Book Design Services — Covers & Interiors

Get professional cover design and clean interior layout for novels, memoirs, textbooks, family histories and more. We create accessible, consistent pages and supply print-ready PDFs that meet our digital press specifications.

What’s included

Custom cover concepts aligned to your genre and audience
Spine width calculation, barcode placement and bleed setup
Interior typography with styles for headings, tables, figures and captions
Image handling and resolution checks for crisp print results
Prepress checks and delivery as press-ready PDF files

Cover design

We present concept options, refine your preferred direction, and finalise artwork to exact size with bleeds, spine and back cover elements. You can supply a synopsis, endorsements and any brand assets for us to include.

Interior layout

We set up master pages and consistent styles so your book reads smoothly and looks professional. We manage figure placement, pagination, running headers/footers and table styling to suit your binding and trim size.

File delivery and print-ready exports

Final cover and interior as press-ready PDF (fonts embedded, correct colour profile)
Source files available on request
Aligned to our digital printing specifications for reliable production

Pricing and packages

Choose a package that fits your scope, or request a custom quote for complex projects.

Order a design package online — instant quotation and checkout.

How the process works

Brief: Tell us your goals, audience, word count and any visual references.
Concepts: We present cover options and a sample interior style.
Refinements: We iterate with your feedback and finalise layout.
Prepress: We run checks, export press-ready PDFs and hand off for printing.

Helpful resources

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to supply?

Your manuscript (Word or PDF), images at 300 ppi where possible, and any brand/style references or sample covers you like.

Will I see proofs?

Yes. We provide digital PDF proofs for both cover and interior. We proceed to final export only after your approval.

Can you prepare files if my layout is done?

Yes. We can tidy styles, set bleeds and export press-ready PDFs if you already have a working file.

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Book fonts: serif vs sans serif (and sizes that work)

One of the most common questions we are asked is what font should be used in a book: “sans serif” or “serif”.

There are two primary styles of type: “sans serif” and “serif”. “Serifs” are the tiny tails on the text. Most books use an 11–12 pt serif font for the body copy and a bold sans serif for chapter titles and headers. Depending on the age of your target audience, larger type may be more suitable.

Whilst there is no set standard, there are some fonts which have stood the test of time. In the following sections we include samples of a number of fonts which are widely used and are popular with professional book designers.

Classic serif choices

Garamond

Bembo

Caslon

Janson

When to use sans serif

Sans serif faces are excellent for headings, chapter openers, pull quotes, and UI elements. They can also work for body text in highly illustrated or instructional books. Keep contrast and size generous to maintain readability.

Typesetting tips (size, leading, measure)

Body size: 11–12 pt for most trade books; consider 12–13 pt for younger readers or accessibility.
Line spacing (leading): ~130–150% of body size (e.g., 11 pt type with 14–16 pt leading) keeps paragraphs open.
Measure (line length): Aim for ~55–75 characters per line for comfortable reading.
Hyphenation & justification: Enable hyphenation cautiously to avoid rivers; use optical margin alignment if available.
Figures & quotes: If your font offers them, use old-style figures and proper typographic quotes for a bookish feel.
Contrast: Ensure sufficient contrast between text and paper tone; avoid printing mid-grey text on uncoated stocks.

Font licensing

Make sure you have the appropriate license for any commercial fonts used in your book. If you prefer free options, choose high-quality, open-licensed families from reputable sources and test print a few pages before finalising.

Deciding on the Size of Your Book (Trim Size Guide)

The first and most important step in designing your book is deciding on its size. The dimensions—your trim size—must be set before layout, formatting or any other design work. Trim size affects visual appeal, practicality, production costs and readability.

Genre conventions help narrow the choice. Below is a quick guide (imperial and metric shown):

Recommended book sizes by genre

Novels & fiction: Compact for easy handling. Common: 5″×8″ (127×203 mm) or 5.5″×8.5″ (140×216 mm). Economical to print, good for shorter page counts so the book doesn’t feel too thin.
Nonfiction & memoirs: Slightly larger for readability and more content per page. Common: 6″×9″ (152×229 mm) or 7″×10″ (178×254 mm).
Children’s books: Larger, often square, to suit illustrations. Popular: 8″×8″ (203×203 mm), 8.5″×11″ (216×279 mm), or 210×210 mm.
Photography & art: Bigger pages or landscape for images. Examples: 11″×8.5″ (279×216 mm), 12″×12″ (305×305 mm), or A4 landscape 297×210 mm. Note: landscape formats can cost more to produce due to press sheet limits and cover/finishing considerations.
Academic & reference: Functional and spacious for charts/tables. Typical: 8.5″×11″ (216×279 mm) or A4 210×297 mm.

Metric overview of common book sizes

Category	Metric sizes
Novels	127×203 mm, 140×216 mm
Nonfiction	152×229 mm, 178×254 mm
Children’s	203×203 mm, 210×210 mm, 216×279 mm
Art/Photography	210×297 mm (A4), 300×300 mm
Textbooks/Reference	210×297 mm (A4), 216×279 mm

Setting up page size and margins in Microsoft Word

Once you’ve chosen a size, set the page dimensions in Word to match. The steps below reflect your directions, including mirror margins of 20 mm and a gutter of 0 mm:

Open your document in Microsoft Word.
Go to Layout on the ribbon.
Click Size in the Page Setup group.
Select a predefined size or choose More Paper Sizes to enter custom dimensions (e.g., 152×229 mm for 6″×9″).
Click Margins in the Page Setup group.
Select Custom Margins… at the bottom.
In the dialog, set Top, Bottom, Left, Right to 20 mm.
Change Multiple pages to Mirror margins so inner/outer margins adjust for binding.
Set the Gutter value to 0 mm.
Click OK to apply.

Note: Mirror margins ensure the inner margins are wider on printed spreads to accommodate binding and improve readability. For smaller page counts, the gutter can remain at zero because spine curvature is minimal.

Have you ever noticed that the internal binding margins of books with high page counts are wider than those of thinner books? This is not a coincidence - it is a deliberate design choice made by publishers to ensure that the book is durable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. In this article, we will explore why the internal binding margins need to increase as the page count goes up.

The internal binding margin is the blank space between the text or images and the spine of the book. It is important because it allows the pages to be bound together securely without impinging on the text or images. As the number of pages in a book increases, the paper thickness also increases, which means that the space between the spine and the text needs to be wider to accommodate the binding process. If the binding margin is too narrow, the pages will not be able to lay flat, which can be frustrating for readers and can lead to pages falling out of the book.

In addition to its functional purpose, the internal binding margin also has aesthetic value. A wider margin can make the book look more professional and polished, and it can also give the reader a more comfortable and enjoyable reading experience. A book with a narrow internal margin can be difficult to read, as the reader has to hold the book open with more force to keep the text visible. This can lead to discomfort or even pain in the hands and wrists, which can discourage readers from finishing the book.

Another factor that affects the internal binding margin is the type of binding used. For example, perfect binding (glue binding) requires a wider margin than saddle stitching (staple binding) to ensure that the pages stay together. This is because perfect binding creates a larger "spine creep" than saddle stitching, which means that the paper thickness increases towards the center of the book.

The internal binding margin is a crucial design element in book publishing, particularly in books with high page counts. Increasing the internal binding margin ensures that the book is functional, durable, and aesthetically pleasing, while also providing a comfortable reading experience for the reader. Publishers should consider the paper thickness, binding type, and overall design of the book when determining the appropriate internal binding margin. By doing so, they can create books that are not only visually appealing but also functional and enjoyable to read.

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