Trim, Gutter and File Size

Color Management & File Specs

Applies to: Albums, Fine Art Albums, Books, Folios, Matted Prints

• We recommend keeping your screen brightness around 50%.
• To ensure color accuracy, it's important to calibrate your display regularly. 
• Edit using sRGB and export files as high resolution JPGs at 300DPI.
• For specific sizing templates and spread sizes, download our design templates located here. 
• Smart Albums, Fundy, or Album Stomp have all specs hardcoded into their software. 

Trim & Bleed

Applies to: Albums, Fine Art Albums, Books

• Trim Margins 
  • During production, we trim an estimated 1/4” off of all books. Please keep anything out of this area that is not intended to be full bleed. 
  • To create a full bleed image in an album, the photo MUST extend to the very edge of the layout file. Be aware that the trim margin still applies, and the outermost 1/4" may be cut off.
• Safety Margins
  • We recommend keeping all images out of the Safety area. If any photo is not flush to the edge (full bleed), we recommend a border of 3/4” (at a minimum) to 1”.

Gutters, Creases & Panoramic Layouts

• Layflat Spreads (Albums)
  
  • When designing layflat spreads, panoramic images can be used spanning the centerline.
  • Our album spreads creased, never cut. This allows images to span the center, but there is no visible gap between the left and right pages.
  • We recommend keeping dark shadows away from the crease.  
  • For the cleanest designs with an invisible crease, leave the center of your spreads white. 
• Fine Art Spreads (Fine Art Albums)
  • Keep images off the crease for Hahnemühle paper. This will help your album retain crisp, seamless spreads that will last a lifetime. Images over the crease may be prone to cracking over time. This will not compromise the integrity of the album but it may not be visually desirable. 
  • Stay away from full bleed spreads/pages. Keeping images at least 1″ from the edge of the spread will ensure your album will not suffer from potential ink flaking on the edges. As well, while turning pages this helps keep fingers off the ink and instead on just the paper.
• Magazine-style Spreads (Books)
  • Important: magazine-style spreads do NOT lay flat when open.
  • 3/4" of each page will fall into the center gutter, so keep important elements 3/4" away from either side of the centerline.
  • It's okay to use panoramic designs that span the gutter as long as you keep these guidelines in mind.