Journal
Notes from inside the press: how a book gets written, edited, designed and published.
16 items
Production
An ebook that follows the reader's settings
Every piece of artwork in the Dreamscape Code ebook is drawn in the text colour, so night mode doesn't leave white boxes on the page.
Production
One interior, two bindings: the print editions of Dreamscape Code
The paperback and the hardback share one 298-page interior. The difference is in the spine, and the spine depends on the paper.
Production
Why spine width depends on page count and paper
The spine is the one part of a cover whose size you cannot choose. It follows from the page count and the paper, and it has to be right.
Production
Print on demand and offset printing
Printing one copy at a time and printing thousands at once are different processes with different trade-offs. Knowing them makes the choice easier.
Production
What EPUB 3 is, in plain terms
EPUB 3 is the standard format behind most ebooks. Under the name, it is familiar technology: web pages in a zip file, with rules.
Production
Bleed, trim and the safe zone
Three lines on every print file decide what gets cut, what might get cut and what must never be. Here is what each one is for.
Production
Cream paper or white
The colour of a book's paper affects how it reads, how its images print and even how thick it is. It is worth choosing on purpose.
Production
Print-ready PDFs
A print-ready PDF is more than a file that opens. It is one a printer can run without guessing, and here is what that involves.
Production
The barcode on the back of a book
The barcode on a book is neither decoration nor optional. It encodes the ISBN, and it has to scan first time.
Production
Validating an ebook before it ships
An ebook can look fine in one app, fail in another and be rejected on upload. Validation catches most of that before readers do.
Production
Matte and gloss cover finishes
The coating on a cover changes how its colours look, how it feels and how it wears. It deserves as much thought as the colours themselves.
Production
Hardbacks: case laminate and dust jackets
A hardback's design is either printed on the case itself or wrapped around it as a jacket. Each approach changes how the book is designed and made.
Production
Trim sizes and what they tell a reader
Before a reader looks at the cover, the shape of a book has already told them something. Trim size is a design decision, not only a technical one.
Production
Image resolution for print
Whether an image will print sharply depends on its pixels and its printed size, not on a number in its file settings. Here is how to check.
Production
Always order a proof copy
A screen shows you the file. A proof shows you the book. The difference is where most expensive mistakes hide.
Production
CMYK, RGB and why the cover changes colour
A cover that glows on screen can arrive from the printer looking dull. The reason is physics, and it can be planned for.