Help

For absolute control over the look of your printed material, create and upload a print-ready PDF. If you upload a document that is not a PDF, the Lulu converter generates a print-ready PDF. For guidelines on uploading software or multimedia content for downloadable or disc products, please see the individual Product FAQs.

Note: If you plan to upload your source document and let Lulu convert it to a PDF, embed any separate images into your source document before uploading. Do not include or link to external files by reference. If you do not embed all of your images, your project will not print as expected.

Upload a file in any of the following formats, according to your project type

Books

• Microsoft Word (.doc or .rtf)
• Rich Text Format (.rtf)
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Works
• WordPerfect (.wpd)
• OpenOffice (.rtf or .doc)
• PDF (.pdf)

Photo books/Calendars/Author Photos

• JPG (Joint Photographics Expert Group)
• GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
• PNG (Portable Network Graphic)

Front and Back Covers

• JPG
• GIF
• PNG

Artwork

• TIFF
• PNG
• JPG
• GIF (accepted but not recommended)

Audio CDs

• WAV
• MP3
• AIF

Video DVDs

• .ISO
• Single zip file containing VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS

One-Piece Covers

• PDF

Last updated: 2008-08-20 11:13:56 | Back to top

Provide an appropriately sized source document.

Your source document page size much match the project's format size. For example, if you upload an 8.5 x 11 document then select 6 x 9 as the book size, Lulu scales your document to approximately 75% of the original size. The printed book will have unexpectedly small fonts and images. For more information about available book sizes, please see Hardcover Printing Specifications and Paperback Printing Specifications.

Set document pages to Portrait orientation, not Landscape.

POD printers tend to print landscape pages sideways, so even if you are creating a wide format book (9 x 7), the uploaded source document page orientation must be set to Portrait, with page dimensions defined with the wider width than height.

Use standard or common fonts.

If your uploaded source document contains unusual fonts, your book won't look like you expected. Use fonts that are readily available (almost anything provided by default in Microsoft® Windows® works). If you have unique or hard-to-find fonts in your document, provide a print-ready PDF of your work instead, making sure it meets our requirements — in particular, that the PDF includes the embedded fonts. For more information about PDFs and fonts, see How can I be sure my PDF will print correctly?

Embed your graphics.

Always embed any images or other graphics that you use rather than linking (or referring) to them. When you save the document, an embedded graphic is part of the document file. When you save a document with a linked graphic, the document file only contains a pointer to the graphic file, and the document file and graphic file remain separate. When you upload the document to Lulu, linked graphics do not upload.

When providing several files for a book, check page numbering.

You can upload more than one file for a book. Lulu assembles the files in the order you specify and builds the final PDF. Drag and drop the files to arrange them into the order you want. Conversion does not change or update page numbering. Here are tips for using multiple source files for your project.

• Assuming each document begins a new section or chapter, each file should have an even number of pages. This ensures that the chapter starts on an odd-numbered (right side) page when the book is printed. If you have an odd number of pages in a particular file, insert a blank page at the end of it.
• Make sure the page numbering is correct within each file and across the files if you are numbering it sequentially. For example, if File1 is pages 1 through 10, then File2 should begin with page 11.
• You can use chapter numbers in your page numbering (page 1-1, page 2-1, and so on) instead of sequential numbering. If you do this, make sure the order in which the documents are listed in the Content section of Project Details matches your chapter order.

See also: What types of files can I upload?

Last updated: 2008-08-20 11:13:56 | Back to top

My Files is an online repository for files you are using or intend to use in your projects.

• Upload files from your computer to your Lulu account.
• View files by type or project.
• Use the files in your book, photo book, and CD/DVD projects.

Note: Uploaded files not associated with a project remain in My Files for 21 days, then are removed automatically.

To use My Files in your book project. During the second step, Choose & Arrange Your Files, click the Choose from My Lulu Files link under the Choose Files title to see the list of files you already uploaded. Click on one or more names of files you want to use in your project, then click the >Add File to Project< button. When you add files to your project in the publishing wizard, they automatically appear in My Files.

To use My Files in your photo book project. When you use Lulu Studio™ to produce a photo book, you may include images that you previously uploaded to your account.

• To select images when you first create your photo book, click on the My Lulu Images tab at the top of the Images dialog box that displays in the second step.
• To select images from within the Lulu Studio™ working preview, use the program's File, Add Images command or click the >Add Images< button.

Note: If you upload files from your computer within Lulu Studio™, you will not see them in your My Lulu Files list. Licensed images are not drawn into the list either.

To review and use My Lulu Files from within the My Lulu tab. Click My Files at the top of the page, below the My Files title.

• Sort the file list by clicking on one of the column titles: Name, Type, Projects, and Uploaded. Click again to toggle between ascending and descending sort direction.
• Display thumbnails of the files by clicking on the >Thumbnail View< button, located in the column title row at the far right. Return to the list view by clicking the adjacent >List View< button.
• Add files to the list. Click the >Upload Files< button to open a standard file browsing window and select files from your computer.
• Delete one or more files by clicking the check box next to each file name you wish to delete. Click the Delete button.

You may also arrange the list of files using one of 3 grouping methods, available through links in the left column.

• Type refers to file type (for example, data, document, image, or PDF).
• Project groups files that are within the same project.
• Folder provides a view of your files according to folders you may have created in previous versions of My Files. (You cannot create new folders now.)

Note: You may not access My Files contents when you create a calendar.

Last updated: 2008-08-20 11:13:57 | Back to top

Lulu does not accept files provided by any method other than the ones provided on the site. These include the following.

• The wizards and Lulu Studio™. See the specific FAQs for more information.
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol). See How can I upload large files more quickly and easily? / Can I upload my files with FTP?
• My Files, in your My Lulu account tab, provides a third method. See What is My Files and how do I use it?

If you find that you can't upload your files directly from your computer, you may copy your files onto a CD or flash drive and upload them from a public Internet computer found, for example, at a library or internet café. Allow about an hour for the entire process, although the actual upload time is much less.

As you may find public Internet time in your area limited or costly, we suggest that you practice from your home computer using a simple dummy book (with small files) to learn the process and make creating your actual book faster. Of course, you may also upload files using one computer then work with your project on another computer.

Last updated: 2008-08-20 11:13:46 | Back to top

You may use an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client to upload files between 200MB and 2GB, resume incomplete uploads, and upload large batches of files to My Files. (Remember that calendar projects cannot access My Files.)

Note: We recommend that you do not use a web browser to connect to your FTP upload directory as this can cause authentication failures.

The following steps provide general instruction; please review the directions in your chosen FTP client for specific information about using the program.

1. Connect to ftpupload.lulu.com with a full-featured FTP client (such as SmartFTP or FileZilla). Use your Lulu login and password for authentication. (You may provide your storefront name instead of your email as your login.)
2. Follow the instructions in the FTP client to select and upload files and/or folders of files.
3. Once a file uploads completely, it automatically moves into your My Files list.

Note: Successfully uploaded files no longer show in your FTP client because they are stored in My Files.

Please see What is My Files and how do I use it? for more information.

Last updated: 2008-08-20 11:13:46 | Back to top

You may upload your files to your account's My Files area before you begin, for everything except Calendars. For more information, please see the following FAQs.

• What is My Files and how do I use it?
• How can I upload large files more quickly and easily? / Can I upload my files with FTP?

Last updated: 2008-08-20 11:13:47 | Back to top

Conversion may take a considerable amount of time, depending on the size and complexity of your document — up to an hour or two in some cases.

Lulu sends you an email when the conversion completes. If you would prefer not to receive these emails, opt out of them in the Email Notification section of My Account, found in the My Lulu tab.

If the conversion process seems to take far too long, let us know by reporting your problem to the forums. Be sure to provide your book title, content ID number and a complete description of what happened, including any messages you may have recieved.

Last updated: 2008-08-20 11:13:57 | Back to top

The most efficient way to print through Lulu is to let us convert your source document to a PDF. Our system accepts different types of documents, but we have the greatest success with pdf or doc formats.

However, if your project has special requirements, you may create and upload your own print-ready content and cover PDFs. Most printing failures do stem from creator-provided PDFs. We send an email to you if our printer rejects a PDF that you uploaded.

Note: If we emailed you and told you your book will not print, we also set your project's availability status to Private Access and provided a refund to the purchaser. After you correct the problem with your document, you may reset the availability status. (What does each status in the Project List mean?)

Common printing issues and ways to fix them are as follows.

Password protected files cannot print.

Create a new revision of your book. (How do I create a new revision?) Delete the current password protected file. Upload a non-password protected file. Republish.

Multiple source documents cause garbled text.

If you used multiple source documents to create the print-ready PDF you uploaded, your PDF probably contains the same font embedded multiple times. Create a new revision of your book (How do I create a new revision?). Remove the current source files. On your computer, bring the separate source files into a new single source file and print it to PDF. Upload the new PDF and republish your project.
If you uploaded multiple source documents and found the result unacceptable, you will need to consolidate all of your source files into one file. At Lulu, create a new revision of your book and remove the source files. Upload your single source file and republish your project.

Embedded subset fonts cause printing problems.

Our printer often rejects files that don't have the complete font embedded in the PDF. (How do I embed fonts in a PDF?) We recommend the following fonts: Arial, Book Antiqua, Bookman Old Style, Century, Courier, Garamond, Palatino, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Verdana, Symbol. Some PDF-creation software consistently causes printing problems.

• Apple's Pages software creates PDFs that often cause problems in commercial printing. The primary problem with these PDFs is multiple embedded subsets of fonts.
• Mac Quartz software often produces squares, odd formatting and strange-looking letters when commercially printed.
  Quartz implements a set of rules for describing how pictures and text are displayed in a monitor and printed on desktop printers, but these rules are inadequate for a professional prepress environment. We urge you to find an alternative method. Find more information here.
  Note: Lulu has discontinued font substitution because many creators complained that they did not want us to change the fonts that they specifically selected for their work. Quartz PDFs that may have printed in the past (with font substitution) will fail to print now.

Old versions of Ghostscript convey source document settings that commercial printers cannot parse.

Two free applications use a version of Ghostscript: CutePDF and PDF995. Both are bundled with a version of Ghostscript that is below version 8.X. If you use either of these applications or a different version of Ghostscript below 8.X, you will need to upgrade your software before you revise your book. (How do I create a new revision?) Remove the current source files from your project. Recreate your PDF and upload it. Republish.

• Ghostscript: click here to find out how to get the latest version
• CutePDF: click here to find out how to get the latest version
• PDF995: click here to find out how to get the latest version

Last updated: 2008-08-20 11:13:57 | Back to top

PostScript™ is a widely used method to turn computer files produced by a variety of applications into files that a printer can print — many desktop printers have this language embedded in them. Ghostscript, a freeware protected by a GNU General Public License, interprets PostScript to produce bitmaps for display or printing. To use Ghostscript, provide a set of graphics commands into another application which works through Ghostscript to produce a bitmap. (Click here for more information about Ghostscript.)

Ghostscript is particularly useful if you want to:

• display a PostScript file;
• display a PostScript file to decide if you really need to print it;
• print a PostScript file to a non-PostScript printer.

As with most applications, recent versions of Ghostscript are more effective than earlier versions. This FAQ helps you upgrade Ghostscript.

Upgrade Ghostscript converters with CutePDF Writer™ and PDF995

You must first obtain the newest version compatible with your system. Please visit SourceForge.net to download the current version of Ghostscript that is appropriate for your operating system.

Upgrading PDF995

Install Ghostscript according to your operating system requirements. Once it is installed, update PDF995 to use the new version by following the steps below.

1. Go into the PDF995 folder and delete all of the files in your c:\\pdf995\\convert\\ folder.
2. Copy all of the files in your Ghostscript c:\\gs folder to the c:\\pdf995\\convert\\ folder.
3. Restart your text application and create a new PDF file from the source document.

Upgrading CutePDF Writer

Install Ghostscript according to your operating system requirements. Once it is installed, update your CutePDF to recognize the new version. CutePDF Writer automatically detects the default installation of Ghostscript. Create a Setup.ini file (with Word or another text application) in the "Program Files\\Acro Software\\CutePDF Writer" folder and put the following parameters in it.

1. Command = put exe filename here (e.g. C:\\gs\\bin\\gswin32c.exe)
2. Arguments = put arguments here (e.g. -sOutputFile="%1" -c save pop -f -) (click here for a list of Ghostscript arguments)
3. Make sure the .exe file that the Command points to is the new version of Ghostscript..

Last updated: 2008-08-20 11:13:58 | Back to top