For many of your readers, this will be their first introduction to your work. So how can you make sure that your cover is making the best impression possible? Trust our guide to custom book covers for printing services to help you create a gorgeous cover and have it professionally printed so that you can make the best possible impression when launching and marketing your book!
Why invest in a custom book cover?
A custom book cover is more than just aesthetics; it's the very heart and soul of your book. In just a glance, it shares your genre, brings out emotion, and creates intrigue. When considering how to design your custom book cover, keep the following points in mind:
Use the kinds of colors, typography, and imagery that match your book's genre. For example, romance covers often feature soft tones and elegant fonts, whereas thrillers use darker hues and bold, sharp fonts. Also consider what will resonate with your target reader. A YA (young adult) audience will expect different design elements than historical fiction readers.
Beyond creating a powerful and compelling impression for your readers, your cover also needs to match a few common design standards. This isn't to say that you don't have full creative control — you do. However, following a few basic design conventions will make your book stand out more and won't force readers to guess what it's about when they come across it. You still want your cover to provoke curiosity, which is why, barring certain design elements, you still have full discretion over the direction of your design.
What design elements should you keep in mind?
A powerful, compelling book cover combines several design elements to create an engaging first impression. These include:
Typography
You'll want to focus on fonts that are readable and appropriate for your genre. Overly decorative fonts can distract your reader or confuse them as to what the title of your book is. Historical books or mysteries often use serif fonts (fonts with “bars” on them, like Times New Roman) whereas more modern books may choose sans-serif fonts (those without the bars, like Arial or Helvetica). This isn't a hard and fast rule by any means, but it does follow convention in that serif fonts are usually viewed as older and more traditional, whereas sans-serif fonts are viewed as more contemporary.
Imagery
Use high-quality, high-resolution images or illustrations that match your story's theme. You can purchase commercial images for photos online or choose to work with an illustrator to create original artwork that's unique to your book. If you choose to use downloaded images (that you've purchased the rights to use), make sure that they are 300 DPI or higher. Many images available for free are a lower DPI for use on screens. We've explained DPI in more detail below.
Color palette
Colors evoke emotion and set the tone of your book. Invest some time to learn a bit more about color psychology and genre trends when deciding on your palette. Keep in mind that if you're marketing to an international audience, you may need to keep cultural considerations in mind.
For example, in some countries, black is seen as a color of mourning, whereas in others, it's white. In the west, red is often used to symbolize danger or a warning, but in China, red is a color of good luck.
The colors you choose should accurately reflect your genre. No one expects a murder mystery to have soft, flowery, muted hues, and most readers would be taken aback by a romance novel in striking shades of red and black. There are certain conventions when it comes to color and genre, and if you're not sure what would work best for your book cover, try this:
Go to Amazon and do a search for your specific genre. Be as specific as possible, so not just “science fiction” but “time travel science fiction.” The more specific you can be, the better. Then sort the results by best-sellers. This should give you plenty of ideas regarding the color schemes and types of designs that are eye-catching and attract potential readers.
At the same time, you want to create something that's uniquely your own. Some authors choose to build a sort of “vision board” or they keep a swipe file of imagery that they like. If you hire a professional graphic designer, sharing color schemes, typography or book design ideas you've saved can help them perfectly capture the idea in your head and turn it into a custom book cover!
Balance and composition
Many authors struggle with balance and composition when it comes to designing a cover on their own. That's because making sure that there's a good balance between the images and text can be challenging if you don't have formal artistic training. You want your cover to be visually appealing, but not overwhelm the viewer.
For expert guidance and direction, many authors turn to custom book cover design services like BookBaby. Here, you can collaborate with professional designers who understand how to capture the attention of your ideal reader while still following design conventions for your book's genre.
Once you have the design created for your new book cover, the next step is to work with a reliable printer that understands the book cover printing process. Not all printers are created equal, and when it comes to printing a high-quality cover, you don't want to go with a run-of-the-mill printing company. Instead, choose a printing service that specifically works with books and book covers to open up a wealth of choices that give your book a premium look and feel.
Working with a printing service
When creating your custom book cover, you need to be sure that it not only looks great from a creative standpoint, but that it also aligns to the technical specifications of the printing service. If terms like CMYK and DPI and bleed and margins send your head spinning, not to worry! We'll break it all down for you in a way that's easy to understand.
Understanding trim size
Choosing the right trim size for your book is an important step, since it will affect the layout, the overall reading experience, and how your book is presented. Professional printers use a number of different industry standard sizes. Here are some of the most common ones:
Trade paperbacks:
5" x 8" (127 x 203 mm)
5.5" x 8.5" (140 x 216 mm)
6" x 9" (152 x 229 mm) - one of the most popular choices for fiction and nonfiction
Mass market paperbacks:
4.25" x 6.87" (108 x 174 mm) - smaller, more portable books often used for genres like romance or thrillers
Hardcover sizes:
6" x 9" (152 x 229 mm)
8.5" x 11" (216 x 279 mm) - commonly used for textbooks or coffee table books like art and photography books
Children's books:
8" x 8" (203 x 203 mm) - popular for square layouts
8.5" x 11" (216 x 279 mm) - ideal for illustrations and picture books
Your printer may also be able to create a custom book size for your printed book, but keep in mind that this may increase costs. It's also important to note that the different sizes will affect the dimensions of your cover, including the spine, which depends on page count and paper thickness.
Bleed and margins
Writing your book likely took a lot of sweat and maybe a few tears, but don't worry, there's no blood involved when it comes to getting your custom book cover printed! In this case, the bleed refers to the area of your book's design that goes beyond the final trim size. This little bit of extra “bleeds” over and makes sure that, when the book is trimmed, the design reaches the edges fully. You wouldn't want to have a strange white border all around the edges of your book!
Most custom book printing services recommend adding 0.125” (3 mm) of bleed on all sizes. For example, if your book's trim size is 6”x 9”, your cover file (including bleed), should measure 6.25” x 9.25”.
There's also the margin to consider. Margins are the inner boundaries of the cover where things like your title, author name, and logos go. Keeping these design elements inside the margins makes sure they won't accidentally be cut when the book is trimmed. The standard margin is 0.25” (6mm) inside the trim size. If you're designing your cover yourself, don't put your text or logo too close to the edge to prevent it from being cut off!
CMYK and RGB color modes
If you're going to be creating your own cover, especially if you plan on using it for both eBook and in print, it's important to understand CMYK and RGB color modes. RGB stands for Red, Green, Blue, and is used for digital screens including computers, tablets, and phones. This format produces bright, vivid colors when used on a screen. However, these colors often look different when printed, which is why for print mode, it's better to use CMYK.
CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. The reason Black is K instead of B is because the B got used already in RGB, and the K is to avoid confusion! CMYK blends these four colors to create a complete spectrum for print use. Your design must be converted from RGB to CMYK to make sure that your colors are reproduced accurately across different design mediums, including screen and print.
If you're designing your cover yourself, design it in CMYK mode first and then convert it to RGB. It's better to start with four colors and then scale down to three than try to scale up from three colors to four!
DPI
DPI stands for “dots per inch” and it refers to the resolution of an image. DPI specifically refers to how many ink “dots” a printer will put into a single inch. The higher the DPI, the sharper and clearer the print. The suggested DPI for images used in custom book covers is 300 DPI or higher. This ensures that images and text look sharp and professional. If the DPI is too low, it could result in a blurry or pixelated image or text.
You can use a software tool like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator to check the DPI of an image. Most images downloaded from the web are 72 DPI, which is normal for screens, but will be blurry if used in print. When resizing images, you can go from a higher DPI (for example, 600 DPI) to a lower DPI (like 300 DPI), but you cannot go from a lower to a higher DPI without a loss of quality. The resulting image will look distorted.
File formats for your graphics
When submitting your book cover to a printing service, you'll want to use the right file format to avoid delays or printing errors. PDF (Portable Document Format) is the most common file format, as a PDF preserves fonts, layers, and resolution. Make sure that if you're designing your own cover, that your PDF is exported with crop marks and includes the bleed area.
Some book printing services may also accept cover exports as PNG, TIFF, or JPG, but these do not always preserve the layers and fonts and are less common than PDF.
To help make this process easy, BookBaby offers free book cover design templates that act as guides for use in a graphic design program like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. We also have templates for interior formatting and our templates are available in a variety of the most common trim sizes. Our templates page also includes instructions on how to properly export your cover to PDF format.
Spine dimensions
The width of your book cover's spine depends on the page count and the thickness of the paper you choose. The formula to calculate how large your spine needs to be is:
Spine width = number of pages x paper thickness.
For example, if you have a 200-page book with paper that's 0.0025” thick, the spine would be 0.5”. Most book printing services offer tools to help you calculate the width of your book's spine so that the title and author name align perfectly once the book is bound.
Should you do it yourself or choose a professional design service?
Some authors prefer to handle the design of their book cover themselves, as it gives them complete creative control and freedom. Keep in mind, however, that there is a learning curve associated with whatever graphic design tool you use. The most common tools include software like Adobe InDesign or online tools like Canva.
The good news is that you don't have to be a graphic designer or invest in pricey software to get a professional book cover. Instead, by working with a printing company like BookBaby, you can have a gorgeous book cover that perfectly brings your vision to life. Our book cover designers are familiar with a wide range of genres and know how to make your book stand out online and on store shelves.
We also have the experience and expertise to make sure that your book aligns with current print guidelines, so that your images are crisp, clean, and high resolution. Even if you're not sure how you want your cover to look, our talented graphic designers are ready to bring your ideas to life.
Proofing and feedback
Before your cover is finalized, be sure to request a proof. Review the proof carefully and check for the following:
- Text accuracy: Double-check for typos or inconsistencies in the title, subtitle, and author name.
- Image quality: Make sure that images are sharp and colors are rich and vivid in the printed proof.
- Overall aesthetics: Does the design align with your vision and the genre of your book? Is it designed to appeal to your target audience?
At BookBaby, we'll provide you with a printed proof to make sure that everything meets your expectations before we begin printing. This way you can be assured of the highest possible quality before production starts.
Printing and distribution
When your cover is finalized, the next step is to choose a printing option that meets your needs. Whether you're doing a limited run of your book for a local event or you're sharing your work with a global audience, you want to be sure that your book is a testament to your knowledge and creativity as an author.
BookBaby offers Print On Demand services that give you the flexibility you need to select your print run size without needing to manage excessive inventory. We can help you choose the best possible finish for your book cover, including matte and glossy options. We also offer additional print features to give your cover the look of luxury and a premium tactile finish.
If you choose BookBaby as your Print On Demand company, you'll be glad to know that we also offer detailed marketing services and global distribution through a large network of services including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and more.
Getting started with a custom book cover printing company
Interested in learning more about having your custom book cover designed and printed by a professional, reliable company that understands the publishing industry? Look no further than BookBaby. We make it easy to take your next steps and realize your self-publishing goals.
Our Print On Demand service has been trusted by thousands of authors who are looking for the highest possible quality together with a quick turnaround time and premium results. We work with you to help you better understand the design process, and our experienced professionals can capture your idea in a way that perfectly resonates with your target reader. We also understand the unique technical requirements, as we run our own in-house print shop that's committed to superior printing results.
Why choose just a printer or just a graphic designer when you can enjoy the best of both worlds with BookBaby? We offer a number of affordable book design options for authors.
Whether you ultimately decide to design your own book cover or work with professionals, your book cover is an investment in your brand as an author, and it's important to make sure it's done right!
Contact our expert graphic designers and book publishers to get your custom book cover created in a way that perfectly exemplifies your unique story!