How to Prepare Your Manuscript for Printing (PDF, Fonts, Margins)

The number-one cause of book printing delays in India isn't the press — it's the file. A manuscript prepared correctly prints on the first attempt. One prepared incorrectly bounces back two or three times. Here's how to prepare yours.

1. Export as PDF (never Word)

Word documents render differently on different computers — fonts shift, line breaks change, page numbers misalign. A PDF preserves the exact layout. Always submit a PDF, never .docx or .pages.

In Word: File → Export → PDF. In Google Docs: File → Download → PDF.

2. Embed all fonts

The most common print error: "Font X is missing." This happens when your PDF references a font instead of embedding it. To embed:

• Word: File → Options → Save → "Embed fonts in the file"
• Adobe InDesign: File → Export → PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 (these standards force embedding)
• Google Docs: doesn't fully support font embedding — convert to InDesign or Word for serious typography work

Safest choice: use common fonts (Garamond, Times New Roman, Source Sans Pro, Source Serif Pro) that every printer has anyway.

3. Set the correct page size

The most common Indian book size is "Demy Octavo" (135 × 215 mm). The Western equivalent is "Trade Paperback" (5×8 inch or 6×9 inch). Confirm with your printer which they use. Set your document page size to this before writing/laying out — switching later breaks pagination.

4. Margins matter

Standard interior margins for an Indian paperback:

• Outer (right page right edge / left page left edge): 15mm
• Inner (gutter, near the spine): 18–22mm (more space to prevent text falling into the binding)
• Top: 18mm
• Bottom: 18mm

Don't go tighter than this. Books with 10mm margins look cramped and lose text into the spine.

5. Bleed and trim

If any content (background colour, photo) extends to the very edge of the page, add a 3mm "bleed" — extra content outside the page boundary that gets trimmed off. Without bleed, you get thin white strips at the edges of your printed pages.

6. Page count must be divisible by 4

Books are printed in sheets of 4 pages (2 pages per side, double-sided). If your manuscript has 247 pages, the press adds 1 blank page at the end. Plan for this — and consider whether you'd prefer 244 pages (drop a page) or 248 pages (add a "Notes" page).

7. Image resolution: 300 DPI minimum

For interior photos or illustrations, the file needs to be 300 dots-per-inch (DPI) at the final size. A 4×6 inch photo needs to be 1200×1800 pixels minimum. Many publishers reject lower-resolution images automatically.

8. CMYK for full-colour, greyscale for B&W

If your book has full-colour photos: convert all images to CMYK colour space (Photoshop: Image → Mode → CMYK). If your book is black-and-white: convert all images to greyscale. Mixed RGB images cause unpredictable colour shifts when printed.

The full checklist

1. PDF exported, fonts embedded
2. Page size matches the printer's spec
3. Margins meet the minimums above
4. Bleed added if any content extends to page edges
5. Total page count divisible by 4
6. All images at 300 DPI minimum
7. Colour space appropriate to interior (CMYK or greyscale)
8. Cover designed separately as its own PDF with bleed and crop marks

Send a print-ready PDF that meets these checks and your book usually goes to press on the first attempt.