InDesign book tutorial for self-publishers
InDesign book tutorial for self-publishing authors and graphic designers.
The InDesign book tutorial is for self-publishers and graphic designers who are new to creating a book using Adobe InDesign. InDesign is a page layout application. It is for book design as well as brochures, singles pages, magazines, etc. Designers are sometimes uncertain as to how to set-up documents for books. This InDesign book tutorial provides the basics for book and document set-up. It specifically pertains to printing books on offset press with Star Print Brokers.
Enjoy this InDesign book tutorial!
First, the InDesign book tutorial Basics …
Here is a list of the files you will need to create for the most common book binding styles.
Soft cover book
- Book created to hold chapters, but not submitted
- Individual chapter PDFs or entire book PDF
- Cover – front, back, spine (and flaps, if you want) PDF
- Spot varnish (if applicable) PDF
Hardcover with material cover wrap
- Book created to hold chapters, but not submitted
- Individual chapter PDFs or entire book PDF
- Blind and / or foil stamp PDF
- Endpapers PDF (if printing)
- Book dust jacket PDF (optional)
- Spot varnish PDF (if applicable)
Hardcover with printed cover wrap
- Book created to hold chapters, but not submitted
- Individual chapter PDFs or entire book PDF
- Cover wrap PDF to print on press
- Endpapers PDFs (if printing)
- Book dust jacket PDF (optional)
- Spot varnish PDF (if applicable)
The InDesign book tutorial will save time and possibly troubleshooting the files later on.
Create a folder for the book and all documents
Book file
- Choose File > New, Select Book.
- Name the Book, and Save it to the folder. preserving the file name extension .indb.
- The book panel will appear.
- Click the upper right corner and you will see where you will be able to Add Documents, or you can click on the “+” symbol on the bottom of the book panel.
Book file documents
- Choose File > New, Select Document.
- Name the first document. A suggestion is to call this Front Matter. Select settings including page dimension and orientation. If the pages bleed, set the bleed setting to 0.125″ or 3 mm. Save it to the folder and add it to the book.
- Name the documents. A suggestion is Chapter 1, Chapter 2, or the topics. Use the same settings for each new document. Save them to the folder and add them to the book.
- There may or may not be a last document. If so, call it Back Matter. If so, Save it to the folder and add it to the book.
Material cover wrap
The material cover wrap is what glues down to the boards of a hardcover book. It is a separate file. We will provide the cover and spine measurements once the final page count is determined. Usually, a material cover wrap file is not made. Instead, a blind or foil stamp file is for the design, with the measurements we supply. The material may be cloth, linen, or a faux cloth, linen, leather or suede. We have many choices.
Print cover wrap
Like the material cover wrap, the print cover wrap glues down to the boards. It has precise dimensions and margins depending on the size of the book, paper weight, and the page count. It is a separate file. We provide the measurements once the final page count is set. An example that everyone can readily identify with is a children’s book. They invariably have a cover wrap that prints. Sometimes they have a loose fitting dust jacket as well. Cover wrap and dust jacket are two different files.
Blind and/or foil stamp
When using a material cover wrap, a blind or foil stamp is generally standard. It should be made in black and white. From the file you provide, we make a die to stamp the material for a blind stamp. A foil is optional. We have many colors and finishes. We ask you to provide the stamp for the spine, as it can be in the same typeface used for the title. It is not plain black letters!
Endpapers
The endpapers are a separate file from the text files contained in the book. Do not put the endpapers in the text block file. We have an InDesign book tutorial just for endpapers. If there is no printing on the ends.
Book dust jacket (optional)
The dust jacket is a separate file. We have an InDesign book tutorial just for dust jackets.
Spot varnish (if applicable)
Finally, a spot varnish can print over the images in a fine coffee table book or photography book. It is not a mandatory file. If you choose spot varnish, there is an additional cost, so please make sure we know about it so we can add it to the quote. The spot varnish file is a separate file from the text files of the book. Do not put the spot varnish file in the book. We have an InDesign book tutorial just for spot varnish.
If you have a question about the InDesign book tutorial or need a quote, call us at (844) 603-1777 toll-free, or (425) 603-1777 in the Seattle area. You can also use our contact form.
In conclusion, we hope you can benefit from the InDesign book tutorial. See our library and other tutorials too. You can get a copy of all of our tutorials in one ebook here. Please sign up for our newsletter for updates.
