Add Printed Edges to Your Book

Create stunning custom book edges with PrintedEdges. Their forced edges templates work with virtually any traditional or print-on-demand printer, giving you the look of custom edges without per-copy production fees. Purchase once and print unlimited copies.

PrintedEdges builds the template for your specific book: one page of edge art for every page you have. It only fits the book it was made for, so a new page count or a new trim size needs a new template from them.

Save 20% as a Lacuna author

PrintedEdges has been kind enough to give Lacuna authors 20% off their purchase. There is no code to type: open their store through this link before purchasing and the discount is applied on its own. A “Welcome Lacuna creators!” banner at the top of their site confirms your discount is active.

Import Your Template

1. Order your template from PrintedEdges using your book’s final page count and trim size.
2. Open Print Settings, then choose PrintedEdges in the Page Colors & Backgrounds group.
3. Click Import Template and select the template PDF that PrintedEdges made for this book.
4. Export as usual. Every print-ready PDF now carries the edge art.

There is no separate on/off switch: importing a template turns edge printing on, and removing the template turns it off. Remove asks for confirmation first, and removal can be undone.

Printed edges use bleed

Edge art runs to the very edge of the paper, so an installed template automatically turns on bleed for your previews and exports.

Check the Fit

After importing, the panel shows a fit card comparing the template against your book: page count, page size, and trim size. When everything lines up, it reads This template fits your book.

• A longer template still fits. If the template has more pages than your book, the extra template pages simply go unused.
• A shorter template still works. Pages past the template’s end can repeat its last spread (see Coverage below) or print plain.
• A different bleed setup gets guidance, not a rejection. If the template was made for a different bleed amount or different bleed edges, the panel tells you exactly which settings to change in the Print Page Margins panel so the art prints as designed.
• A changed trim size needs a new template. If you change your book’s trim size after importing, the panel warns you: the template only fits the trim it was built for.

If the fit changes later (for example, your page count grows), the Generate Print-Ready PDF dialog shows a Check Your Printed Edges banner after export so mismatches never slip through silently.

Coverage

Two controls decide which pages carry edge art:

• Repeat the last spread. Appears when your book has more pages than the template, and is on by default. Pages past the template’s end keep repeating its last spread: right-hand pages repeat its last right-hand page, left-hand pages its last left-hand page, so the art stays on the correct edge. Turn it off to leave those pages plain.
• Skip pages. Print specific pages with no edge art. Type a page or a range (like 14 or 60-65) and press Enter. Skipped pages do not shift the art on later pages: page 15 keeps its own art when page 14 is skipped.

Artwork Options

• Placement. Choose Foreground or Background. In most cases Foreground is all you need. If your content is not visible with your PrintedEdges template, select Background to guarantee your text always stays on top.
• Show in preview (Whole Book, Slower). Edge art appears only in the Print - Whole Book (Slower) preview; the fast single-section preview renders one section at a time, so its pages cannot line up with the template. Turn this off to work on the book without the edge art in the way. Exports always carry the art, whatever this is set to.

Before You Print

PrintedEdges has a free PDF validator. Run your exported file through it before you order your books, and you’ll know the edge art sits exactly where the printer expects it.

With your edges in place, run through the publishing checklist and export your print-ready PDF.