Self-Pub: How to change landscape to portrait orientation - keeping landscape dimensions?

[Dave22401560ljp2]

I have uploaded an A4 landscape (11.69 x 8.27) PDF to LuLu for self-publishing but get an error - bbook size is not available.

LuLu feedback/hack:

Print-on-demand printers tend to print landscape pages sideways, so even if you are creating a wide format book (9 x 7 in), the uploaded source document page orientation must be set to Portrait, with page dimensions defined with the width wider than the height.

How do I modify InDesign file so my PDF is PORTRAIT with LANDSCAPE dimnesions? Example: Portrait 11.69 x 8.27

Thank you!

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Export to PDF, then in Acrobat rotate all pages 90 degrees counter-clockwise.

Never overlook how much Acrobat can do in these seemingly difficult final press-ready requirements. 🙂

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

On reflection, you may have problems other than just turning the pages sideways. Most of the book services (KDP being the most stubborn) reject all submissions that use odd page layouts. (The usual one is people who want to do a back to back "Ace double" with two covers; I don't know of a single book service that will accept those.)

So if you're trying to get them to print a landscape book using a portrait — conventional — template, they may reject it for nonconforming. Just a heads up.

[Dave22401560ljp2]

Thanks for replying James,

I've rotated pages in PDF but their website still kicked it back. InDesign allowed me to rotate pages (keeping landscape sizes) but the PDF for upload still showed as landscape image and dimensions.

LuLu recommended this hack but so far I haven't been able to figure how to create the file that way. 

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

What's the specific error you're getting back? Again, it may be related to a refusal to do "odd" page layout than anything technically wrong with the PDF.

Does Lulu have a proof previewer like KDP? (Haven't sent any books there in over a year — can't remember). If you're getting a proof preview with proper page layout, and then it gets kicked later... I'd bet on the policy and not the file details.

[Dave22401560ljp2]

Hi James,

LuLu just clarified that this will only work on LuLu Bookstore, and not global distribution (which is what I was tryin to do). So, I'll try and rotate as you suggested for their bookstore.

Thank you!

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Book printing is frustrating because much of it is guided by policies and arbitary limits. Many things that seem perfectly possible as long as the press guy doesn't mind, say, the pages running sideways are completely verboten, and sometimes half-allowed, half-prohibited as in this case.

Some of it might trace to automated QC that can't recognize a rotated page as valid, or even to subtleties such as international book tariffs, but I think most of it is a traditional mindset coupled with a wish to not expend resources coping with nonstandard formats — ones they cannot accurately judge for quality and accuracy and will result in disputes from authors who really did want every fourth page upside-down. 🙂

Anyway, the useful takeaway here is that you need to read a book service's requirements carefully, and make sure you understand any rejection error without assuming it's just a technical issue that can be resolved within InDesign or Acrobat. It may just be a cranky prepress supervisor, or a Rule.