by Cecile Kaufman
The success of your book design and production depends to some extent on the materials that you deliver to the designer. These are some general guidelines.
The success of your book design and production depends to some extent on the materials that you deliver to the designer. These are some general guidelines.
Start with the Trim Size
The first thing your book designer needs to know, before
beginning the design, is what the size of your book will be. Just as you would
not buy the materials to build a shed without first deciding how big it should
be, so does your designer need to know what page size she will be working with
before beginning the design. There are standard book sizes; for instance, a
typical trade paperback book would be 6 inches ×
9 inches or 5.5 inches × 8.5 inches. Because some
book printers can print more efficiently at one of these sizes than at the
other, you will also want to choose your printer right at the beginning of the
process. Also, if you want to get a quote from a printer, have your designer do so before you create your book, because you will need to know the trim size.
Raster and Vector
If you have images in your book each one will be either a raster image or a vector image.
Raster images are made up of tiny squares (pixels), and the resolution of a
raster image is measured in pixels per inch (ppi) or dots per inch (dpi). These
images are typically photographs or illustrations that have been scanned.
Although there may be some leeway, depending on the image and how it will be
printed, a general rule of thumb is that
raster images need to be 300 ppi or dpi at the size at which
they will be printed or larger. The size is important: larger is
always acceptable, but smaller is not. This is because you cannot enlarge a
raster image very much before it begins to look pixelated (jagged, broken into
small squares).
Name Your Files Intentionally
A consistent and
understandable convention for naming files is very helpful and is the easiest
way to avoid having images placed in the wrong places. A typical naming
scheme would be to number the images, using three digits, like this:
greatbook_006.tif
greatbook_007.tif
greatbook_008.tif
greatbook_009.tif
greatbook_010.tif
greatbook_011.tif
greatbook_012.tif
In this way, when importing
images into the page layout program, the designer will see a list that is in
order, and can easily pick the correct number from the list. In the manuscript
Word file, there should be a corresponding note to indicate approximately where
the image should be placed, such as “insert ‘greatbook_006.tif ’ about here.”
Style Your File
Style your Word document: give each paragraph a paragraph style,
or have your copy editor do so. You do not want your designer to be deciding whether
an element should be a first-level heading or second-level heading, That
decision is one you or your editor should make. If you are using Word, select
the text, and choose the style from the drop-down menu to apply it.
Stick to the Stages
Developmental editing comes before copyediting, which always
comes before layout. Design also comes before layout, and design changes
usually should not be made after layout has begun. Making many copyediting
changes after the pages have been laid out will incur extra costs and takes
more time; it also increases the risk of mistakes especially in books which have
many images (because significant changes will cause reflow of the text).
Proofreading comes after the pages are laid out. Making changes after the
proofreading stage should be done very carefully and someone should check the
surrounding pages to make sure no text has reflowed.
The Cleaner the Manuscript . . .
In general the cleaner the manuscript is at the
beginning, the cleaner it will be at each of the following stages, and the
smoother the production process will be. If you understand these basics of book
production then you will have a head
start on a successfully produced
book.Cecile Kaufman is a graphic designer, editor, project manager, and print buyer with over twenty years experience in publishing and commercial graphic arts. In 1999 she founded X-Height Studio, which specializes in publication design and offers full publishing services from concept to final printed product. The studio has provided print design and production, editorial services, project management, and print buying services for a wide range of clients.
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