Getting Your Manuscript Print-Ready

The gap between a finished draft and a print-ready manuscript is wider than most first-time authors expect. Professional book printing requires files that meet precise technical specifications. Submitting a properly prepared manuscript avoids production delays, reduces revision costs, and ensures your printed book looks exactly the way you intended.

Manuscript Formatting Checklist

Before submitting your manuscript to a printer, work through these essential steps:

Choose your trim size — Common sizes include 5.5 x 8.5 inches (standard nonfiction), 6 x 9 inches (trade paperback), and 5 x 8 inches (mass market). Your trim size determines margins, font size, and page count.
Set proper margins — Interior margins (gutter) must be wider than exterior margins to account for binding. A typical gutter margin is 0.75-1 inch, while outer margins are 0.5-0.75 inches.
Embed all fonts — Any font used in your manuscript must be embedded in the PDF. Missing fonts will be substituted, often with disastrous results.
Use consistent styles — Apply paragraph styles for body text, headings, block quotes, and captions. Manual formatting leads to inconsistencies across hundreds of pages.
Set images to 300 DPI — Any photographs or illustrations must be at least 300 dots per inch at their printed size. Low-resolution images will appear blurry in print.
Export as PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 — These are the industry-standard formats for print production.

Front and Back Matter

Do not forget the pages that frame your content. Front matter typically includes a half-title page, title page, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, and acknowledgments. Back matter may include an index, bibliography, author bio, and colophon. We provide templates for all standard front and back matter elements to help you structure your book professionally. Reach out to our production team to get started.