Trim Size
Every book has specifications (spec). These are the blueprints for a book and how printers and publishers communicate to each other what they are making. There are a few key elements to a book specification, the first being trim size. The trim size of the book is based on the size of the trimmed page, not the size of the cover. This is important, because hardbound books, and sometimes softbound ones too, will have a lip on one or all sides making the cover slightly bigger than the page. Measure based on the page, not the cover. Common measurements in the industry are 5”x8”, 5.5”x8.5”, 6”x9”, 8”x10”, and 8.5”x11”. All of these are portrait. Portrait indicates the book is taller than it is wide. A landscape format book is wider than it is tall. The orientation of a book’s content should be the driving force behind trim size. Most text-only books are portrait for this reason, while books with lots of images that are landscape are often formatted landscape. Square books are a middle ground for books that mix lots of text and images. Most books, even image-heavy ones, are portrait. Assess your content to determine what the right format and size is for your book, and let the content be the determining factor of trim size and orientation.
Extent
The extent of the book refers to the number of pages. A page is counted as front and back, so a sheet is two pages. A spread is four pages. A page count within a book is typically divisible by four. This is because books used to be, and nicely bound books still are, stitched down the gutter and sewn together. Without a gutter to stitch down, pages cannot be stitched. With changes in technology and the rise of print-on-demand, PUR binding (polyurethane-based adhesive; or simply, glue-bound) has become more popular due to its affordability. It is, however, a weaker binding type and will wear out and rip more easily. It is a decent option for cheaper fiction books that are intended to be read, maybe by a pool with a drink or on a beach, in the wild and seen as non-precious and disposable. With glue binding, all sides of the page are trimmed and glue applied to the spine side to help them stick together. Books can be bound in two-page sections for this reason and page counts just have to be even numbers. How is your book going to be used? Is it meant to be read in a café where coffee stains are going to get on it, or packed to take on a trip and flight? Glue-bound may be the right, and more economical, choice. Sewn binding is strong and will last. Are you looking to create a more precious and cared-for object? Stitching may be the right option for you. Consider a book’s use. The extent of the book is the number of pages, but also indicates the other elements of a book: i.e., pages + ends (in some cases) + case/cover + jacket, etc. It indicates all the printable elements that make up the book.
Printing
You must tell the printer what you plan to use to print so that they can plan and quote accordingly. Printing is done using CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, key/black). These four colors are used to create all other colors in combination when overlayed and printed together at different levels. Most fiction books are K only as black text on white/cream paper is most common. If a book requires color, you need to specify which (1-color, 2-color, 3-color, 4-color). Along with the standard CMYK colors, “spot” colors can be specified to use. A spot color is typically based on the Pantone swatch book standards and codes. If the book calls for a spot color, you would indicate 5-color (CMYK + 1 Pantone) x 5c (the x means that both sides of the sheet are printing in this manner rather than just one side of the sheet). Along with specifying the inks/colors to be used in printing, sometimes books will use varnishes (gloss, matte) to apply spot or flood finishes to printing. This is typically noted after the printing spec as “spot gloss/matte varnish throughout.” Varnishes are most typically used in high-end photo books to give a special finish to images or the printed sheet. An example of a book printing full color throughout, with a Pantone, and spot gloss varnish would be written like this: 5c x 5c (CMYK + 1 Pantone) + spot gloss varnish throughout. You must also specify the print specifications for the book cover, jacket (if applicable), and the end pages (if the book is hardbound, flexibound, or OTA bound).
Lastly, you must indicate what you are printing on, the paper type and brand. Uncoated papers (woodfree*) are often used for end pages and books with text only or heavy text sections. The uncoated page does not have any glare and is easy to read, but it is uncoated and absorbs more ink and is not suitable for fine photography books. Matte art paper is commonly used for art books that require a coated surface treatment to the paper so the ink sits on—rather than is absorbed by—the paper. Glossy papers are often used for jackets, but rarely internally as glossy paper has a heavy glare and makes reading difficult.
*Woodfree paper is paper that has had the lignin removed in the process of producing the paper in the mill. This process helps paper yellow less over time. Not all uncoated papers are created equally in this manner and woodfree would be a higher-end uncoated sheet to help avoid paper color change over time.
Cover Treatments
Don’t judge a book by its cover may be true for people, but people are not a commodity, books are. If your goal is to sell books, you absolutely will and should judge a book by its cover, because it is the first thing anyone will see when looking at a book, and often people will decide whether to look at a book more closely based on how the cover looks. There is a whole science to the colors and choices used to design book covers, and the preference for covers is constantly changing. A good resource for learning about in-style book covers is AIGA (the professional association for design; https://www.aiga.org). Each year they put out a list of top fifty cover designs and the list year after year is a record of unique designs and changing styles. The basic standard for a cover is color printing. A matte finish looks clean and helps avoid glare on the cover. A gloss finish to a cover looks cheap and should be avoided as a flood finish. Besides printing though, there are many other options for cover treatments to enhance a design. Below is a list of some. It is not exhaustive:
—embossing/debossing: Embossing is when the cover is pressed in areas to create a raised finish. Debossing is when the cover is pressed inward to create a depressed finish. This is often used on lettering in books to help titles stand out and “pop.”
—spot gloss UV: Gloss UV is a strong glossy finish applied/printed in spot areas. It is UV treated to dry quickly and create a high-gloss and slightly raised finish. It is used to help things stand out on a cover and works best when contrasted with a matte finished cover to provide good contrast between the finishes.
—foil stamping: Hot foil stamping is pressed into the cover using a die. The combination of the pressing and the heat often creates a slight depression/deboss to the finish, especially when used on a hardbound book. Foils are good for lettering or other design elements to help them pop or stand out.
—screen printing: Screen printing on books is similar to the process on cloth. A spot color can be printed using a screen directly onto the cover material. This is particularly good for clothbound books as screen printing allows for designs to be applied to cloth in a precise and clean manner. Unlike foil stamping on clothbound books though, screen printing does not create a depression in the cover from the pressing process. The ink sits on top of the cloth/material and is slightly raised.
—unique cover materials: textured papers, special cloths, tip-ons (printed elements glued to the case), and more can be applied to help give a cover a unique look and create a tactile experience for the reader.
Bonus Note: In modern times, shopping has shifted from in-person (brick-and-mortar) shopping to online shopping. Well over half of books are now purchased online without a customer having the experience of feeling/touching the book they purchase. Most people search and shop on their phones. Phones have small screens. Take into account when designing a cover how it will look when viewed digitally online. Small type is difficult to read at a small size. Covers with typography only and no images can look boring. Consider the experience of shopping when designing covers.
Binding
There are various binding types for a book. The most common are hardbound and softbound. One note as we proceed: softbound covers in the industry are referred to as “covers,” while hardbound covers are referred to as “cases.” For all intents and purposes, case and cover are interchangeable and mean the cover of a book, just different binding types.
Softbound covers are good for fiction and books that are meant to be used. They are the sneakers of the book world; useful for everyday activity and easy to use without being precious. Hardbound books are more expensive to produce and typically carry an aesthetic quality for those looking not just to enjoy the content but to enjoy the way a book looks as well. There are various kinds of binding. This list below is not exhaustive and new binding types are constantly evolving.
Softbound: Cover is glued to spine of book-block. Sometimes the cover is scored about 1cm on the front and back to glue down to the first and last page of the book to create a stronger binding and avoid the cover ripping away from the book-block at the spine. If this is the case, a book would indicate in the specifications not just that it is softbound, but that the cover is drawn on and scored at the spine.
Hardbound (printed): Often referred to as PLC (printed and laminated cover), this is a hardbound book with paper printed and wrapped over book boards to create a case. End pages are glued to the back of the case and the ends are then glued to the book-block to hide binding tape that holds the book block to the case.
Hardbound (cloth): Same concept as a PLC case, but instead of a printed case, the case is wrapped in cloth. Often foil stamping or screen printing is then applied to add lettering to the cloth on the case. This is the tuxedo of book covers: timeless and classy.
Hardbound with Jacket: This could be a PLC or cloth-bound cover with a jacket over it. A jacket was originally intended to protect a cover (hence, the full term for jacket is “dust jacket”) and provide space to print an image or other marketing materials. Like a jacket that is worn, they are designed for a purpose and to eventually be removed.
Flexibound: A flexibound cover is when a book is bound like a hardbound book, but instead of wrapping the printed cover over book boards, which are rigid, the wrapping is applied over art card, which is flexible and bends. This kind of book is a cross between a hardbound and softbound book.
OTA (lay-flat) Binding: A softbound book bound like a hardbound book. The cover is paper, but the book also has end pages that are glued to the inside of the cover and first and last page of the book. This allows for the book to open flatter than if the book-block is glued directly to the cover, which inhibits a book from laying flat.
Quarter-bound: This binding type is typically hardbound in which the front and back cover are printed and bound as a hardbound book, but separate from the spine. The spine of the book is printed on a different material and glued under the front and back cover elements.
Round-back or square-backed spine: A round-back spine is for a hardbound book in which no backing is put over the spine so that it bends and rounds out. Square backing is when a book board is glued into the spine to make the spine rigid and squared.
Board-book: This type of binding is most common with infant/children’s books. This is when pages are printed and glued down to boards so that all the pages of the book are rigid. Books bound in this manner cannot have many pages due to the thickness of the pages when glued over boards, but make pages difficult to tear, and best suited to children’s books, which take a lot of damage and often are short (under 32 pages).
Exposed spine: This is when a softbound or hardbound book is bound without a spine. The front and back are printed separately and glued to the front and back of the book block, leaving the spine sewing exposed. This is a bit more of an industrial look (less finished and crisp) but does allow for the book to lay flatter due to there being nothing glued to the spine.
Japanese bind: A Japanese bind is when stitching is applied to the cover about 1cm in on the front and back to hold the cover to the interiors.
Swiss bind: A Swiss bind is when the spine and front cover are not glued down to the book-block. The book-block is glued to the cover on the back only allowing the cover to fold open like a portfolio. The lack of glue on the spine also allows this kind of binding to open flatter.
Quantities, Shipping, Production Terms
The last element of a book specification is indicating the quantity you want to print, the manner of shipping, and any other production specifications. If you are printing on demand (POD), you can print books one at a time and shipping would just be standard shipping to whatever destination they are going to. For offset, web printing, or larger orders of POD copies you will have to indicate shipping. If you are printing overseas, shipping would typically be FOB (freight on board)—via boat—in which the printer is liable for the books until they are loaded onto the boat to ship; Ex Work, which means that the printer will print and bind the books to ship, and you will have to arrange your own shipper to pick up books from the factory; or DDP (duty delivery paid), which means shipping is covered throughout the full shipping process from door-to-door. Depending on your method of shipping, you may either need to manage the shipment yourself, have your printer manage it, or hire a freight forwarder to facilitate the shipping it. Choose wisely depending on your comfort level with responsibility as an importer. Lastly, a specification includes what production elements are included in the quote a printer will provide. This could include a digital proof to review and check color and pagination, a wet proof to check printing quality and color on an offset printer, a dummy (blank book mock-up), a production dummy (a dummy with the cover and ends printed to test all treatments and have a sample that from the outside looks like a completed book), an ebook/PDF to review final files before printing digitally, F&G orders (folded and gathered printed sheets) to approve printing before binding, advance copy orders, or other proofing/printing tests required.