Design Choices: First Steps

First things first, let's look at your BOOK SIZE
There are some standard book sizes that might help you decide what would be best size for your book.
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Trade paperbacks are usually 5.5 x 8.5 to 6x9 and are the most popular book size. The 6 x 9 size - with a 2:3 ratio has long been considered ideal for a book page. This size is recommended for most novel type books,non-fiction books and devotionals.
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Workbooks/Manuals usually require a little more room. Ideally, 8.5 x 11 is recommended, allowing space for Bible Studies and writing within the pages.
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Children's books are best suited at 8x10 or 8x8- even up to 12 x 12.
These are the most popular book sizes, although we can discuss other options to bring your book to life!

Paper thickness is the next item to consider
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Overwhelmingly, PHCS recommends a 70 pound paper weight. The presentation surpasses that of a lighter weight paper. If, however you would like to cut corners, or if you are making a hand-out for work/conferences a 50 pound weight would suffice.
Let's break it down by asking a few questions:
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Is this book a give away for conferences, etc? (50#)
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Does your book contain a lot of color and illustration? (70#)
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Are there a lot of photos planned for your book? (70#)
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Do you mind "ghosting" or bleed through. This is when you can see what is happening on the opposite page - a sort of ghost image that shows through. (Thinner papers will have ghosting) (No ghosting = 70#)

Paper color
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What color do you want the inside pages to be?
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White
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Cream/Natural
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Colored (color choices are limited)

We have to talk about color…
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If you DO NOT have photos/illustrations or color within the pages of your book, you don't have to concern yourself with color options. If you DO have color within your pages there are two options:
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Standard color—upon close inspection you may see the individual dots that make up the images in your book.
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Premium color- is much smoother, the colors flow seamlessly together. If your book is driven by the photos/illustrations the extra cost will be worth it for your images to be as clean as possible.
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For the cleanest/sharpest images, choose premium color with heavier weight paper. (70#)
Note: premium color is more expensive- but well worth it for your final product!

Type of book
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Select the style of book you wish to publish:
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Hardcover
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Paperback
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eBook