Duplex Covers
A duplex cover is printed on both sides, so the inside of your cover carries artwork instead of being blank. It's how you get endpaper-style art onto a paperback.
Turning Duplex On
Duplex Cover is a print option on the book itself. Select it when you add the book, alongside your trim size and paper.
Download a Fresh Template
After you enable duplex, download the cover template again. The duplex template is a two page PDF, and it pulls the inside artwork further from the spine than the standard one does.
A template you downloaded before turning duplex on won't have the inside page.
One File, Two Pages
There's no separate upload slot for the inside artwork. Both sides live in the same cover PDF:
- Page 1 is the outside: back cover, spine, and front cover
- Page 2 is the inside
Upload that two page PDF as your cover file, the same way you'd upload a standard cover. The upload check expects exactly two pages on a duplex book and exactly one on a standard book, so if it rejects your file, count the pages first.
Front and Back Are Mirrored on the Inside
On the inside page, the front and back positions are flipped compared to the outside. The duplex template labels each panel, so follow the labels rather than assuming the layout matches page 1.
Keep the Glue Areas Clear
Leave the marked strip along the spine edge blank on the inside page. The binding glue has to stick to bare paper. If it lands on toner instead, the bind is weaker and you'll hear the book creak when you open it.
The duplex template already accounts for this, which is why the inside art sits further from the spine than you might expect.
Checking Your Duplex Cover
The digital preview shows the outside of your cover. The inside artwork is harder to judge on screen, so we'd order a proof before a big duplex run.