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kltour
kltour
Participant
February 10, 2026
Question

Setting Margins and Book Printing Cut-offs

  • February 10, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 118 views

Hello. I am new to creating my own book, so forgive my naïveté and what I believe are some simple questions. I have set up my book (which is essentially a photography book with limited text) with .05 inch margins on each side of the page. My photos are centered in the margin space of each page. When printed will there be a .05 inch margin aka white space around each photo? I would prefer the white space to be smaller around each photo. Can I do .375 inches around 3 sides of the page and then .5 inches for the inside binding area? Will that allow the printer enough space to trim? And I would still have white space around my photo? (I am aware if I want a full page photo to place the image to the bleed line.)

Thank you for your help, Kelly T 

    1 reply

    Dave Creamer of IDEAS
    Community Expert
    Dave Creamer of IDEASCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 10, 2026

    How are you printing the book--commercially or on a high-end laser printer?

     

    If commercially, you can go to the edge of the page (technically, you would go to the bleed as you mentioned). 

     

    If off of a high-end laser (this still could be a commercial service, like FedEx), you can adjust your margins to about 0.25 inch. Most lasers can print to about 0.125 (1/8) inch from the edge but cannot print to the edge (so no bleeds).

     

    David Creamer: Community Expert (ACI and ACE 1995-2023)
    kltour
    kltourAuthor
    Participant
    February 10, 2026

    Hi Dave, thank you for your reply. I will be printing the book commercially, but as of yet have not decided on my printer. Can you clarify if I use a .5 inch margin around the book that the actual page will not have a .5 inch white margin around my image in the center of the page? That is what I would like to reduce is the actual white margin on the page. Best, Kelly T

    Mike Witherell
    Community Expert
    Mike WitherellCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 10, 2026

    Hi Kelly, 

    When pictures extend to the edge of the page, we setup the document to have 1/8” bleed distance all the way around the page. We place the picture to extend edge to edge, and also an 1/8” past that page final trim edge. Some of the edge of the picture gets trimmed away when the page sheet is trimmed to final size. The ink looks nice when knife-trimmed in the bindery process.

     

    But we also define the internal margins of the page: the distance from the trim edge to the edge of the column of text, usually. Text boxes usually cover up to the margins, and so have a .5” of margin white space on the finished page.

    Mike Witherell
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