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Post by tasmanianartist on Oct 2, 2020 5:16:34 GMT
Strange 'error message' when dabbling/experimenting. I have created a 'test' book with which I experiment ad nauseaum - flattening transparencies by opening pdf in preview in my iMac and 'printing' as PDF again is one of the things that has become second nature - but... this one has me befuddled - I cannot fathom what it means - because my interior print file / book block consists of 128 pages of the same page (a 'frontmatter' page out of any old manuscript), so there is merely one page to scrutinize ... which means I haven't the foggiest what the 'transparency' would have consisted of - but print PDF in preview solves that flattening bugbear anyway.
But then there's this. I can understand it for covers, with all the margins, folds, bleeds, etc, but the note pertains to the 128 page document that contains 1 page x 128 --- a mere few lines of text.
Anyone?
The error message is: >Full Bleed: Please note that a white Bleed margin has been added to your file. The book preview will show how this Bleed margin impacts your file. If you require image content that extends to the trimmed edge of the page, please upload a PDF prepared for Full Bleed.<
My word processor does not have any 'full bleed' references in the formatting (merely gutter or margins when formatting), and since the manuscript is at the 6x9 size required for 6x9 trim size of book, I can't logically deduce where the bleed is meant to be, since making a PDF in 6x9 results in 6x9 to upload ... doh ...
Screenshot inserted: 
I dislike any unresolved error notes, so if anyone knows what it means - please let me know.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 2, 2020 12:02:43 GMT
Unfortunately Lulu muddies the waters by using the word Bleed at times when they mean Trim. Though they do indeed have different meanings in the printing business here they refer to the practice of extending (or Bleeding) any edge or full-page graphics into the Trim Area (the bit that the guillotine will cut off so your book is the right size. If you replace the word Bleed with Trim in what Lulu tell you it will make a lot more sense.
So in this instance the Bleed Margin and the Trim Margin mean the same thing, an area that you need to extend your graphics into so that when the blade falls you don't get nasty white borders around graphics that are supposed to go right up to the edges of the page. Since you have not allowed for this Trim Area in your 6x9 PDF yourself (it should be 6.25x9.25 as per Lulu's Guide if you do) Lulu has "helpfully" added the Trim Margin to your PDF hence the message. Then again I've seen this message when you DO send them a correctly sized PDF so go figure!
Lulu's print tolerances are...ummm...not the best which is why you can't rely on them being 100% accurate and why you have to factor in some wiggle room if you create anything that uses graphics or images close to or up to the edges of the paper. However if all you're producing is a standard book of text with lovely white margins everywhere then you can safely ignore all the warnings etc. since they won't affect you.
Covers however are a different thing.
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Post by tasmanianartist on Oct 3, 2020 9:54:11 GMT
It's even more confusing since the template downloaded for the particular cover gives measurements of the full cover INCLUDING BLEED - indeed, different thing. All pages in the text blocks have standard margins when they get formatted - looking at the preview, all pages look just fine - which means the white rim is simply a 'standard' correcting aid. And since I create the cover PDF using a measurement as close as possible to their upper limit of their 'between x and y' measurement, I think I'll take your suggestion and ignore the notes. I can't see myself fiddling with a word document adding an extra 'bleed/trim' around the margins, considering word document margins, gutters, page numbering, footnotes etc etc is already exceedingly fickle. Sigh - glad I've retired ...
PS - I guess what they mean is the 'purple' area in the above screenshot.
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