Cover Art FAQs

[Nick Popio]

What format should I save my covers in?
PNG, GIF, or JPG. JPG is a lossy format which may contribute to shadows or ghosting around elements in your artwork; GIF is a compressed format limited to 256 colors.

For optimal cover printing use PNG with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Files with lower resolution will be rejected for being too small.

See important information here about cover sizing:
http://www.lulu.com/help/node/view/1727

ISBN Plus cover information:
http://www.lulu.com/help/node/view/1730

I created my cover in Word. Can I use that?
No.

How about PDF?
No.

My cover art isn’t centered.
When your cover was printed, additional material was needed for final trimming. If you uploaded a 6x9 cover, it was stretched a bit to provide that extra trim material. If your original artwork was centered, that centerline moved when the cover was stretched, and when the extra material was trimmed off, your artwork was no longer centered.

Either move your art about 1/8 inch toward the spine, or create an oversize cover (6.125 x 9.25 inches) and center your art 3 inches from the spine. Uncheck the stretch-to-fit box during the cover upload process if your cover is oversize.

Can I make changes to my covers?
http://www.lulu.com/help/node/view/139#revise

Start in My Projects by clicking on the wrench edit icon next to your book, and then simply go through the republishing steps. When you reach the Edit Cover stage, upload the correct file – it will overwrite the old file.

Can I include text on the back of a Lulu-supplied cover?
Yes, when you are in the Cover Art stage of the publishing process, click Edit Cover Images and then clicking Add back cover photo and description (Optional) to add text to the back of your book.

Does Lulu print anything on the covers?
Lulu prints the book’s ID number and their web address at the bottom of the back cover. Check some of the books on the site to see it (you can click on View Back Cover). ISBN bar codes are also printed on the back, in the lower right corner. Allow an inch on the bottom of the back cover for Lulu’s use.

What does the spine look like?
If you have at least 36 pages, but fewer than 60, your perfect-bound book won’t have printing on the spine. If your book has at least 60 pages, you have the option to include a Lulu logo. You may choose from a variety of spine text fonts and colors during the publish process.

Can I upload covers before I upload book text?
You’ll be required to upload a text file, but you can upload a small document and proceed to the covers step, then replace the content later. (This is also a good method for purchasing your Basic ISBN for inclusion in your front matter.) If you want a spine to work on, your content upload must be at least 36 pages.

How can I make the spine color match my covers?
If you know the color code, type it in instead of clicking on the little color blocks. There are two excellent threads where brilliant Lulu members have solved the dilemma of matching colors with unknown color codes:
http://www.lulu.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8537
http://www.lulu.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8142

Why aren’t solid color covers available in the Lulu Gallery?
They are, but you have to work for them. http://www.lulu.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7149

Where can I see examples of your free covers and templates for creating my own cover?
Free Cover Gallery link - http://www.lulu.com/author/cover_browse.php
Cover Template link - http://www.lulu.com/help/node/view/1439

[Fredrik Stenshamn]

Please add this question to the list:

Does Lulu recommend submitting cover art images in RGB or CMYK format?

(The reason I'm asking is that I submitted a RGB PNG file with a (supposedly) maroon background that turned out quite brown. Trying to figure out how that happened and if this is the reason.)

[Gregory Banks]

It should be RGB, Fredrik, not CMYK. Can you try printing that image at a high quality on your home printer to see if the color comes out properly?
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[Fredrik Stenshamn]

I did prior to submitting it to Lulu and it came out the way I intended. It was the original Photoshop file, before converting to PNG, but it was in RGB. The conversion from PSD to PNG normally wouldn't change the color that drastically, would it?

[Gregory Banks]

I don't think so, Fredrik. Do me a favor and start a new thread and describe your problem again there. One of us will then get it to Support tomorrow.
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[Fredrik Stenshamn]

Ehm... Actually I should just delete all my posts here right now. Brown was the intention of the designer (althogh I could have sworn he said maroon) and I'm a bit colorblind. So it was all a big misunderstanding! Sorry.

Excuse me now while I go wipe the egg off my face...

[P.G. Holyfield]

RGB and not CMYK? That isn't very good, is it?

[Gregory Banks]

Actually, my experience testing color is that RGB provides excellent quality, and also, having done some research on this elsewhere, my understanding is that professional grade printers are designed to handle RGB and the necesary conversions with no problem. If it were a quality issue, I'm pretty sure Lulu would do it differently, because they do use a professional printer.
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[P.G. Holyfield]

[Guest]

Is it possible to use a black and white photo for the cover and is there a price break for not using color?