Whether you are creating a Print Book, Ebook, Hardcover with Dust Jacket, Comic Book, or Magazine, this article goes over the exact file specifications and layout requirements for formatting and uploading your cover.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Download Template

When you select this option, we’ll provide a custom template with your front and back cover, and the spine, sized to match your paper selection, binding, size, and page count.


The required dimensions for your book cover are listed in the Requirements section in the Upload Your Cover option of the Design step.


Screenshot of Design Your Cover page highlighting Requirements and Download Template button

Upload Your PDF File - Print Book Cover

You can upload your PDF cover file during the Design step in the Project Creator. Then, select Upload Your Cover under the Book Cover Design section, and choose the file you want to upload.


The cover must be a single-page, integrated-spread PDF (including the back cover, spine, and front cover) that contains all cover content. The cover PDF should be a very wide file. It is typically around double the width of your book size.


Please Note: Your back cover should come first in your file to make sure it prints correctly.


Screenshot of cover template with trim/bleed area in teal, safety margin in blue, barcode area in yellow, and spine in magenta


Specifications: 

• Embedded images are 300 PPI resolution minimum, not exceeding 600 PPI resolution 

• Vector images are rasterized 

• All fonts are properly embedded 

• Transparent layers and vector objects are flattened 

• Pages sized to match intended book size—see page 13 of our Book Creation Guide for spine width calculation 

• Include bleed dimensions (0.125 in) with your PDF page size 

• Allow a 0.5 in Safety Margin for all content 

• Do NOT include trim, bleed, or margin lines

• Do NOT use any security/password file protection

Book Preview

Once you've uploaded an acceptable interior and cover file, you'll be able to see the book preview. This will show you the margin, bleed, folds, and trim so you can review and make sure everything looks the way it should.

 

Book preview screen showing front and back cover layout with margin, bleed, fold, and trim guides turned on. The front cover has a sample title, subtitle, and photo of a tabby cat. The back cover contains placeholder text for a description. Navigation arrows and a “Cover” button appear below the preview.

Upload Your File - Ebook Cover

The ebook cover consists only of the front cover art, which should include the book title and the author's name. Unlike print books, there is no back cover or dust jacket flaps on an ebook cover that can be used to provide author information or a synopsis of your work. 


Screenshot of Upload a Cover box


Images for ebooks should be created and added to your document in RGB. Most images created on computers are created in RGB. If you open your image in Microsoft Paint on a PC and Preview on a Mac, you should be able to see the color space in which the image was created.


The ebook cover must be created to the following specifications:

  • File Type: JPG, PNG
  • Minimum Dimensions: 625 x 1000 px
  • Maximum Dimensions: 10000 x 10000 px
    • Note: The recommended size dimensions are 2560 x 1600 pixels.
  • File Size Limit: 5 MB
  • Resolution: 72 PPI or higher to provide a clear image when viewed in multiple sizes.

How Do I Convert My Cover File to PDF?

Check out our Cover File Setup videos for Photoshop, InDesign, and Affinity Publisher. 


If you need to convert your JPG or PNG book cover to PDF, try using a free file converter tool such as AvePDF.

Special Instructions for Comic Book and Magazine Covers

If you’re creating a Comic Book or Magazine, you have the option to print on the inside front and back cover! To use this option, you must upload a PDF with 2 pages (please ignore the inaccurate Requirements in the image above).


We recommend downloading the template provided for a Comic Book or Magazine to see the layout requirements for this unique cover design.

Hardcover (Dust Jacket) Cover Formatting

If you are uploading your own cover for a Dust Jacket Hardcover project, our template shows you how to design the flaps as well as the front and back covers.


You’ll also select your linen from the available color options (Navy, Black, Green, Gray, Red, Tan) and add foil spine text (Gold, Black, White).


Screenshot of Design Your Linen Wrap box showing linen color options and foil stamp options


Note: The total character count on your spine cannot exceed 42.


Additionally, there are limited characters our foil spine stamp can support.


Supported Characters:

  • Roman character sets (A-Z, 0-9)
  • ;',./!`^&*()~+:?"ˇ˘°´¨¯-
  • ÀÁÃĀÄĂĆČÇĎÈÉËĒĔĚĞÌÍĨÏĪĬĽĹÑŃŇÒÓÕÖŌŎŔŘŚŠŤÙÚŨŪÜŬÝŸŹŽ


Unsupported Characters:

  • Lower case characters
  • _ (underscore)
  • Punctuation marks or accents used as decorative elements in lieu of a title
  • Non-roman character sets (Cyrillic, Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc.)