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Files accepted for Books:

• DOC (Word Document)
• RTF (Rich Text Format)
• WPS (Works Document)
• PDF (Portable Document Format)
• PS (Postscript)
• JPG (Joint Photographics Expert Group)
• GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
• PNG (Portable Network Graphic)

Files accepted for Book Covers:

• JPG (Joint Photographics Expert Group)
• GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)
• PNG (Portable Network Graphic)
• PDF (Only for One Piece Covers)

Files accepted for Photo books & Calendars:

• JPG
• GIF
• PNG

Files accepted for Audio CDs:

• WAV (WAVE)
• MP3 (Audio File)
• AIF (Audio File)

Files accepted for Video DVDs:

• .ISO (Disc Image File)
• Single ZIP file containing VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS

Last updated: 2009-11-10 11:01:58 | 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: 2009-11-10 11:06:10 | 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.)

Last updated: 2009-11-10 11:06:14 | 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: 2009-11-10 11:05:52 | Back to top

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. The following steps provide general instruction; review FTP client directions 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.
4. Successfully uploaded files no longer show in your FTP client because they are stored in My Files.

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

Last updated: 2009-11-10 11:01:44 | 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: 2009-11-10 11:06:11 | Back to top