SparkPrep logoFirst Book Guideby SparkPrep Check my book

First Book Guide › Self-publishing words to know

Glossary

Self-publishing words to know (22 terms, one line each)

Printers speak their own language. Here are the words you'll meet on KDP, IngramSpark and in rejection emails, each in one plain sentence.

Quick answer

Bleed is extra background past the edge that gets trimmed off. Trim size is the finished book size. The gutter is the inside margin by the spine. DPI is picture detail (print needs 300). CMYK is print color. PDF/X-1a is the print-standard PDF.

Want the answer for your book? Upload it and SparkPrep checks it against your printer's own rules.Scan my book free

Trim size

The finished size of your book after it's cut, for example 6" x 9".

Bleed

Extra background (0.125") that runs past the edge of the cover or page so the printer can trim it off cleanly.

Safe zone (safety margin)

The area inside the trim where words and faces are safe from being cut. IngramSpark wants 0.5" from every edge.

Gutter

The inside margin, next to the spine. Thicker books need a bigger gutter.

Spine width

How thick the book is: page count times the thickness of one page. It changes with paper and printer.

Full cover (wrap)

The single cover file for a print book: back cover, spine and front cover side by side, plus bleed.

Interior (bookblock)

The inside pages of your book, uploaded as one PDF.

DPI

Dots per inch: how much detail a picture has at its printed size. Print needs 300.

RGB

Screen color, made with red, green and blue light. Printers convert it to ink.

CMYK

Print color, made with cyan, magenta, yellow and black ink.

Total ink (TAC)

All four inks added together at one spot. IngramSpark's limit is 240%.

Rich black

Black made with all four inks instead of black ink alone. Looks deep, but can break ink limits.

Grayscale

Black ink only, in shades of gray. The safe way to save a black and white interior.

Embedded font

A font carried inside the PDF, so the printer prints your words exactly as you set them.

Flattening

Merging layers, shadows and see-through effects into one finished image so they print correctly.

PDF/X-1a

A print-standard type of PDF: fonts embedded, CMYK or gray color, no live transparency. IngramSpark prefers it.

Preflight

Checking your files against the printer's rules before you upload, so they're accepted the first time.

Proof copy

A printed copy you order before publishing, to check how the book really looks.

ISBN

The 13-digit number that identifies one edition of your book. Paperback, hardcover and ebook each need their own.

Imprint

The publisher name printed on your book. It can be your own name or a small business name you choose.
Each copy is printed when someone orders it, so you never buy stock up front. KDP and IngramSpark both work this way.

Going wide

Selling through more than Amazon, usually by adding IngramSpark to reach other stores and libraries.

Where you'll meet these words

Find out what's wrong with your files before the printer does

SparkPrep checks your cover and every interior page against the exact rules Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Barnes & Noble Press and Lulu use, tells you each problem in plain English, and can fix it for you.

Scan my book free See how SparkPrep works

The scan is free and shows how many problems your files have. To see every problem and where it is, the audit is $1.99 ($3.99 after January 1). The Advanced Audit checks every page, up to 300, for $9.99.

Questions people ask

What does bleed mean in a book?

Extra background, usually 0.125 inch, that runs past the edge of the cover or page so the printer can trim it off cleanly without leaving a white line.

What is trim size?

The finished size of the book after it's cut, such as 6 by 9 inches.

More on this site

Your first print book, step by stepA plain-English roadmap for first-time self-publishers: from finished manuscript to a printed book on Amazon KDP or IngramSpark in 10 steps.What it costs to make a book print-readyFreelancer, package, DIY and SparkPrep costs, with sources.How long it takes to self-publishA realistic week-by-week timeline, and where the time really goes.KDP or IngramSpark for a first bookWhich printer suits a first book, and how to use both safely.10 first-book mistakesThe ten traps, why they happen and how to sidestep each one.

Free help from SparkPrep

Book Preflight, ExplainedWhat book preflight is, who needs it and what gets checked before KDP or IngramSpark prints your book.Print File FixesStep-by-step fixes for bleed, margins, fonts, transparency, picture quality, color and spine problems.Print Cover SizesFull cover size charts, spine widths, barcode space and hardcover rules for KDP and IngramSpark.Rejection Messages DecodedWhat KDP and IngramSpark rejection messages really mean, in plain English, and what to do next.Free book toolsCover calculator, spine width, margins, DPI checker and page count, on sparkprep.legenddary.com.

Last updated 2026-11-01. Written by Joshua Davis, founder of SparkPrep. Numbers come from each printer's own published guides; always double-check your printer's current rules before you upload.