Need to get opinions on workflow using indesign/pdf/lulu.joboptions

[mondovox]

I really would like to confirm the following specs with someone who's done this before. I've been throughout the forum and knowledgebase and there are some things that are not adding up for me. My background is corporate print publications for offset so that's where I'm coming from on this.

Book is full bleed interior and cover, children's picture book.

Interior:

1. In Indesign, set up facing pages, 8.5x8.5, with .125 bleed in document settings. 1/5 inch margins.
2. Extend all artwork to or beyond bleed edge.
3. Export to PDF using Lulu.joboptions but make only the following change for the bleed:

--Turn on the checkbox for "Use document bleed settings" per the instructions on this page: http://connect.lulu.com/t5/Interior-Formatting/Creating-a-PDF-with-Bleed-in-InDesign/ta-p/78973

But according to the screen shots on the above page, I DO NOT turn on crop or bleed markings as I would a regular offset press. (really?, how does the lulu system know where to crop/trim?)

Things that concern me about the lulu.joboptions settings:

• transparent gradients have white lines around the edges, goes away if I export to Acrobat 6 but lulu is set to Acrobat 4, anything I can do about this? Illustrations are placed .ai files.
• tiled textures show tiling with white lines as well, ditto last bullet

Unusual circumstance specific to the design of this book:

----Each page is full bleed, left pages are illustration (.ai files), right pages are photo of wood texture (.tif). They butt in the center along the fold/bind edge. Therefore, when the InDesign/lulu.joboptions exports a PDF, each page has .125 of the image on the opposite page along the binding edge. Not a terrible concern as I'm suspecting it will likely be cropped off but if we were using a regular professional imposition software instead of allowing InDesign to export pages, this would not be an issue. Anything I can do about this duct tapewise? Or am I stuck with it due to the design of the spreads?

I wonder if I should set up the InDesign file as non-facing pages? Would that be an acceptable work around without causing any issues with lulu's system?

I know this is a weldy post and please accept my apologies and appreciation for any guidance y'all have.

Many thanks!!

Julia

[kevinlomas]

I for one only use Word docx files so cannot comment on what to me sounds a complex way around creating a file to upload to Lulu's Wizard.
What ever you use, the file page size and shape have to match exactly the Lulu Project's page size and shape. so full bleed basically means no margins on the bound sides.
Each page as to be seperate within your file also, you cannot use double-page spreads in Lulu's Wizards.

Sorry I cannot help much >> try this >> http://connect.lulu.com/t5/Interior-Formatting/How-do-I-make-my-content-stretch-all-the-way-to-the-e...

[Ken Anderson · Accepted solution]

1. OK
2. OK
3. No, don't use Lulu joboptions.
Select High Quality Print Acrobat 5 (PDF1.4)  
Bleed & Slug = same as page bleed settings
Uncheck any and all printers marks

After creating the PDF check it's size is 8.75*8.75

You may like to use non-facing pages or alternatively set the interior bleed to zero.

The POD system expects the PDF to be the final print page side (plus bleed if used.
There is no paper wastage thus the final trim is automatic and not to marks as in offset.

Once you've done want or two books it will become clear.  

[mondovox]

Thanks Ken. I've ordered a sample and I'm very excited to see the Lulu magic at work.

May I ask you one more question?

I'd like to figure out why the thumbnail front cover photo on the book's Lulu page is so much darker than the PDF previewer showed when I uploaded the cover. And if there's anything I can do about it. I didn't get the same color shift on Amazon when uploading the kindle version (same art, different trim).

Here are the two for comparison:

http://www.amazon.com/Norbert-Elusive-Acorns-ebook/dp/B007R6OTB6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334430722&s...

http://www.lulu.com/shop/peter-martz/norbert-and-the-elusive-acorns/paperback/product-20059030.html 

Hoping this color shift did not affect the file itself but I ordered a sample so I'll just have to wait and see. Thanks again. You're a gem.

[Ken Anderson]

It's a common problem as the Preview is rendered in Flash. Try making the image for that page a RGB JPG.