InDesign printing for KDP book cover and manuscript etc

[Matthew298838430uos]

I've been trying to print my book to Kindle - KDP for several weeks one of the most frustrating things I've ever had to do. I thought this program would make life easy. There are so many variations when you try to print. Despite having the correct measurments InDesign doesn't stick to the measurements.

How do you print a cover for example when its 3 pages it only gives you the measurementes for one and not combines. Why hasn't Adobe made things easier for doing books on Kindle??

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Just one final suggestion: this is very much not a project on which to reinvent the wheel or try and outsmart the system. Layout for both KDP pages and covers is well-documented, with templates, and has to hit a high level of compliance with all the nuances. Just do it the way they want, using the guidelines they offer.

[Peter Spier]

Iwonder if this is maybe the result of using the Page Tool to adjust a size at some point. Personally I find that tool to be dangerous.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

My guess would be something like that, and it went wrong or scrambled the basic doc/page settings.

[ash37199307fwox]

Yeah thanks guys. Will get to work on it later today my time. I still don't quite understand why Indesign somehow 'takes over' every time I amend width to be slightly wider (to fit KDP guidelines) than the height - ie why Indesign changes the orientation from 'landscape' or portrait, or vice versa and reverses the W & H dimensions that I have set!

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

I still only have your description for this, but it's usually a poor idea to use the Page Tool to make significant changes to pages. For a project like a POD book, the interior pages should be one file, and the cover another, with the document formatted using Document Setup. If my hazy guess is right and you tried to turn one page-file page into a cover layout, all sorts of backlash would happen.

[ash37199307fwox]

Ok guys, have just pressed the 'submit' button on this... I ended up using the workaround of not 'dropping' the two pages (back & front cover) from the main file into the new 'cover' file, but actually re-created the pages by 'copying and pasting' the content.

I have to say, in all the years I've used Photoshop & Indesign, this has been the most illogical and frustrating glitch I've ever struck, and it still doesn't really make sense to me. Anyway thanks James (& Peter) for your comments and suggestions along the way!

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Glad you got there; I hope everything comes out in proof the way you expect.

I'll just add again that book design, and submission through a demanding print portal like KDP, are not places you can 'wing it' and make up your own processes and layouts. Both interior and cover need very specific layouts to be accepted.

And as interior and cover are completely separate print jobs — which may be the important aspect you overlooked — they need completely separate files, layout and setup. I still can't grasp the problem you encountered, but different layouts are always best served by separate, specific layouts starting from Document Setup, and not by any combination of manipulating page-file pages with the Page Tool, Liquid Layout, Alternate Layouts or pushing spreads around.

Follow the basic processes next time and you should find it much, much easier.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

[ETA: Edited for clarity and some details.]

Create 3 cover pages:

            Spine page

                        Exact width specified by KDP

                        Margins that define ‘safe area’ per KDP

                        Exact book height (e.g. 9 inches)

                        Equal top/bottom bleeds that bring total height to KDP vertical dimension
                        No side bleeds

            Back Cover page

                        Exact book width (e.g. 6 inches)

                        Exact book height (e.g. 9 inches)

                        Margins that define ‘safe area’ per KDP

                        Equal top/bottom bleeds that bring total height to KDP vertical dimension
                        No RH bleed (against spine)

                        LH bleed that is

                                    One half of

                                    Total layout width per KDP

                                    Less spine width

                                    Less 2x exact book width

            Front Cover page

                        Save as Back Cover except

                        No LH bleed

                        RH bleed calculated as above

The front and back cover outer bleeds should be equal. They tend to be large, as they allow variation in wrap and trimming.

Merge pages into spread in Pages panel.

Export spread to PDF. It should be EXACTLY the total size specified by KDP.

Example calculation for that bleed:

KDP total width 14.79 inches

KDP spine 1.89 inches

Book trim width 6 inches

14.79 – 1.89 – 6 – 6 = 0.9

Each bleed should thus be 0.45 inches

Translate to your numbers (and/or mm, although I note you're using inches) as needed. Then arrange your layout on the three pages, observing the safe margins and being sure any background image or color reaches the bleed limits.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Easier to add than edit... keep top/ bottom bleeds equal, same for left/ right bleeds.

Export - DO NOT 'PRINT' - to PDF with 'Use document bleeds' enabled. 

[Matthew298838430uos]

Hi Still having issues with getting the cover done!

   

[Eugene Tyson · Accepted solution]

I've attached a test document (please be careful as there a lot of 'loose' elements) for example the flags have a border on them but not constrained to the flags - not sure if it's intentional

Here's my take on your settings

You have hardcover selected -so you need EXTRA bleed for this.

This is because the paper itself is wrapped around the hardcover and glued to the inside of the board. 

So your bleed should be the WRAP setting

Where it says 'hinge' - this is a safe type area - no text should be included here or anything of value - artwork/backtrounds' are fine. 

This is where the board is scored to allow the book cover to open and close without damaging it (checkout any hardcover book)

Set your front page inside margin to be 0.394
Set the back cover outside margins to be 0.394

When I do this -  you see your Spanish flag is on the crease

You can see your artwork is outside the 'Margins'

For this it will need to be either inside the margins

Or go full bleed

[Matthew298838430uos]

Thanks Eugene I'm testing it now. In regard to (please be careful as there a lot of 'loose' elements) not sure what to do here. I just placed things do you have to anchore them?

[Matthew298838430uos]

Hi Eugene what did you change so I can reverse engineer things?

[Eugene Tyson]

It's all written down for you step by step.

Front cover margins - back cover margins - bleed

Test file supplied so you can compare. 

But please check your artwork carefully - you've a loose frame around your flags and not sure if you meant that. 

Please check everything - I was only applying the KDP settings and showing an example in my test file.

[Matthew298838430uos]

Hi Mate8

It worked just a little tweaking .

This is how it looks

[Eugene Tyson]

No problem - glad I could help.

Are you sure you're happy with the flag borders? I changed them to fit - not sure what you had was intentional?
And Graffiti on the front cover doesn't look 'visually' centered. Even if it's 'centered' it looks like it could be better centered by nudging it slightly to the right.

Now you have all your settings correct you can complete the artwork.

Just don't put any important artwork/text outside the margins. 
Only background colours/artwork for outside the margins

Icons/Flags/Text/important images should remain inside the margins.

[Eugene Tyson]

Have to admit - the terminology in the KDP supplied sheet is confusing - that's Amazon's fault.

[Matthew298838430uos]

Mate8 your have to send me a email so I can send you a copy in Ireland. I'm new to InDesign been studying for a month now and still floundering. It's not as striaght forward as I had hoped. My email is mla_asisbiz.com pls drop me aline.

Matthew

[Matthew298838430uos]

If I want to adjust the image for a better fit do I adjust this section ?

[Eugene Tyson]

There's multiple things there - can you be more specific?

[Matthew298838430uos]

wasn't sure how to enlarge the image without ruining the setup i've stretched it out and trying that. I'm not sure where to look for the seting that control the image?

I'm new to this program thats the problem I wished it didn't take so long with kindle to check you work but with ever change it takes 20 minutes

M

[Eugene Tyson]

You have Auto Fit turned on - if you turn that off you can fit the image manually

This is quite long and drawn out but worth the watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsalYCjqt1k

[Matthew298838430uos]

okay success got it. Thanks Eugene all good know.

[Eugene Tyson]

Thanks very much for the offer. You don't need to do that at all. I appreciate the gesture.

You can just mark my answer as correct and that's more than enough.

Have a great day. And best of luck with the publication!