Step 3. PAGES (BLOCK)

ON WHICH PAGE OF YOUR FILE DOES THE BLOCK BEGIN?

Your PDF file may contain not only the book’s pages but also additional elements, such as the cover, endpapers, blank pages, and service pages. To ensure error-free printing, the printing house needs to know where the main text begins. This affects the correct placement of bleed marks, binding, and other technical aspects of book production.

Page selection options:

• “At the discretion of the Printto team” – the printing house will determine the start of the book block itself.
• “Page 1 of the file” – the book starts from the first page of the PDF. Use this if the file contains only the book’s pages without a cover or other elements.
• “Page 2 / 3 / 4 of the file” – means that the first pages contain additional materials, and the book’s text begins later.

How to choose correctly:

• Page 1 – if the file contains only the book’s pages without a cover or blank pages.
• Another page – if there is a cover or endpapers at the beginning.
• “At the printer’s discretion” – if you’re unsure, this is the best option for safe printing.

Scaling a Block

• The If you select “Adapt to Selected Size” option stretches or compresses each page to fit the new format. If the difference in size is minor, it won’t be noticeable in the final result. But if the difference is significant, fonts and graphic elements may appear stretched or compressed, altering their original appearance.
• The “Fit Without Stretching” mode The image will be fitted within the selected size without changing its proportions.
  This may result in white margins on one side—depending on the aspect ratio of your file and the selected format.
  Choose this option if it’s important to you to preserve the image’s correct proportions, and white margins aren’t a concern.
• The “Original Proportions” will preserve the layout’s original proportions, without stretching or compressing along either side and without white margins. This option is suitable if you want to preserve the original appearance of the layout and its aspect ratio as much as possible. The cost for the original size is higher than for the suggested formats.

If text is flush with the edge, it may end up in the trim area or on the spine after the format is changed. Therefore, be sure to preview the page in the configurator with regular text, tables, photos, and page numbering.

PRINT COLOR

Imagine what the pages of your future book should look like. Black-and-white, vibrant color, or perhaps with a photographic effect? Here are the options I suggest:

• Black and White Printing — classic black-and-white printing. Ideal for books where text clarity is important and you want to save on ink costs.
• Color, Inkjet Printing — this option is ideal for highlighting specific elements or for illustrations in shades of gray. It looks stylish but at a lower cost than full-color printing.
• Color, Lazer Printing—for those who want the print to be as vibrant and rich as possible. This is an excellent choice for books intended as gift editions or art albums. Here, you can even create fully colored pages with a wide range of shades.

TYPE OF PAPER

Now that you have chosen the print color, let's move on to choosing the paper. Here it is important to pay attention to its density. Density is measured in grams per square meter (g/m²). To give you an idea, standard office paper has a density of 80 g/m². The higher this number, the thicker and stronger the paper will be.
Here's what you can choose in the configurator:

• White offset paper 80 g/m² — standard paper for most books. It is quite light, convenient, and widely used for printing texts.
• Munken Pure, cream paper 80 g/m² — this high-quality cream-colored paper is ideal for texts that need to be delicate and pleasing to the eye. On this paper, the text will look softer and the contrast less vivid.
• Munken Pure, cream paper 100 g/m² — a denser option that prevents show-through on the reverse side of the page. However, colors on this paper will be less saturated than on white paper.
• Munken Pure, 120 g/m² cream paper — the ideal choice for magazines with a small number of pages. This paper adds elegance and premium quality to the publication.
• Smooth white paper 100 g/m² — the perfect option for high color rendering and contrast. This paper is very smooth, and printing on it looks very clear and professional.