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How to Format Files For Coil Bound Books
How to Format Files For Coil Bound Books

Learn how to format your coil bound book files and get them ready for book printing

L
Written by Lewis McCarthy
Updated over a week ago

When printing coil bound books you will need to take the coils into account when preparing your files. You will need to format your inside pages and cover pages separately.

To format your files for print, you will need to do the following the instructions below.

Inside Pages

Here's how you can format your inside pages:

• Select ‘Page Layout’ and set your document size to A4 (297mm x 210mm) or A5 (148mm x 210mm). If your files have images or coloured backgrounds that run to the edge of your page, you will need to add 2.5mm bleed to each edge. This is done by setting a custom size of 302mm x 215mm for A4 or 153mm x 215mm for A5.

• Next, you will need to set the margins to 15mm on all sides except for the inside edge (binding edge) which will need to be 18mm. This is all done in ‘Page Layout’ and ‘Margins’.

• You will want to ensure all pages have this margin, which is done by setting the margins to ‘Mirrored’.

• As mentioned, you need to take the coil into account. It cuts into the binding edge by 7mm. This means any images that stretch to the edge of the page on the binding edge will be cut into!

Now let's format your cover too!

Your Cover Page

• Set your cover size to 297mm x 210mm for A4 and 148mm x 210mm for A5.

• Like the inside pages, you will need to add bleed to your cover if the image runs to the edges. You will need to follow the same process as you did for the inside pages (described above) but this time add 3mm of bleed to be safe.

• You will need to provide your covers as two separate files, one for the front cover and one for the back cover.

With these instructions followed, you should have a fully formatted coil bound book pages for print

You can always contacts us on 01733 898102 if you need any assistance or download one of our templates online. 

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