Helpful Tips for self-publishers before and during your book manufacturing process

There are three numbers you may want to include on your cover in a scannable, barcode format:

The ISBN is a universally recognized, 13-digit identification number, comprised of five parts. The first part is a “978” prefix. The second part identifies the national or geographic grouping of publishers. The third part identifies the publisher. The fourth part identifies the particular title or edition of a title. And the fifth party is called the “check digit,” which is a single digit number that validates the ISBN.

Administered in the U.S. by R.R. Bowker, ISBN’s are issued in blocks of 10. While publishers are not required to obtain ISBN’s, distributors and most book stores will not accept a book without one.

ISBN Application Process.

You may also request an “add on” or “extension” so that the price of your book will appear in scannable barcode format just beside the ISBN.

UPC: Books that sell in mass quantities benefit from a Universal Product Code. Some bookstores require or strongly urge that you place a UPC bar code on a book’s cover. For more information, see UPC.

Barcodes most often appear on the bottom right hand corner of the back cover. Once you apply for an ISBN or UPC and provide these numbers to us, we are able to digitally generate the scannable barcode and place it on your cover for a minimal fee. We also accept bar codes on film, positive prints, or digital files.

Proofs

Prior to printing your book, we will provide you with a set of proofs for your approval. The press operator refers to approved proofs while printing the final product.

Here’s what you should look for when reviewing proofs:

Once you review the proofs, return them along with your approval or instructions for changes. The faster you return proofs, the quicker we can get started producing your book. Usually, one or two changes will not affect your turnaround. Alterations at the proofing stage will cost you money. See our Proofreading Tip for the best way to avoid additional cost and time at the proofing stage.

Color Printing

We print book covers in four-color process and spot-color printing. Process printing uses the following primary colors—cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK)—to simulate full-color images. To print the image, we run the pdf thru our Adobe Rip which creates separated files that are now transferred onto printing plates.

Images purchased from stock photo houses, generated by digital cameras, or scanned on your desktop scanners may be in RGB format—a combination of three primary colors: red, green and blue. RGB is not compatible with our four-color printing process.

You should convert those images from RGB to CMYK format. To do this, view the image in a photo program like Adobe Photoshop and resave it as CMYK. When you convert an image from RGB to CMYK, you may notice a color shift on the image. This is an expected result, which cannot be avoided.

In addition to process-color, we also print using spot colors, as defined by the Pantone Matching System (PMS). Pantone-brand swatch books show several thousand standardized colors identified by number. To learn more about the Pantone system and products, visit their website at www.pantone.com.

Note: When defining spot colors, do not depend on the monitor to represent accurate color. You also cannot rely on the color reflected in laser/ink jet printouts. Choose Pantone colors based on what you see in the Pantone swatch book.

Copyrights

By law, you automatically own the copyright to any work you have created.
It is a good idea, however, to have a copyright notice on the back of your title page. The notice should include the letter “c” in a circle or the word “copyright,” the year of publication, and the owner of the copyright. For example: “© 2014 Whitehall Printing Company.” Also include the statement: “All rights reserved.”
Within 3 months of publishing your book, you may also register the copyright, thus establishing a public record of your claim.
To register, send a properly completed application form, the required filing fee, and 2 copies of your book to the following address:

Library of Congress
Copyright Office
101 Independence Avenue S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000

You must choose from one of four application forms, depending upon the kind of work you are publishing. The descriptions below should help you decide which form is best suited for your book.

Application forms are available from the Copyright Office Website: www.copyright.gov, or by calling the Forms and Publications Hotline at 202-707-9100.
You may access a wealth of additional information by:

Cover Design

Special attention should be placed on your book cover because a good design will help sell the book.

A great cover has the right mix of well-written copy and eye-catching graphics. Your design should allow for easy reading of the text, while using striking colors and images. Correct spelling and grammar is critical.

Here’s what you may wish to include on your cover:

Front Cover

Spine

Back Cover

Lamination

All of our books are laminated with GBC Lay Flat Lamination, which provides a very professional and attractive finish to every book. It adds an edge over other books that are not as well protected.

Cover Layouts I

When you lay out the cover of a book in a desktop application, make sure that the front and back covers, as well as the spine are designed as one contiguous page. An example is shown here.

White Space: This .25-inch white space allows us to place trim, registration and color identification marks, which will be used by our pressmen during printing.

Bleed: Any background color or photograph that extends to the edge of the page after trimming is called a bleed. To ensure ink coverage to the bleed edge, the image or background color must extend .25 inch beyond the trim. This area will be trimmed away after printing. Neither trim nor registration marks should be placed inside the bleed area.

Trim Size: Size of finished book.

Spine Width: To determine the book's spine size, divide the number of pages by the paper's thickness (measured in "pages per inch" or ppi). Our 50# paper is 500 ppi and our 60# paper is 416 ppi. Spine Width Chart

Layout Dimensions: To determine the dimensions of your cover layout page, use the following chart: or CLICK HERE to download

Digital Submissions

When you submit your project to us in the form of electronic files, we request that you accompany your text and cover files with the following elements:

Fonts: A font is a set of characters in a particular typeface. Please submit a font file for each font that you used in your project, including those found in graphics. Customers using Adobe Type 1 Fonts should send both screen and printer fonts for each typeface that they used. See Font Tips.

Remember to include a separate font file for every style (bold, italic, etc.) of font used. As an example, to bold a Times New Roman font, choose the “Times New Roman Bold” font, rather than the “bold” attribute from a toolbar. Stylized fonts may default to the plain font, disregarding the style attribute.

Linked Graphics: Include all linked graphics in your submission. Save scans/halftones at 300 dpi, and line art at 1200 dpi. See Scanning Tips. Cover graphics should be saved in either CMYK or spot color, as a TIFF or EPS file. See Color Printing Tips.

Dummy of your final version: Our prepress specialists will use this dummy to make sure all fonts and graphics appear as they should and that the text flows correctly.

Digital Submissions Form: This checklist, which you may download here, is designed to remind you of all the required elements. We also ask that you submit the completed form along with your materials, because it will help us efficiently assess your needs.

And remember… As you prepare your materials for submission, be sure to call your customer service representative should you have any questions whatsoever. We are here to help!

We currently offer the following electronic capabilities:

Applications and Other Formats

(earlier versions also acceptable)

For best results, follow these suggestions.

Extend bleeds ¼” beyond the trim. Include all linked graphics in either CMYK or spot color, and save them as TIFF or EPS files. Save scans/halftones at 300 dpi. Save line art at 1200 dpi.

Include all linked graphics, as well as any fonts used within those graphics. Margin must be no less than 1/4 inch. Save scans/halftones at 300 dpi. Save line art at 1200 dpi.

Fonts

A font is a set of characters in a particular typeface. Examples include Times New Roman, Arial, and Courier.

Fonts are sold by different manufacturers. Adobe® Type 1 Fonts are currently the most reliable for professional printing. They consist of Screen Fonts, used to represent type on screen; and Printer Fonts, used to represent type off a laser printer or imagesetter.

TrueType Fonts, adopted by Microsoft, contain both screen and printer data in one file, sometimes causing unexpected problems during imaging. When used for commercial printing, their results are less reliable.

For a relatively small investment (as low as $50), you can purchase Adobe® Type 1 Fonts for use on either a Macintosh or IBM compatible PC. To achieve a far superior looking book, with reliable results, we strongly recommend that you do just that. For additional information on Adobe Type 1 Fonts, visit their website at www.adobe.com/type.

Customers using Adobe® Type 1 Fonts must send us both screen and printer fonts for each typeface that they use, including those found in graphics. Missing fonts often cause imaging problems, such as the reflow of pages.

Remember to include a separate font for every style (bold, italic, etc.) of font used. (Example: to bold a Times New Roman font, choose the “Times New Roman Bold” font, rather than the “bold” attribute from a toolbar). Stylized fonts may default to the normal font, disregarding the style attribute.

Graphic Images

Graphic images can play an important role in communicating your message. But where can you find that perfect image?

There are several options. One is to hire an illustrator or photographer. Another is to use your own photos. A third option, which we will briefly introduce here, is to purchase or lease stock images.

Rights Protected Images are "rented" for a specific purpose at a specific price. Any other use is subject to an additional fee. If you wish to use a photo for your book cover, and you want to limit its use by other publishers, this option may be for you.

Royalty Free Images are purchased outright, either as single images or on CD volumes, and can be used any way you want and as many times as you want, with certain restrictions. Royalty-free products are sold on a nonexclusive basis, and therefore are less costly.

Which type of image should you use? That depends on your needs and how much you are prepared to pay.

Be sure to read the terms and conditions of your purchase so that you understand the uses which are allowed under the agreement, and to ensure that the company has a legitimate right to sell/lease that image to you. If there is a model in the photo, make sure that the company has acquired the necessary talent release.

If you plan to use a color image on your cover, see our Color Printing Tip. For text images see our Digital Submissions Guidelines.

Inserts

Our inserting service offers several ways of enhancing your book and/or improving its marketability.

Inserts include pre-printed pages, diskettes, CD’s, and other materials. They can be bound within the pages of your book block or adhered to your cover. Oftentimes, diskette and CD inserting also involves our shrink-wrapping service.

To ensure the lowest prices for our customers, the text pages of our books are printed with black ink only. Some of our customers wish to include color pages for photographs, color-coded charts, etc. By using our inserting service, we are able to print color pages on a glossy enamel paper and insert them in one or several places within the body of the book.

Some publishers ask us to insert perforated order forms or reply cards near the back of their books. These inserts are quite effective marketing tools, making repeat orders easy.

Another creative packaging idea is utilized by home schooling publishers, who shrink-wrap a full-year’s curriculum along with pencil boxes, video cassettes, and other educational materials.

Our Customer Service Reps work closely with customers to develop an inserting plan which meets each customer’s unique needs, while conforming to our press and bindery specifications. Give them a call.

ISBN: International Standard Book Number

The ISBN is a unique, machine-readable identification number, which marks a book unmistakably. This universally recognized, 13-digit number is divided into the following five parts, each separated by a hyphen:

An ISBN should be assigned to each title. Each format or binding (i.e. hardcover, paperback, CD, e-book, etc.) must have a separate ISBN. A new ISBN is required for a revised edition. Once assigned, an ISBN can never be reused.

U.S. publishers should apply for ISBNs with the following agency:

Their website features an online application, as well as a printable application which you may submit via U.S. mail.

A minimum of 10 ISBNs must be ordered at any one time. Applications are generally processed within 10 business days. For an additional fee, you may request priority processing, which takes 2 business days.

Allow room on the lower back cover to print the ISBN in barcode format, along with the retail price of your book.

We can create this barcode for you.

Margins

A margin is defined as a deliberately unprinted space on a page, surrounding a block of text or “print surface.” Headers, footers and page numbers are considered part of the print surface, rather than part of the margin. Margins play an important role in the readability and aesthetics of a book. An adequate margin is also needed to allow for proper trimming and binding of the book.

Perhaps the best way to decide what your margins should be, is to browse various books and mimic the ones that are most pleasing to you. There should be enough white space around the printed area so that the words don’t look crowded. You’ll also want to consider how the margins affect your page count.

We require a ¼ inch minimum margin. If you want the print surface to look centered on the page, we suggest that you make the bind margin 1/8 of an inch larger than the outside margin.

When it comes time to submit your work to us, please print crop marks on your final hard copy, if room is available on the page. (Obviously, if your book is 8.5 x 11 and you print your pages on 8.5 x 11 paper, you will not be able to print the crop marks). If you submit your work in a digital PostScript file, deselect the printing of crop marks before you create your PostScript file.

Proofreading

This is one of the most significant measures you can take to save money on the printing of your book.

Proofread your work very carefully before you submit it to us. Make sure that there are no spelling or grammatical mistakes and that everything is exactly as you want it. In the long run, the extra time you spend checking your work will result in savings of time, money, and anxiety.

Once you submit your work to us, we create proofs of your text and cover for your review. This is not the best time to edit or proofread the book, because changes at this point will require added time and materials.

Alterations at the proofing stage will cost you additional money. And, if you have a significant amount of alterations, your turnaround time may be affected.

Scanning

Despite the fact that desktop scanners are so common today, scanning for professional printing is still an art.

Often, our technicians can improve customer-furnished images by using one of Whitehall’s professional scanners in combination with a photo application such as Adobe® Photoshop®. With these tools, we can make adjustments that will maximize the look of your halftone on the printed page.

Our scanning fees are relatively inexpensive, and might be well worth the expense when a dramatic improvement is possible. Our customer service representatives and technical staff can assist you in deciding upon the best scanning methods for your particular needs and budget.

If you decide to perform your own scanning, here are a few guidelines for optimum results on our presses.

1. Save your scan as a TIFF or EPS.

2. Save your scan at 300 dpi.

3. If you enlarge the size of your scanned image after you have imported it into a layout program, you are in effect reducing the resolution (or dpi) of that image. (As an example, if you double the size of an image that you scanned at 300 dpi, the resolution of that image is now 150 dpi). The solution is to determine the image size of your layout first, and then scan the image at that size.

4. Color photos should be scanned and saved in CMYK. If the photo will appear in black and white on the inside pages, convert it to grayscale in a photo editing application such as Photoshop.

5. Black and white photos should be scanned as grayscale.

These guidelines are by no means exhaustive. As stated earlier, the world of halftone scanning is truly a science and an art. If you have more detailed questions about scanning techniques our technical staff will be happy to assist you.

Shipping

Freight Estimate:

Upon your request, we’ll estimate your expected shipping cost. This is only an estimate, which may fluctuate at the actual time of shipping, when we will know the exact weight of your shipment.

Our estimate represents a “standard delivery.” Standard service is defined as delivery to a commercial business location, curbside. It is also considered a standard delivery when a shipment is held at the trucking company’s terminal, where you may pick it up.

Charges for other services, such as inside deliveries, or residential deliveries with lift gate service, are additional. However, even with these added costs, shipping by common carrier is much less expensive than Federal Fulfillment or UPS Ground.

Inside Delivery: Delivery to your front door, inside your garage or inside your business.

Lift Gate: A lift gate lowers a shipment from the truck to ground/sidewalk level. If your shipment is more than 20 boxes and you wish to receive inside delivery, a lift gate is required.

Residential Delivery: The term “residential” generally applies to private residences, apartments, churches, schools, camps, and other locations not commonly recognized as commercial business locations.

Tracking: After a shipment leaves our plant, we will call or fax you with the name of the trucking company, your tracking number, the terminal phone number, and an estimated time of arrival. Keep this information handy for tracking purposes.

Short Print Runs

As many in the publishing industry have discovered, short print runs afford publishers better inventory control. There is less risk of having a dead inventory when you print a short run.

With our quick and reliable turnaround times, you can reprint your book when it begins to sell successfully. Moreover, short print runs let you update the book with each reprinting.

Printing a short run is also a great way to test the marketability of a book at a low cost. What makes us an outstanding choice over copy centers or “on demand” printing is that we are less expensive and produce a better quality book. Our long-lasting binding and dazzling covers will make a much better impression, and that’s important when you’re testing marketability.

Trim Size

We have developed five standard book sizes, with built-in savings. These sizes are generally the most common trim sizes in bookstores. Special trim sizes, which stray from standard ones, require an extra fee.

Unless yours is a specialty book which requires a unique size or shape, we recommend that you choose a standard trim size, which is commonly accepted and most economical.

Barcodes