How to Download and Review Your Digital Proofs

When your book project reaches the proofing stage, you will have the option to view or download your digital proofs. Downloading the proof and reviewing it in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader is recommended because it allows you to view the pages as they will appear in the finished book.

Before approving your proofs, carefully review your interior content and cover files using the proofing guides and overlays provided.

Downloading and Setting Up Your Proof

Download the digital proof to your Mac or PC and open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.

For the most accurate representation of your finished book, set Acrobat to display the PDF in Two-Page View:

1. Open the View menu.
2. Select Page Display.
3. Select Two-Page View.
4. From the same menu, select Show Cover Page in Two-Page View.

These settings are important because they allow you to distinguish between left-hand and right-hand pages and see your book as readers will experience it.

Reviewing Your Interior Pages

Carefully compare your content against the proofing overlays. The overlays indicate trim lines, safety margins, bleed areas, and other production boundaries that affect how your finished book will look.

Make Sure Your File Matches the Ordered Trim Size

Your manuscript must be formatted for the same trim size you ordered.

For example, if your content was formatted for a U.S. Letter-size book but you ordered U.S. Trade, text or other elements may extend beyond the trim area and be cut off.

Review every page to make sure all important content fits properly within the dimensions of your finished book.

Keep Text Within the Safety Margins

Even when a manuscript is formatted to the correct trim size, text can still be positioned too close to the edges or binding.

The safety margins shown on your proof indicate where important content should be placed. You may notice that the margins near the binding are larger than those along the outside edges. This extra space accounts for the curvature of the binding and provides adequate room for the reader’s thumbs.

Keep text and other critical elements inside these safety margins.

Extend Full-Bleed Artwork Beyond the Trim Line

If your book contains photographs, illustrations, backgrounds, or other graphics that are intended to reach the edge of the finished page, the artwork must extend through the entire bleed area.

During manufacturing, very small variations can occur when pages are trimmed. Extending artwork beyond the trim line ensures that these variations do not leave thin white edges, sometimes called “white flashes,” along the finished page.

Remember that a slight shift toward one edge of a page also means a corresponding loss of content on the opposite edge. Keep important elements away from the trim and bleed areas.

Be Careful With Content Near the Binding

In perfect-bound books, content positioned very close to the binding can become difficult to see because of the curvature of the pages.

Avoid placing text or other important elements too close to the binding. Artwork that intentionally crosses the binding should also be reviewed carefully to make sure the finished result will be acceptable.

What Properly Formatted Interior Pages Should Look Like

A properly prepared interior should meet three basic requirements:

• The manuscript is formatted for the trim size that was ordered.
• Text and other important elements remain within the safety margins.
• Artwork intended to bleed extends completely through the bleed area.

If your proof meets these requirements, your interior content should be positioned appropriately for production.

Reviewing a Softcover

Your cover proof should also be checked against the template and proofing guides.

For a softcover book:

• Make sure the artwork is formatted for the trim size ordered.
• Extend backgrounds and other full-bleed artwork completely through the bleed area along the outside edges.
• Keep all text and important design elements within the safety areas.
• Check the dotted lines indicating the folds on either side of the spine.

Spine text should fit completely within the designated spine area. If text crosses one of the fold lines, part of it may appear on the front or back cover of the finished book.

Reviewing a Hardcover

Hardcovers require additional bleed because of the way the cover is manufactured. The printed cover sheet wraps around three boards, so the artwork must continue beyond the edges of the boards and wrap around the interior.

The hardcover template identifies the edges of the boards. Do not stop your background artwork at those lines. The artwork must extend through the additional wraparound area so that the finished cover has complete coverage.

As a general guideline, artwork may need to extend an additional 5/8 inch to accommodate this wraparound area. Always follow the guides provided with your specific cover template.

The dotted lines on the template indicate the spine folds. You should also pay attention to the spine crimp areas bordering the spine on the front and back covers.

Keep text and other critical elements out of the crimp areas because they may become distorted during binding.

For a properly formatted hardcover:

• Extend artwork through the entire required wraparound area.
• Keep important content within the safety area.
• Keep spine text within the designated spine area.
• Keep text and critical design elements away from the spine crimps.

Reviewing a Dust Jacket

A dust jacket is printed on a separate sheet of paper that wraps around the outside of the hardcover book. The jacket includes two flaps that fold inside the front and back covers.

As with a hardcover, make sure:

• All text and important elements remain within the safety areas.
• Background artwork extends completely through the required outer edges.
• Important elements are positioned safely away from folds and other production areas.

Because dust jackets are applied by hand, their final positioning can vary slightly more than machine-applied components.

Check the Wraparound Areas

Pay particular attention to the areas where the front and back covers wrap toward the flaps.

Extend the artwork from the front and back covers far enough into these areas that the flap artwork will not become visible from the outside when the finished book is closed.

Before Approving Your Proof

Your digital proof is your opportunity to verify that your book is ready for production. Before submitting your approval, carefully check:

• Trim size and page positioning
• Left- and right-hand page placement
• Safety margins
• Bleed areas
• Text near the binding
• Cover and spine positioning
• Spine folds and crimp areas
• Hardcover wraparound areas, when applicable
• Dust jacket folds and wraparound areas, when applicable

Do not approve the proof until you are satisfied that the content and cover are positioned correctly.

Need Help With Your Cover?

Softcovers, hardcovers, and dust jackets are custom-sized according to your book’s trim size and page count. If you are having difficulty fitting your artwork into the required cover template, OnPress can help with our Cover Templating service. 

Contact OnPress for assistance with your cover files or questions about preparing your book for printing.