# How Do You Get Ingram/Spark-Acceptable Covers?



## Harmonious (Mar 4, 2011)

Hi, 

Anybody out there publishing with Ingram/Spark? I'm publishing a book that's already out on CreateSpace with a cover designed via their template designer. ie front cover uploaded, back and spine completed in their dashboard. 

Now I want to put that book into Ingram/Spark POD distribution and have started looking for a designer who can fill in the Adobe template Ingram/Spark have sent me for the book. But I'm getting messages back from designers saying that they either only do CreateSpace or only do their own designs. How do others get around this problem? Any designer recommendations? Or solutions on how to fill in the PDF without In Design? Thanks.


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## 75845 (Jan 1, 1970)

It is unclear if you have asked Ingram for the InDesign template or the PDF. If the PDF you would need to use the like of GIMP to copy the ISBN barcode into a separate layer and then try to set that on top of the CreateSpace barcode. I am still working on my first Ingram Spark book and not yet ready to order the cover template. I am using the InDesign 30 day trial (do you know about that?), but will run out of time and will then take Creative Cloud (including InDesign) for the one month fee of £70.

http://www.adobe.com/uk/products/indesign.html


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## Randall Wood (Mar 31, 2014)

Check out the templates at Creative Indie Book Covers. Derek has made some really simple and user-friendly tools for this.

http://www.creativindiecovers.com/


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## jesrphoto (Aug 7, 2012)

If they send a PDF template like createspace does, I would just alert your designers of that - and they'll likely willing to give it ago.  Maybe even show them the template.  I've worked with a few different smaller printing companies, and am always a little fearful when my author tells me they're using someone new - just because I've been sent some really wonky spine width calculating formulas.


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## Steve W. (Feb 23, 2011)

LSI lets you download the templates once you've worked out your interior, and you just give that to your designer, or use it yourself. It does have to be PDF, and it should be CMYK, but that's fairly standard.


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## 555aaa (Jan 28, 2014)

Actually Illustrator is much easier to do the cover layout in. The pdf template from Ingram is editable in Illustrator. InDesign is meant for the book interior, Illustrator for covers. The cover layout is just a one sheet layout with some reference and trim marks on a layer that tells you where the trim and spine are.  

It's important to use the Ingram cover generator so that you get the exact correct spine width for the page count and sheet thickness for the paper that you've selected. 

If you get stuck, pm me. This is really an easy task as long as you have the front cover art, the barcode, and the back cover art, and the spine text and fonts.


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## Harmonious (Mar 4, 2011)

Thank you all so much for these ideas. 

Steve, I have the PDF template but my designer (in Asia & only email contactable) not responding for weeks now so it may well not be for her and I'm exploring other options. The problem is, the designers I've sent it to for a quote say either a) they don't work with Ingram/Spark, only CreateSpace, or b) only with their original designs or c) both of those. I didn't know there was an In Design template/trial period, Mercia, but it sounds like a bit of a learning curve. I can't see any Ingram/Spark mention on the templates page, Randall. What Ingram/Spark send is a PDF fitted to your particular book's interior. I really want to find somebody to send the PDF to who'll do the (really very basic) cover (single image, text on Black b/g) just as it is in CSpace. I've explored designers advertising on Fiverr, so guess I'll put an ad up and see what happens.  Oh wow, just seen you're posting as I write, 555aaa, thank you I'll check out Illustrator and take up your really kind offer if I get stuck. Thank you all again...


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## jesrphoto (Aug 7, 2012)

If you want to email me what you've got, I might be able to squeeze it in quick tonight as a freebie.
[email protected]


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## ruecole (Jun 13, 2012)

I'd take 555aaa up on his offer. He's helped me with an IngramSpark issue (interior, not cover).

I've worked with IngramSpark/LSI covers. They're really not that difficult compared to CreateSpace covers. As has been mentioned, just make sure the cover fits EXACTLY to the template and when you convert to PDF make sure it's set to PDF/X-1a (not just compliant) otherwise IngramSpark will reject it.

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## ShayneRutherford (Mar 24, 2014)

Unless I'm missing something about Ingram/Spark, it should be a simple matter to open the PDF template in PS and replicate the cover there. Just make sure that you save it in the proper format, as Rue mentioned.


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## 75845 (Jan 1, 1970)

ShayneRutherford said:


> Unless I'm missing something about Ingram/Spark, it should be a simple matter to open the PDF template in PS and replicate the cover there. Just make sure that you save it in the proper format, as Rue mentioned.


Unless all physical dimensions and attributed of the book are the same you are missing something - the new ISBN. Ingram Spark do not add it in automatically as CreateSpace does.



555aaa said:


> InDesign is meant for the book interior, Illustrator for covers.


InDesign is used for brochure production etc, it is not limited to doing text based books, therefore it is not just for book interiors. The InDesign template allows you to move around the barcode. But then I am just going by their website as I have not yet finalised my interior and so do not know the page count. I will be ordered an InDesign template to see what it is like to work with.


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## ShayneRutherford (Mar 24, 2014)

Mercia McMahon said:


> Unless all physical dimensions and attributed of the book are the same you are missing something - the new ISBN. Ingram Spark do not add it in automatically as CreateSpace does.


But adding it shouldn't be a big problem once you have it.


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## ruecole (Jun 13, 2012)

The ISBN comes with the template as a separate layer. You can't even download the template without the ISBN. It's the first thing they ask for when generating the template. Simply put your cover art on the layer between it and the background in whatever program you're using then save or export as a PDF.

Hope that helps!

Rue


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## Harmonious (Mar 4, 2011)

Writer's Cafe to the rescue again. Big big thanks to jesrphoto at www.Coverbistro.com for sorting me out and thanks to everybody for helping. The cover and interior have now gone through the Ingram/Spark system.


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## 75845 (Jan 1, 1970)

555aaa said:


> Actually Illustrator is much easier to do the cover layout in. The pdf template from Ingram is editable in Illustrator. InDesign is meant for the book interior, Illustrator for covers.


As a follow-up on InDesign's capablities for designing book covers I have come across this useful indie video on You Tube.


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