File set up and sizes

• The number of pages for our fully customisable paperback notebooks is 122 pages, including the front and back covers.
• Please supply four separate PDFs: front cover, back cover, spine, and inner pages. The inner pages should be a multi-page PDF with each page laid out individually (not as spreads). Templates can be downloaded here.
• Do not add bleed or cut marks, as our system will automatically generate these.

• Your content should be the same size as the notebook size. For example, if creating an A4 notebook, your content should measure 210 x 297 mm.

Paperback notebook sizes
 

Notebook set up

Resolution: 300dpi

Colour profile: RGB

Safety margins

The diagrams below show the recommended safety margins for A5 and A4 notebooks. To ensure proper printing, keep essential elements within these margins to avoid cut-offs. You may add extra margin space if it suits your design better.

A5 paperback notebooks

Templates can be downloaded here.

Covers:

For both your front and back cover (two separate PDF files), your artwork should fill the artboard, but please keep all critical elements, such as text, logos, and key visuals, within the safe areas shown below.

Front Cover (Fig. 1):

• 10 mm margin at the top, bottom, and right side.
• 15 mm margin on the left side (spine edge).

Back Cover (Fig. 2):

• 10 mm margin at the top, bottom, and left side.
• 15 mm margin on the right side (spine edge).

Content pages:

Starting on page 1 of the 120-page PDF with your inner pages, which will appear as the first right-hand page in the notebook, please adhere to the same formatting guidelines as specified for the front cover.

You can design the other pages of your PDF (until the second-to-last page) according to the requirements below:

• For odd-numbered pages (Fig. 3), maintain a 10 mm margin on the top, bottom, and right side (outside edge). The left side (spine edge) requires a margin space of 15 mm.

• For even-numbered pages (Fig. 4), maintain a 10 mm margin on the top, bottom, and left side (outside edge). The right side (spine edge) requires a margin space of 15 mm.

A4 paperback notebooks

Templates can be downloaded here.

Covers:

For both your front and back cover (two separate PDF files), your artwork should fill the artboard, but please keep all critical elements, such as text, logos, and key visuals, within the safe areas shown below.

Front Cover (Fig. 5):

• 10 mm margin at the top, bottom, and right side.
• 17 mm margin on the left side (spine edge).

Back Cover (Fig. 6):

• 10 mm margin at the top, bottom, and left side.
• 17 mm margin on the right side (spine edge).

Content pages:

Starting on page 1 of the 120-page PDF with your inner pages, which will appear as the first right-hand page in the notebook, please adhere to the same formatting guidelines as specified for the front cover.

You can design the other pages of your PDF (until the second-to-last page) by following the requirements below:

• For odd-numbered pages (Fig. 7), maintain a 10 mm margin on the top, bottom, and right side (outside edge). The left side (spine edge) requires a margin space of 17 mm.

• For even-numbered pages (Fig. 8), maintain a 10 mm margin on the top, bottom, and left side (outside edge). The right side (spine edge) requires a margin space of 17 mm.

Layout

The following diagrams illustrate how your content will appear on your notebook once printed. The numbered text below corresponds to the numbers displayed on the images. Please note that this diagram is for illustrative purposes only.

1. Front cover: The single PDF front cover will be printed on the front of the notebook.

2. Inside of front cover: This page will appear blank (white) and cannot be printed.

3. First content page: The first page of your 120-page PDF with your inner pages will be the first content page and will appear on the right-hand side.

4. Second content page: The second page of your 120-page PDF with your inner pages will be printed on page 2.

5. Third content page: The third page of your 120-page PDF with your inner pages will be printed on page 3.

6. Last content page: The last page of your 120-page PDF with your inner pages will appear here.

7. Inside of back cover: This page will appear blank (white) and cannot be printed.

8. Back cover: The single PDF back cover will be printed on the back of the notebook.

Templates can be downloaded here.

Spine

Spine requirements:The spine must be supplied as a separate PDF file.

• The spine width is fixed at 6mm.
• The height will match the height of your book (e.g. A4, A5, portrait, or landscape).
• You can download the templates, including spine, here.

Make sure no important text or design elements are placed too close to the edges, to allow for slight variations in printing and binding.

Saving your PDFs

We recommend exporting your files with a PDF / X-4 Profile (coated FOGRA 39). Please ensure that all fonts are embedded and any transparencies are flattened.