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Book Margins and Gutter Explained: How to Format Your Pages
Imagine this: You finally receive the printed copies of your self-published novel. You excitedly open the first page, only to realize you have to forcefully pull the book apart just to read the words near the center fold.
This is a self-publisher’s nightmare, and it happens because of one simple formatting mistake: incorrect margins and gutter settings.
At BookPrintCanada, we want your book to look and read perfectly. Before you save your manuscript as a PDF, you need to understand how much space to leave around your text. Here is our simple guide to setting up your book margins.
1. What Are Book Margins?
Margins are the empty white spaces around the text on your page. They serve two purposes:
- Aesthetics: They frame the text, making it easier on the eyes.
- Safety: They keep your text away from the physical edges where the paper will be trimmed by our cutting machines.
A standard safe margin for the Top, Bottom, and Outside edges of your book is usually 0.5 inches (12.7 mm).
2. What is the “Gutter”? (The Most Important Margin)
The Gutter (also known as the Inside Margin) is the extra space added to the side of the page that will be glued or bound together.
Because we use [Perfect Binding] for most paperback books, a portion of the inner page is glued into the spine. If you don’t leave extra blank space here, your words will get “swallowed” by the glue.
How Much Gutter Space Do You Need?
The thicker the book, the more gutter space you need because the book becomes harder to open flat.
Here is a general rule of thumb for your Inside Margin (Gutter):
- Up to 150 pages: 0.75 inches
- 150 to 300 pages: 0.875 inches
- Over 300 pages: 1.0 inch
(Note: If you are printing a manual with [Coil Binding], you still need a gutter of at least 0.5 to 0.6 inches so the plastic coil holes do not punch through your text!)
3. How to Set Up “Mirror Margins” in Microsoft Word
Most authors write their books in Microsoft Word. By default, Word gives every page the same left and right margin. But in a printed book, the “inside” edge alternates depending on whether it’s a left-hand page or a right-hand page.
To fix this, you must turn on Mirror Margins.
Step-by-Step for Microsoft Word:
- Go to the Layout tab at the top.
- Click on Margins, then select Custom Margins at the bottom of the drop-down list.
- In the “Pages” section, find the “Multiple pages” drop-down and select Mirror margins.
- Now, go back to the top of that window to the “Margins” section.
- Set your Top, Bottom, and Outside to 0.5″.
- Set your Inside to 0.75″ (or larger based on your page count).
- Click OK.
Your document will now accurately reflect how a physical book opens!
4. Don’t Forget Your Page Size!
Remember, setting your margins only works if you have already set your document to the correct physical book size (like 6×9 or 5.5×8.5). If you haven’t done that yet, read our [Standard Book Sizes Guide] first.
Ready for Print?
Once your margins are set and your text is perfectly framed, you are ready to export your file. (Need help? Read:[How to Prepare a Print-Ready PDF]).
When your file is ready, we are here to print it with premium Canadian quality.
[> Get a Free Custom Printing Quote Today]
