PDF generation Guidelines
For users who use software other than MyPicTales' Taleweaver.
If you would like to submit a PDF prepared outside of our software, please ensure that the following guidelines are followed. You could download photo book, calendar, card, (and more if needed) templates Here.
 
  Definition
Bleed - When one or more sides of a printed image touch the edge of the paper.
Canvas - The final size of the page layout submitted for printing (which has the bleed or trim measurements included).
Trim size - The final size of the page layout after the page has been cut to size. For photo books, this will be the size of the book block before binding.
Safe Zone - The area 1/3rd from the trimmed page layout, considered safe to put any information or data.
  Single Page

The use of bleed (orange area) guarantees that the finished (cropped) page will look neat & precise. The page bleed allowance should be 1/8” on all four sides of the page. The bleed area (i.e. beyond the crop marks) will be trimmed off. If you use a background color or image, it should fill the entire page including the bleed area. For example, if your printed page size is 12.0” wide, your page design should be 12.25” wide with the bleed (1/8” + 12.0” + 1/8”).
  Two-Page Spread

This is a page design than spans both right & left-hand pages. The pages are centered at the gutter where they are bound into the spine. Approximately 1/4" of the spread will be bound into (and thus hidden within) the spine. This, in of itself, is not a problem, but it does require a bit of special attention when using an external tool, such as Adobe Photoshop to create your page designs:

Be sure to leave bleed on all 4 sides. The Taleweaver software will automatically adjust any background used as if it has a bleed designed into it. So, if you do not adjust your layout for bleed, the Taleweaver software will crop off 1/8” from all for sides to allow for bleed.

Keep important design details at least 1/8” from all sides of the page (1/4” is even better) so that unwelcome trimming does not occur.

Keep important design details an extra 1/4" away from the center binding. (This is in addition to the bleed you leave on all 4 sides of the page.) This is an issue specifically for single page designs.

The software will adjust the spread pages for the 1/4" lost within the spine. To this end, the spread should be designed to be 1/4" smaller than the size that it would be if you were to include the gutter. In other words, when creating a two-page spread, you do not need to double the bleed. Simply double the page size and add the bleed amount for the outer edges. So, a 12x12 two-page spread would be 1/8” + 12” + 12” + 1/8” (24.25” x 12.25”).

Also, keep in mind that although page spreads are well suited for panoramic picture backgrounds, fine details may be partially obscured within the binding.

The following table is a guide to single-page photo books design:
 
Name
Book Size Type
Orientation
Size–with bleed
The Handy Dandy

5 x 7

Landscape

5.25 x 7.25
The Scrap Book
8 x 8
 
Square
 
8.25 x 8.25
The Classic
8.5 x 11 11 x 8.5
 
Landscape/ Portrait
 
8.75 x 11.25 11.25 x 8.75
The Square
10 x 10
Square
 
10.25 x 10.25
 
The Legacy
12 x 12
Square
12.25 x 12.25
The Brag Book
4.75 x 4.25
Portrait
5 x 4.5



The following table is a guide to two-page spread photo books design:
 
Name
Book Size Type
Orientation
Size–with bleed
The Handy Dandy

5 x 7

Landscape/ Portrait

10.25 X 7.25 14.25 x 5.25

The Scrap Book
8 x 8
 
Square
 
16.25 X 8.25
The Classic
8.5 x 11 11 x 8.5
 
Landscape/ Portrait
 
17.25 X 11.25 22.25 x 8.75
The Square
10 x 10
Square
 
10.25 x 10.25
 
The Legacy
12 x 12
Square
12.25 x 12.25
The Brag Book
4.75 x 4.25
Portrait
9.75 x 4.5


  Book Cover


The front and the back covers are always identical in size.
The spine will be 0.25” for a 40-page book.
The required bleed for the cover is 1/3” on all 4 sides.
Using a 40-page book with an 10x10 cover as an example, the measurements will be:
1/3” left bleed + 10” back + 0.25” spine + 10” front + 1/3” right bleed, totaling 20.91” in width.

  Center and spine
The bookbinding is built to hold the book pages together forever. The pages are sawn together to ensure durability. As a result, up to 1/8”  of the page, on the inner edge of the book, might not be completely visible. See the following drawing for an example.


This will typically no be an issue when you use individual pages to build your book. However, when you build your book using spreads, you should make sure nothing important is in this area, which will be a ¼” in the center of the spread. When the spread background is, for example, a scenic view, or some other background, the eye will compensate and the page will look okay. However, if the spread is a portrait picture and this area is a single face, the portrait might be missing this person.
As a rule of thumb, when pages are built of individual right and left pages, it is a good idea to keep content an extra 1/8” from the book center. If the page is built of a spread, make sure the spread does work even when its center is partially visible.
  Tips

Attention to small details when designing your book can make a big difference!
Bleed – make sure to leave enough bleed - cutting is not always precise! Allowing your images to bleed off the paper may be the difference between a small white line at the end of your images or a slick, professional-looking trim.
Edges – avoid placing important graphical elements, such as frames or text too close to the sides of the page. Try to keep these elements at least 1/8 of an inch, or even better, 1/4 of an inch from the edge of the page.
Cover & spine – book spine design is an art, not a science. Avoid harsh color transitions at the cover/spine juncture. Avoid running the cover design/image flush with the spine. Consider using a color gradient for this area.
Image resolution – 300 dots per inch is the optimal resolution. Using a higher resolution will result in slower processing, slower upload time, and no quality improvement to speak of.
Performance – you will get the best performance and minimal image processing performed on your images if you prepare them as sRGB jpegs.
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