Book Production & Typesetting

From Manuscript to Press-Ready Edition

Most illustrators hand over a flat image and leave technical print headaches to the author. Backed by hands-on book publishing, print production, and direct-sales experience, Fading Ray bridges cover art with complete interior book formatting.

Production Services

Complete Book Formatting & Print Prep

Available as a standalone production service or bundled with your custom cover design for a unified visual edition inside and out.

Request Bundle Quote

01 • Typesetting

Print Interior Layout

Trade Paperback & Hardcover PDF Editions

Genre-appropriate book typography (classic serif body with custom display chapter openings)
Exact gutter, mirror margins, and trim sizing (5.5×8.5", 6×9", Royal, or custom offset sizes)
Professional hyphenation, widow/orphan control, running headers, and ornamental scene-break glyphs
Optional custom-illustrated chapter header vignettes or frontispiece map integration
Embedded fonts & PDF/X-compliant export ready for immediate POD or offset upload

Inquire About Typesetting

Author Favorite 02 • All-In-One Launch

Cover + Interior Bundle

Unified Cover Wrap, Print PDF & Reflowable EPUB

Zero handoff friction: final interior page count automatically locks your exact cover spine width
Matching display typography across front cover, title page, and chapter headings
Print-ready Paperback/Hardcover wrap + Print Interior PDF + validated Reflowable EPUB 3
Coordinated front/back matter layout (Also By page, newsletter CTA, author bio)
Bundle pricing savings compared to commissioning cover artist and formatter separately

Book Complete Production

03 • Digital & Validators

Reflowable EPUB & Pre-Press

Kindle, Wide Retailers & POD Technical QA

Clean, lightweight Reflowable EPUB 3 tested across Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, and Tolino
Dark-mode safe CSS styling for e-readers (no forced black-on-black text bugs)
Interactive Table of Contents (NCX + HTML5 nav) and clean semantic metadata
Amazon KDP & IngramSpark pre-flight validation: 0.125" bleed, spine fold safety, and barcode placement
Guidance on ISBN assignment, paper stock selection (white vs. cream GSM), and direct sales files

Get Formatting Quote

Supported Platforms & Print Specifications

Files are engineered for wide distribution, direct-to-reader storefronts, crowdfunding special editions, and major POD aggregators.

Amazon KDP (Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle)
IngramSpark (Case Laminate & Dust Jacket)
Draft2Digital / Kobo / Apple Books
Kickstarter Deluxe & Offset Printers
BookFunnel / Shopify Direct Delivery

The Studio Advantage

Why Technical Production Matters Before the First Brushstroke

In self-publishing and independent press production, great cover art often stumbles at the pre-press stage: vital character details get swallowed by the spine hinge, dark shadows muddy into pitch black on matte laminate stock, or title lettering becomes unreadable at 120px height on Amazon search results.

Because Fading Ray approaches every cover from both an illustrator’s easel and a publisher’s production desk, your artwork is composed from day one around real trim lines, spine tolerances, barcode zones, and genre conversion benchmarks — especially for content-rich formats like Epic Fantasy, Space Opera, and stat-table LitRPG interiors.

View Pricing & Bundles Browse Cover Portfolio

Standard Production Checklist

Spine Math Precision: Calculated to 0.001" using exact page count & printer paper caliper (KDP White/Cream vs. IngramSpark Creme/Groundwood).
LitRPG & Sci-Fi UI Elements: Clean bordered system boxes, stat tables, chat logs, and faction emblems formatted so they never break across e-reader screens.
Matte vs. Gloss Calibration: Shadow values lifted for Print-on-Demand matte covers to prevent ink crushing.
100% Human Craft: Zero AI-generated assets anywhere in your cover or interior ornaments — zero platform disclosure risk.

Resources for Authors

Recommended Production Guides

Practical technical insights on print specifications, cover commissioning, and copyright protection.

All Author Guides

Technical Pre-Press

Amazon KDP vs. IngramSpark Cover Requirements

How bleed margins, spine width formulas, ink coverage limits, and hardcover wrap templates differ between the two biggest POD platforms.

Read Technical Overview

AI Book Covers vs. Human Illustration: KDP Disclosures & Copyright

What self-published authors and small presses need to know about USCO copyright registration, Amazon KDP AI checkboxes, and reader trust in SFF.

Read Policy Guide