Lulu offers several ways to create a cover for your project! 


The cover creation options can be accessed after uploading your interior PDF. This allows our site to make a custom template using your exact page count. Your spine will be sized precisely on this template to make creating a cover more effortless than ever! 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Download Template

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


This template bundle will include a custom template for every bookbinding we have available.


Upload Your PDF File - Print Book Cover

Your cover must be a single-page integrated spread PDF (back cover, spine, and front cover) that includes all cover content. 


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



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.

 

Upload Your File - Ebook Cover

The ebook cover consists only of the front cover art, which should include the book title and author's name. Unlike print books, there are 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. 



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:


Dimensions: Must be at least 612 x 792 pixels (8.5” x 11” or 21.59 cm x 27.94 cm)

Resolution: 72 ppi or higher to provide a clear image when viewed in multiple sizes.

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 create a Dust Jacket Hardcover project, you must upload a cover file. Our template shows how to design the flaps along with 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).



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 characters 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
  • nonroman character sets (Cyrillic, Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, etc.)