Cover Artwork Guidelines

A well-designed book cover can be crucial to the success of your book, so we would always recommend employing the services of a professional designer if possible. Printed Word Publishing offer a friendly, professional design service at a competitive price, so please contact us if you wish to discuss your requirements.

If you do decide that you would like to design the cover yourself, then there are a number of things you should consider. Most importantly, the spine width of the book will be dependent on both the number of pages and the type of paper you have chosen for your book. For advice on the spine width, please call or email Printed Word Publishing with the following information:

  • The size of your book
  • The number of pages in your book
  • The paper stock and weight you require
  • The format of book you require (e.g. Paperback, Hardback with Printed Paper Case, Hardback Casebound with Dust Jacket)

We will then supply you with a PDF document giving the flat plan and measurements, including the spine width (as per the examples below).

Should you need any other information, or wish to discuss any aspect of cover artwork preparation, please contact us at info@printedwordpublishing.com or on 0800 246 5527.

Paperback Cover Example

Royal format paperback

This cover needs to have 3mm bleed added on all sides. This means any artwork (i.e. images and background colours) that runs to the edges must continue for 3mm beyond the trim line. This removes the risk of narrow white lines creeping in around the edges if the position of the sheet drifts slightly during the trimming process.

This example shows the cover specification for a paperback book that is 156mm x 234mm (Royal Size) and has a spine of 19mm.

Paperback cover artwork specification for a Royal Format book (156x234mm)

Hardback Cover Example - Printed Paper Case (PPC)

Royal Format Hardback (PPC)

PPC hardback covers need to have 20mm bleed added to all sides. This is because the cover artwork sheet wraps around the edges of the cover boards and onto the inside covers; the end papers are then glued over the top, creating an overlap.* Any background images or colours therefore need to bleed for 20mm beyond the fold edge (i.e. beyond the finished size).

Note: the cover size is slightly larger, since it has an overhang beyond the size of the finished text pages.

*For a detailed explanation of hardback binding, please see our Binding Styles and Finishing Options page.

Hardback PPC Cover specification

Hardback Cover Example - Dust Jacket for Casebound Books

Royal Format Hardback - Casebound with Dust Jacket

This cover needs to have 3mm bleed added to all sides. This means any artwork (i.e. images and background colours) that runs to the edges must continue for 3mm beyond the trim line. This removes the risk of narrow white lines creeping in around the edges if the position of the sheet drifts slightly during the trimming process.

Dust jackets require flaps at either end; we recommend a width of 80mm.

The Dust Jacket is larger than the finished text page size, since it wraps around the casebound cover, which has a slight overhang.

This example shows the dust jacket specification for a hardback book that is 156mm x 234mm (Royal Size) and has a spine of 19mm.

Hardback dust jacket cover specification