We love to answer questions at Presto Page. Here are some of the more common ones, divided by topic. If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, try glancing at our policy overview here, or feel free to contact us directly.
If you are a publishing company or industry associate interested in our more specialized services, please click here.
Frequently Asked Questions: File Preparation
Click on the Page Layout tab in Word, then on Size, and finally on More Sizes. On the Paper tab, enter the intended dimensions of your finished book. Now click on the Margins tab and enter your custom margin sizes. For most books, you’ll want 1” margins on all four sides.
Please visit our formatting section for a more detailed description of this process. See our Text Templates, Cover Templates, or Formatting page for more details.
RGB and CMYK are color modes with very different applications. RGB is used primarily in monitor and television displays, digital screens, and scanners. CMYK, on the other hand, is the standard preference in all print applications. Be sure to convert your RGB files to CMYK before submitting them to Presto Page. Better yet, you can design your project in CMYK to avoid any headaches in the future
For more info, click here.
An ISBN, or International Standard Book Number, is a unique identifier assigned to all books available for sale. If you plan to sell your book in bookstores or online, you will need an ISBN to maximize your book’s discoverability. Bowker is the only official source for ISBNs in the United States, and we recommend purchasing and registering your ISBN in their system.
You can learn more about ISBNs here.
Not necessarily. While our physical proofs are printed on the actual paper and press that will be used for your final run, no binding will be used. Because of this, a physical proof is ideal for reviewing folds, trim, bleeds, spine, and margins, as well as color breaks, image positions, halftones, and page order. But because this proof is unbound, it will not precisely resemble a complete book.
Yes! Every version of every file that we create is yours. In other words, we don’t just give you press-ready files — we provide you with all of the original production data so that you can take your project to any designer or printer in the world.
In printing lingo, the bleed is the area near the edge of the page that will be trimmed off after printing or binding. Though printing technology has come a long way, it is still nearly impossible to print to the very edge of a sheet. To remedy this, we ask that you design your book with .125” bleed, especially if you have color or graphics meant to reach the page’s edge.
Frequently Asked Questions: Book Production
Most books you find in a bookstore are perfect bound. That means that the cover and interior pages (or book block) are printed separately and then affixed with an adhesive to form a spine. Perfect binding is ideal for most novels and non-fiction books. Spiral binding, on the other hand, uses a plastic coil to hold the pages together, and is typically used for business documents, cookbooks, or classroom materials.
We can’t wait to send you more books! We hope you become one of our many clients who reprint with us. We will keep your files on hand for at least six months following your order. While we do ask that you please retain copies of your production files, rest assured that in most cases a reprint will require only an email or a phone call.
UV coating is a process in which a fluid resin is applied to the paper, which is then hardened by an ultraviolet light source. This will give your cover a glossy finish. (Other finishes are available on request.) Lamination is a similar process, except a thin film is applied rather than a resin. Both options result in an attractive glossy finish, but lamination is more durable, and UV coating is more economical.
For almost all jobs, our minimum order is 25 books. This number allows us to defray labor costs just enough to offer a competitive price on your run. If a smaller run is genuinely needed, please contact us directly to discuss pricing and production details.
Typically, we’re able to ship your order 5-10 days after your final proof approval. Depending on our production volume at any given time, this timeframe may vary slightly. If we’re anticipating any kind of production delay, we will notify you immediately. Please notify us if you need your book on or by a specific day, and we will do our very best to accommodate your schedule.
Absolutely! The sizes listed in our instant quote calculator reflect only the standard and most economical print sizes available. However, we are delighted to accommodate any book project and can produce just about any size imaginable. Please contact us directly to discuss your custom project. Also, please note that most custom sizes will be slightly more expensive and may require a larger print run.
There are few different factors to consider when determining your page count. Most importantly, your cover is not included in your final page count. Accordingly, it is not included in your color page count, either, even though it will always be printed on a color press.
Next, you’ll want to count all the printed sides in your manuscript, not sheets of paper. If your 200-page manuscript is printed on 100 sheets, for instance, you will enter your page count as 200. Also, to avoid unwanted blank pages, make sure that your page count is an even number.
Any page that contains even a pixel of color will count as a color page. Pages with grayscale images will still be considered black and white, but to ensure optimal print quality, please make sure your grayscale images are actually grayscale, and not, for instance, a very dark shade of blue.
This is a crucial question when designing a paperback. If you choose 60# paper for your book block, divide the total number of pages (i.e., sides) by 427. The result will be your spine width in inches. For example, a 200-page book printed on 60# paper will have a spine width of .46 inches. If you choose 50# paper, divide by 511. For 70# paper, divide 350. Please note, however, that if your book contains fewer than 76 pages, it will be difficult to center text on your book’s spine.
Yes! Please see use our online checkout to get instant pricing on our hardcover options. For special requests, like cloth binding or faux leather, please reach out to our sales team directly.
Frequently Asked Questions: Pricing
Ground shipping is free! Expedited shipping is available at extra cost; please refer to our online checkout tool for detailed estimates. For special shipping requests, please contact us directly.
A 3.9% processing fee is applied to all credit card transactions. (To waive this fee, feel free to pay via certified check or money order.) Applicable state sales tax rates also apply.
If a new cover or interior file is submitted after you have received a proof, a $100 fee will be charged. Similarly, if you request that a change or adjustment be made to your file, additional fees may be added (to be quoted at the time of revision request).
If you receive your books and feel that they are unsellable for any reason, please contact your customer service representative in writing within 10 business days of accepting delivery. We will review the damages and proceed accordingly. We will assist you with processing damage claims — with printing, finishing, or shipping, depending on where the issue originated.
We will place up to twenty (20) images (pictures, graphs, charts, etc.) into your book’s layout as part of any publishing package. If you have more than twenty (20) images, the cost to include them in the book is four dollars ($4) per additional image.
Changes made after approving the Proof.
Fonts
Revisions before giving final Proof approval
Revisions after the final approved
You cannot combine any publisher or self-publisher discount with our free book offers. These free book promotions are reserved for online orders, and do not include custom estimates, which may or may not require special stock or supplies. In a qualifying situation, you may choose the discount or free books, but, unfortunately, not both.
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For additional questions, contact us at (616)247-0060 or request a quote.
