How to set up a book cover in InDesign

How to set up a book cover in InDesign – printing on paper for hardcover.

How to set up a book cover in InDesign – printing on paper for hardcover. This is when we print on paper and glue the paper to the grey board of a hardcover book. It is not a dust jacket.

Hardcover with print cover wrap set-up

This cover wrap is printing on press versus a material cover wrap. There is an outside margin of about 15 to 20 millimeters or about 0.75 inches, depending on the manufacturer. The 0.75 inch margin is on all four sides. The cover wrap is glued to the boards.

THE EXTENSION OF BACKGROUND ART:

The background needs to extend all the way into the outside margins. The hardcover cover wrap folds over the boards and then glues down.

Only the background can extend into the margin area. If anything else extends, like the title or dominant image, it will not be seen. That is because the margin wraps glues to the inside front and back covers. The endpapers then glue down over the margins of the cover wrap.

The InDesign set-up

Open a new document. For now, we will assume the book is 7 inches wide x 10 inches tall. The spine width is 0.5 inch, and the cover wrap margin is .75 inches on all four sides.

• Go to File > New > Document.
• Number of Pages: 1

Here is how we get to the measurements:

Width: 0.75 in margin + 7 in back cover + 0.5 in spine + 7 in front cover + 0.75 in margin = 16 in
Height: 0.75 in margin + 10 in tall covers + 0.75 in margin = 11.5 in

• Width: 16 in Height: 11.5 in

Check out more information about spine width. Also, you can see images of cover wrap options for a cover wrap that is printing, or a cover wrap material like cloth, linen, bonded leather, or a faux material.

See the set-up for a cover wrap that is material like cloth, linen, or a faux material. We even have bonded leather.