How a full wrap is built
A paperback cover is one file that wraps around the book. From left to right it holds the back cover, the spine and the front cover, with extra image area called bleed on every edge so nothing white shows after trimming. Text and important art stay inside a safe area, away from the trim.
The spine width depends on your page count and paper. Each printer publishes a calculator or a template for this, and we always build from the template for your exact trim size, page count and paper color. The drawing below shows the parts; the numbers in it are approximate.
The back cover
The back carries the description, sometimes a short author bio or quote you already have permission to use, and the barcode area. Most printers add the barcode for you or ask you to leave a clear box for it; we leave the space their template asks for.
Hardcovers
A hardcover needs either a printed case, where the design is printed on the board itself, or a dust jacket with flaps. Both use larger templates with hinge and wrap areas. Tell us which binding your printer offers and we build to that template.
Files you get
A print-ready PDF in the format your printer asks for, plus the ebook front cover and web images if you order them together. If a printer rejects a file for a template issue we made, we fix it.
Questions
What if my page count changes after the cover is done?
The spine width changes with it. Send the final page count and we update the spine and the file. Small changes are part of the revision rounds in the quote.
Do you need my interior file?
No, only the final page count, trim size and paper color. If you still need the interior laid out, a book formatter handles that.
Have a manuscript ready? Tell us the genre, the trim size and the page count, and where the book will be sold.
Request a quote