Bring your own layout
Already designed it? Send the PDF.
If you have laid the book out in InDesign, Affinity, Lightroom or anything else that exports print-ready PDF, there is no reason to rebuild it in somebody's web editor. Upload the file and we bind it in any edition, at any trim size, with a free preflight check first.
Take a template
InDesign, Affinity and plain PDF templates for every trim size, with bleed, trim and safe margins already marked.
Export and upload
Single pages in reading order, or spreads — tell us which. Nothing needs flattening or converting to CMYK first.
Read the preflight
We report every low-resolution image, missing bleed, spot colour and unembedded font — page by page, free, before you pay.
Pick an edition
The same five builds and seven sizes as everything else, at the same prices. A PDF book is not a premium product here.
Specifications
What we need in the file
| Format | PDF/X-4 preferred; any PDF 1.4+ accepted |
|---|---|
| Pages | Single pages in reading order, or true spreads — say which on upload |
| Bleed | 3 mm on all four edges, with crop marks off |
| Safe margin | 10 mm from trim; 16 mm at the spine on non-lay-flat editions |
| Image resolution | 300 ppi at final size; we flag anything under 180 ppi |
| Colour | Leave it in RGB with profiles embedded — we convert with the paper's own profile |
| Fonts | Embedded or outlined; we will not substitute silently |
| Black text | Single-channel black, not a four-colour mix |
You do not need to
- Convert to CMYK — our conversion is better than a generic one
- Flatten transparency
- Downsample your images
- Add crop marks or registration marks
- Make a separate cover file unless you want a dust jacket
Get the templates
Templates are generated per trim size and page count, because the spine width depends on both. Tell us the size and length and we send the exact file rather than a generic pack.
Request a templateAvailable in
Every edition and every trim size
Same prices as a book built in the browser, including the photographic and giclée tiers. Sending your own file does not cost more and does not cost less.
Editions
- Softcover — Perfect bound (softcover), Silk art paper, 170 gsm (20–120 pp)
- Classic Hardcover — Case bound (hardcover), Silk art paper, 170 gsm (20–180 pp)
- Linen Hardcover — Case bound (hardcover), Uncoated matte art paper, 200 gsm (20–180 pp)
- Lay-Flat Premium — Lay-flat (mounted spreads), Double-thick mounted board, 200 gsm (20–120 pp)
- Photographic Lay-Flat — Lay-flat (mounted spreads), Fujicolor Crystal Archive photographic, 250 gsm (20–100 pp)
- Archival Heirloom — Lay-flat (mounted spreads), 100% cotton rag, acid-free, 310 gsm (20–100 pp)
- Giclée Atelier — Lay-flat (mounted spreads), Hahnemühle Photo Rag, 100% cotton, 308 gsm (20–80 pp)
Trim sizes
- 6 × 6 Mini — 6 × 6 in (add 3 mm bleed all round)
- 8 × 8 Square — 8 × 8 in (add 3 mm bleed all round)
- 8.5 × 11 Portrait — 8.5 × 11 in (add 3 mm bleed all round)
- 11 × 8.5 Landscape — 11 × 8.5 in (add 3 mm bleed all round)
- 10 × 10 Square — 10 × 10 in (add 3 mm bleed all round)
- 12 × 12 Square — 12 × 12 in (add 3 mm bleed all round)
- 13 × 10 Panorama — 13 × 10 in (add 3 mm bleed all round)
Send us the file
Message us with the trim size, page count and edition you want, and we will send an upload link and run the preflight. The report is free whether or not you go ahead.