printers we use at Salt River
- 4-color printed covers with film lamination
- Cover stock is 10pt C1S
- Info on creating your own cover (free)
Binding
- “Perfect Binding” (glued along spine)
- Rule of thumb: Allow 1/4″ extra in the inner margin because the book won’t open out flat
Length of book
- 24 pages minimum
- Full color: 480 pages max
- Black & White: 570-828 pages max (depending on trim size)
Restrictions
- Cream paper: Bookstores and online retailers only accept trim sizes of 5×8, 5.25×8, 5.5×8.5, 6×9 in cream paper
- Standard distribution (Amazon USA/Europe, Amazon sellers, your own eStore distribution, and Extended distribution – academic & libraries): Custom or industry standard trim sizes are acceptable
- Bookstores and online/offline retailers: Industry standard trim sizes only
Industry standard trim sizes
Trim size: This is the size of your book after trimming. Look at different books to get a feel for the size you would prefer, keeping in mind the weight of your book (longer books and larger page sizes are heavier).
- Black & White Books – Industry Standard Trim-Sizes
For information on your cost, your distribution options, coming up with a retail price, figuring out your royalty: click on the subject you want more info about
ON SALT RIVER Website by AG et al is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.