PublisherTalk

All publishers will have to think of a way to jazz up their covers/books to make it more inviting for the reader. In doing so you’ll have to add some sort of graphics like figures, photos, drawings, cartoons, or illustrations.

The most common and widely accepted image files are: .PSD (Adobe Photoshop), .TIF, .EPS, .JPEG, .PDF (Adobe Acrobat file), .AI (Adobe Illustrator file).

Regardless of what file format you are working with it is a must you keep a high resolution, which is to say 300 pixels per inch (aka dpi) or greater. An image is not high resolution if it was originally a low resolution and then resized to force the resolution to 300 dpi. These techniques will not improve the quality of your image – and may make it poorer. Printing low resolution images does make a difference and it will show.

If you want to incorporate your own image that exists only in hard copy, try scanning them, but make sure they are scanned at 1200 dpi. If you are uncertain of your scanning capabilities, have the scanning professionally done.

Popular stock image sources: shutterstock.com, gettyimages.com, veer.com.

Just like most artwork, images are copyrighted. You can’t use an image that’s not in a public domain unless you get permission. Don’t try to scan images from other publications without getting the right to use the image from the copyright holders. If an image you wish to use is in a public domain you can use it without getting permission but always make sure to credit the original source of the particular image. One way to credit you source is to include a credit section at the back of your book that lists the images by page with corresponding credit information. Another approach is using a source line for each image, usually close to the presentation of the image in the text. When you gain rights to use an image, the rights holder will inform you how to credit the image.

Purchasing a “royalty free” photo means you can pretty much do anything with it. On the other hand, you have “rights managed” photos that are notably pricey to purchase and come with firm usage rules and restrictions. Keep all records of information you receive regarding the use of an image when you acquire permission.

By taking these steps you should end up with stunning printed images and a happy printer!