Frequently Asked Questions
These are the most frequently asked questions within our industry regarding Print-on-Demand Book Printing and how it works. We’ve sectioned off our FAQ into “Files,” “Out of Pocket,” and general “Books.” If you don’t see what you’re looking for, there is a quick overview here, or feel free to contact us with any questions.
If you are a publishing company or industry associate seeking to learn more about our services beyond what is offered on the website, please click here.
Frequently Asked Questions: Files
Most frequent questions and answers about files.
Click on the “Page Layout” tab in Word, then on “Size,” and then on “More Sizes.” You will be presented with a dialogue box to enter the dimensions of your finished book size to be on the “Paper” tab. It’s very likely to be recognized as a custom size by the software, but that’s okay. Click on the “Margins” tab and enter your custom margin sizes in the same window. For most larger books, you will want 1” on the top and the bottom 1” inside and outside. 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. Or, of course, we’d be happy to help if you’re struggling. Contact Presto Page.
RGB refers to the primary colors of light, Red, Green, and Blue, used in monitors, television screens, digital cameras, and scanners.
CMYK refers to the primary colors of pigment: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black. The combination of RGB light creates white, while CMYK inks create black.
If you’re working in RGB, you should check how the image will look when converted to CMYK. Printing an RGB file is a recipe for disaster. So if you’re working for print, you’ll need to adjust the colors to avoid disappointment later. Or avoid it all by working in the only CMYK. For more info, click here.
ISBN stands for International Serial Book Number and is a unique number assigned to all books made available for sale. If you plan to sell your book through bookstores or online, you need to have it maximize your book’s discoverability. Bowker is the official source for ISBNs in the United States, and we recommend always purchasing and registering your number through their system. The barcode that will go on the back cover of your book is based on this number, and we will be happy to create that barcode for you so scanners will recognize it at any retail outlet. You can learn more about ISBNs here.
No, our physical proofs are printed on the actual paper and the printing press that the final run will be on. Because of this, physical proof should be used for reviewing folds, trim, bleeds, spine, and margins, as well as color breaks, image positions, halftones, and page order. And, of course, for catching any last-minute spelling and grammar errors.
Yes. Every version of every file (interior and book cover) we create is yours. We don’t just give you press-ready files (if you need/want them); we provide you with all of the original production files so that you can take them to any designer or printer in the world and make updates if you so desire.
The Bleed area is near the edge of the page that will be trimmed off after printing or bound. Though printing technology has come a long way, it is still relatively impossible to print exactly to the edge of a paper sheet.
Our system, at Presto Page, use a .125″ bleed on any cover or page that has printing intended to go all the way to the edge of the finished book. For example, the front cover for a 5.5″ x 8.5″ perfect-bound book should be 5.75″ x 8.75″ as we will trim .125″ off the outside edge as well as the top and bottom after binding. This concept can be very confusing for those new to the printing industry, so please read more details here if you’re concerned and let us know about any troubles when you upload your file in the checkout process.
Frequently Asked Questions: Books
Most frequent questions and answers about books.
Most books that you will find on the shelves in bookstores are perfect bound. That means the cover is printed and coated, the interior pages (book block) are printed and trimmed separately, and then adhered using glue to form a spine.
Spiral-bound uses a plastic coil to hold the pages together and is traditionally used for business documents, cookbooks, or classroom materials. If you want a book that will lay completely flat on a table for your reader, Plastic Coil Spiral Bound or Twin Loop Wire-O are the ways to go.
We can’t wait! For many years before this website was launched, nearly all of our business came from repeat clients and referrals. We hope you become one of our many clients who reprint with us. We will keep your files in our system for at least six months following your order. Please always maintain a copy of your book file and don’t rely on our servers, but know that in all likelihood, when you come back to us for a reprint, you won’t need to do anything more than get in touch with us and let our team know you need some more copies of your book.
When you UV coat a book cover, a fluid resin is applied to the paper, which then passes underneath an ultraviolet light source, hardening the coating. This gives the book a glossy finish in most cases (though there is such a thing as semi-gloss and even matte UV coating).
Lamination will give your book cover a similar glossy appearance, but if an actual film is applied, your cover will be more resistant to scuffing and fingerprints.
So, in short: UV coating is less expensive lends itself to a more pliable book cover, whereas lamination, while more expensive, is more durable and protects your cover from wear and tear a bit better than UV. Finally, if you want a matte finish to your book cover, lamination is the way to go – we don’t like the results of matte UV fluid and choose not to offer it as an option at this point.
In almost all jobs, our minimum order is 25 books. This number allows us to defray labor costs enough to offer a competitive price on your prints. If you genuinely need less than 25 copies of your book, please let us know by using our contact form or giving us a call. We are happy to produce whatever number you need; know your cost per book will go up significantly. The 25 book minimum does not always apply to custom orders. We will most likely require a higher minimum order if we need to use custom papers or sizes to produce your book project.
Our production standard is to ship your order within 5-10 business days after submitting your proof approval. Depending on the volume of jobs moving through our shops at any given time, this can be slightly less or slightly more. We will notify you at the time of order if we feel there would be any delays to this schedule, and during the file upload process, we ask that you notify us if there is a specific day that you need your books. We will always do our very best to accommodate your schedule. Please note that our production time starts when you return your proof approval and does not include shipping time from our Michigan facilities to you.
Absolutely! The sizes available in our instant quote calculator reflect our standard sizes and those that will be the most economical choices for your book. We are delighted to accommodate any book printing project and can provide just about any size imaginable. However, each project is unique, and if you feel you’d like to discuss a different size for your book, please fill out our contact form or give us a call and let us know about your book. Please note that most custom sizes will be slightly more expensive than our standard sizes and may require a more substantial run size than typical.
The first important note is that your book’s cover should not be included in your page count and that it will always be printed in color. Even if you have a truly black and white cover, we will print it on a color press to give your blacks the richness they deserve. Secondly, you want to count the printed sides in your book, NOT the number of paper (i.e., if your PDF is 200 pages, that means we’ll use 100 sheets of paper, but print on 200 sides – we want the 200 number). Finally, any page in your book with color on it, even if it is only one letter or one tiny little dot, is counted as a color page. Grayscale images can be counted as black and white pages, but please be sure that your image was created in black and white – sometimes, what looks black and white on the screen will be recognized by a digital printing press as color. Please note that a blank page counts as a black and white page, and your final page count should always be an even number. Page count is one of the biggest things we’ll be looking at when you upload your files, and our pre-press team analyzes your files against your quote.
When designing your book cover for a paperback book, this is a crucial question. With a spiral-bound, it’s not a problem because we can use different coil sizes, but when there will be text and possibly images printed on the spine of your book, you’ll want to make sure it’s the proper size. If you have chosen 60# paper for your book’s interior pages, divide the total number of pages (sides) by 427. The result will be your spine width in inches. For example, a 200-page book, printed on 60lb paper, will have a spine width of .46”. If you have chosen 50# paper for your interior page, divide the total number of pages by 511. If you have chosen 70# paper for your interior pages, divide the total number of pages by 350. Please note that if your book is less than 76 pages, it will be challenging to center the text on your book’s spine.
Yes and no. We have been printing books here for much longer than this website has been active. When we decided to launch this site, we focused on an affordable, fast, customer-friendly experience for our clients. Hardcover books, while beautiful, are sadly none of those things! We decided to offer paperback, twin-loop, stitched, and spiral-bound books through our instant quote calculator. Still, we are happy to quote you on a hardcover book if your project fits within our available offerings. If you have a particular project you’d like us to quote, please let us know by using our contact form or giving us a call.
Out of Pocket
Most frequent questions and answers about the expense.
Free. All book orders shipping ground are absolutely free. All other shipping costs can be viewed on our checkouts and planned accordingly.
If you happen to have special shipping requests, the variables can vary, depending on your book’s weight, the number of books in your order, the shipping destination(s), and the shipping provider. Once we know more about your order, we would be happy to give you shipping estimates upon request.
If you receive your books and feel that they are unsellable for any reason, you must contact your Customer Service Representative you worked with in writing (including images to illustrate your concerns) within ten business days of accepting the delivery of your order. We will review the damages and proceed accordingly, assisting you with processing damage claims—either with the printing, finishing, or the shipper, depending on where the damage seems to have 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 discounts with any of our free book offers. We run “get (x) amount of books” on orders over 250 or more from time to time. Those deals are reserved for online orders and stocking items, and they do not include custom estimates, which may or may not have special order supplies or stock.
In the case of discount or free books, we allow you to choose between the deals but not both.
Presto Page’s Terms & Conditions and our Privacy Policy can be found HERE.
Contact us today at (616)247-0060 and ask to speak with a Sales Representative or request a quote form.
Or get immediate pricing on smaller runs of 25-1,000 for Perfect Bound books, Saddle-Stitch booklets, Plastic Coil books, or Twin Loop Wire-O books. And place an order today! Or, if you need more than 1,000 books, request an estimate HERE.
