A 6 x 9 paperback. 152 pages long.
Submission guidelines from Createspace:
How to Create a Cover PDF for your Book
Calculate the spine width of your bookThe spine width is based on the number of pages in your book:
For black and white-interior books:
White paper: multiply page count by 0.002252
Cream paper: multiply page count by 0.0025
Example of spine width calculation for a 60-page black and white book printed on white paper: 60 x 0.002252 = 0.135"
For color-interior books:
Multiply page count by 0.002347
Example of spine width calculation for a 60-page color book: 60 x 0.002347 = 0.141"
Set up your documentYour cover must be a single PDF that includes the back cover, spine, and front cover as one image.
You can submit your cover on any size page as long as the printable area is:
•Measured exactly to your book's trim size, spine width, and at least .125" bleed
•Centered horizontally and vertically
Minimum Cover Width: Bleed + Back Cover Trim Size + Spine Width + Front Cover Trim Size + Bleed
Example calculation at 6" x 9" cover with 60 B&W pages on white paper: 0.125" + 6" + 0.141" + 6" + .125" = 12.391"
Minimum Cover Height: Bleed + Book Height Trim Size + Bleed
Example calculation: 6" x 9": 0.125" + 9" + .125" = 9.25"
Get a head start with one of our cover templates:
Our templates make it easier for you to quickly create print-ready files in Adobe Photoshop®, Adobe InDesign®, or any software that will allow you to open a .png or PDF file and save a PDF file. These templates contain the proper dimensions, layout, and bleed for the trim size and page count you select.
Download Cover Templates
Design your cover
Safe Zone
Text and images must be at least .125" inside the trim lines to ensure that no live elements are cut during the bookmaking process.
Title and Author Name
Your book's title and the author's name must appear on the cover exactly as it was entered during the title setup process.
Images
Images may be CMYK or RGB color. All images should be sized at 100%, flattened to one layer and placed in your document at a minimum resolution of 300 DPI.
The spine of your book
Every book will vary slightly when bound. Allow for 0.0625" variance on either side of the fold lines for your cover. For example, if your spine width is 1", your text should be no wider than 0.875". Because of this variance, avoid hard edges or lines that end on the fold line.
For books with a page count of less than 130 pages, we strongly recommend a blank spine. Blank spines are required for books with a page count of fewer than 100 pages.
Barcode
When your files go through the review process, our system will place your ISBN barcode in a 2" by 1.2" white box in the lower right-hand corner of your book's back cover. Our standard trim size templates will show you exact barcode placement.
Images or text in the barcode location will be covered when the book is printed. Make sure no important elements appear where the barcode will be placed.
If you choose to provide and place your own barcode, be sure it is a high-resolution image.
Prepare for Printing1.The printable area of your document must be the right size, including bleed.
2.Make sure the printable area is centered within your document.
3.Make sure all live elements are inside the safe zone.
4.Export your file as a print-ready PDF. Be sure fonts are embedded.
5.The maximum accepted file size for your book cover is 40 MB.
An email from Publisher--CreateSpace
Hello Mario,
Thank you for contacting us in regard to your cover file.
We recommend that you format your cover with our templates, which can be found at, https://www.createspace.com/Help/Book/Artwork.do. Additionally, here are some tips for creating your cover to our specifications.
Page Size: Your cover should be a single (one-piece) PDF that includes the back cover, spine, and front cover. You can submit your cover on any size page as long as the printable area is measured exactly for your book's trim size, spine width, and allows at least .125” bleed, centered horizontally and vertically.
Minimum Cover Width: Bleed + Back Cover Trim Size + Spine Width + Front Cover Trim Size + Bleed
Minimum Cover Height: Bleed + Book Height Trim Size + Bleed
Trim Size: Your cover should be the same trim size as you choose in the Title Information when setting up your book. For example, submitting a cover that was previously used for a 6.25” x 9.25” book would not work for a 6” x 9” book.
Barcodes: For manufacturing and distribution reasons, your book's back cover must include a valid ISBN barcode. If your cover already has an ISBN barcode, make sure it is high-resolution, or at least 300 dpi, and 1.5" - 2" in width with proportional height. Ideally, this barcode should be 2” wide by 1.2” tall. Also, check to make sure you have the rights to use the ISBN on your cover, because not all services allow you to use their ISBNs elsewhere.
If your artwork does not include a barcode, we will automatically add one in the lower right-hand corner of your book's back cover, free of charge. Our system will place the ISBN barcode in a space 2" wide and 1.2" tall. The bottom of this barcode is located 1/4" up from the bottom trim line of the cover. The right side of the barcode is located 1/4" to the left of the spine. Please ensure that you don't have any important images or text in the barcode location. You can also refer to our Artwork Templates for the exact size and position of the ISBN barcode on your final cover.
If you don’t have an ISBN already on your cover, but you have live graphic or text elements in the location that our system will place the ISBN, you will need to move those elements or place the ISBN in a different location yourself.
Publishing Logos: We do not add our logo to your book.
Spine Width and Variance: If your artwork was created for a different service, please make sure that the spine width of your current cover matches our spine width. Different services may use different paper thickness, which is why the spine width of your cover artwork could be correct for another service but incorrect for our service.
Ideally, you should avoid hard vertical lines separating your front or back cover panels from your spine and should allow for at least a .125" variance of your spine on each side (for example, the text on a 1" spine should be no larger than .75" wide). For books with a page count of less than 130 pages, we strongly recommend a blank spine.
Your spine width should be calculated based on the number of pages in your book and using the appropriate formula:
Black and White Interior Book Spine Width:
White paper: Number of pages x 0.002252 = Spine width in inches
Cream paper: Number of pages x 0.0025 = Spine width in inches
Color Interior Book Spine Width:
Number of pages x 0.002347 = Spine width in inches
Example of spine width calculation for a 120-page black and white interior book with white paper:
120 x .002252 = .27" spine width
Text and Image Placement: All live cover elements, or text and images that cannot be cut, must be at least .25" inside the trim lines to ensure no important elements are cut during the bookmaking process and the appearance of your printed books is consistent.
Bleed: Your cover's background must extend at least .125" beyond the final trim line to accommodate for cutting/trimming tolerance.
Crop/Registration Marks: Please do not include any crop or registration marks on your files, as they may interfere with the binding process or appear on the cover. We use our own measurements, specific to our systems, for cutting and binding; crop or registration marks placed by you could interfere with this process.
Images and Fonts: Any images you include on your book's cover may be tagged with your choice of CMYK or RGB profiles or left untagged in a generic color space. All images should be sized at 100%, flattened to one layer and placed in your native document at a resolution of at least 300 DPI. You should also embed all fonts in your PDF file.
I hope that you find this information to be helpful and apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.
If you need more help with this issue, click here:
http://www.createspace.com/Support
Best regards,
Brittany
CreateSpace Member Services
