Hero and Villain Designs

Paperback files

Prep my files

Build the cover template for your trim and page count, then use the checklist when you send the files. Share a Google Drive or Dropbox link by email and we'll confirm them before anything prints.

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Trim

Paperbacks can be 60 to 900 pages. Odd counts are fine. The spine uses the next half sheet. Our max is 900 pages, which is about a 2.48 inch spine.

Price this book

Sizes

Spine
0.811 in (20.60 mm)
Full cover, with bleed
12.061 × 8.750 in
Interior PDF
5.625 × 8.750 in
Duplex inside cover
5.625 × 8.750 in, each
Foil layer
Same as the full cover
Solo edge, front
8.600 × 0.911 in
Solo edge, top and bottom
5.600 × 0.911 in
Pattern edge, front
8.600 × 11 in
Pattern edge, top and bottom
5.600 × 11 in

Interior pages have 1/8 inch of bleed on the top, bottom, and outside edge, and no bleed on the spine side. The file is 1/8 inch wider and 1/4 inch taller than the trim. The cover still has 1/8 inch of bleed on every outer edge.

All of these are 300 dpi. Cover pixels: 3618 × 2625.

Keep foil out of the bleed. The foil file is the same size as the cover, with a transparent background, and the cover PDF should not include the foiled art.

Cover guide

Spine safe area: keep spine text inside BLEED BACK FRONT SPINE Spine Spine Hinge fold Hinge fold SAFETY TRIM

Magenta dash is the bleed, 1/8 inch past the trim. Cyan lines are the trim, where we cut. The dark dashed box on the back and the front is the safety area, 1/8 inch inside the trim. Yellow dashed lines mark the spine edges. The pale yellow strip is the hinge fold. The cyan box inside the spine is the spine safe area: keep spine text 1/16 inch inside each spine edge, and 1/8 inch inside the top and bottom trim.

Hinge fold: the cover bends here, 0.25 inch from the spine. Keep foil out of this strip, because foil can crack when the cover folds. Keep important text out too.

Interior

Interior paper is white only. Add 1/8 inch of bleed on the top, bottom, and outside edge of each page, with no bleed on the spine side. The file is 1/8 inch wider and 1/4 inch taller than the trim. A 5.5 by 8.5 page is a 5.625 by 8.75 file. Keep text, page numbers, and anything you do not want cut at least 1/8 inch inside the trim.

  • 5" × 8" trim: 5.125" × 8.25" file
  • 5.25" × 8" trim: 5.375" × 8.25" file
  • 5.5" × 8.5" trim: 5.625" × 8.75" file
  • 6" × 9" trim: 6.125" × 9.25" file

If you have color pages, list them as comma-separated page numbers with no spaces, for example 1,13,25,78,223. Color pages are priced per page, and they change the quote.

Cover and foil

Send a cover PDF with 1/8 inch of bleed on every side, without the elements you want foiled. If the title is foiled, leave it off the print file. The cover is a wrap, so the width includes the back, the spine, and the front, plus that 1/8 inch on the outer edges. The template above builds that size. Paperbacks can be 60 to 900 pages. Our max is 900 pages, which is about a 2.48 inch spine.

The template draws two dashed lines at the spine edges, where the back meets the spine and where the spine meets the front. A second dashed line sits 0.25 inch out from each of those edges, on the back and on the front. The pale strip between them is the hinge fold. Inside the spine, a box marks the spine safe area. Keep spine text 1/16 inch inside each spine edge, and 1/8 inch inside the top and bottom trim.

Then send a transparent TIFF or PDF with the foiled elements in black. One file per foil. If you are using more than one foil, send a separate file for each.

Keep foil and varnish out of the 1/8 inch bleed. If the trim cuts through the foil, it can crack or chip. Hinge fold: the cover bends here, 0.25 inch from the spine. Keep foil out of this strip, because foil can crack when the cover folds. Keep important text out too.

We don't offer foil on book edges at this time, but we're always expanding!

About foil variance: Our foil is applied with a camera-aligned, liquid UV process, so pieces are not always identical. Small variances are not misprints. Fine details, thin lines, very small text, and large flooded areas vary the most. If your foil file concerns us, we will let you know before we print.

Duplex inside cover

Send duplex art the same size as the cover, with bleed, and with no spine or a white spine.

Resolution and color

All images must be 300 dpi minimum, or they may look blurry when printed. Send files in CMYK.

Edge files

Edge files can be PDF, JPG, PNG, or TIFF, at 300 dpi minimum.

Solo

One design per edge. Each image is the spine width plus 0.1 inch, by the edge length plus 0.1 inch.

  • Front (fore-edge): book height plus 0.1 inch, by spine width plus 0.1 inch.
  • Top and bottom: book width plus 0.1 inch, by spine width plus 0.1 inch.

Example: a 6x9 book with a 1 inch spine needs a front file of 9.1 by 1.1 inches, and top and bottom files of 6.1 by 1.1 inches.

Pattern

A repeating pattern is the book height plus 0.1 inch, by 11 inches wide. A 6x9 pattern file is 9.1 by 11 inches. Top and bottom pattern files are 6.1 by 11 inches.

We clamp several books together to print patterns and crop to fit, so the extra width is needed.

What to ask your cover designer for

  • A cover PDF with 1/8 inch of bleed on every side, with every foiled element left off the print file.
  • A separate transparent TIFF or PDF for each foil, with the foil art in black, kept out of the bleed and out of the hinge strip.
  • Spine text inside the spine safe area, 1/16 inch inside each spine edge.
  • Duplex art the same size as the cover, with bleed, and with no spine or a white spine.
  • Files at 300 dpi minimum, in CMYK.
  • Edge art, if the book has printed edges, built at the solo or pattern size for that trim and spine.

Physical proof

Proofs are physical proofs only, with no digital proof approval.

How to send files

Share a Google Drive or Dropbox link. Books: handvbooks@gmail.com.

Books: handvbooks@gmail.com

Comics and everything else: heroandvillaindesigns@gmail.com