Publish Setup · Draft2Digital Topic 3 of 6
Print Files on Draft2Digital (D2D Print), If You Use It
What to do
If you choose to use Draft2Digital's print-on-demand option, D2D Print, upload a print-ready interior PDF and cover PDF the same way you would for any other print-on-demand platform.
Why it matters
D2D Print is optional and is a newer addition alongside D2D's original, much longer-standing ebook distribution service. It works on the same basic print-on-demand model as KDP's paperback option or IngramSpark: a print-ready interior file and a print-ready cover file, sized precisely for your trim size, margins, and bleed.
Step-by-step
- Decide whether you want a print edition through D2D Print at all, it's entirely optional. If you're already publishing a paperback through KDP and/or IngramSpark, you don't need a third print edition through D2D unless you have a specific reason to want one there too.
- If you do use D2D Print, the file requirements are the same underlying print math as any other POD platform: an interior PDF and a cover PDF built for your exact trim size, with the right margins, gutter, and bleed. This app's Formatting and Cover & Print-Ready PDF Export stages already walked you through building those files, see the final print-ready file checklist there rather than repeating those steps here.
- For the exact numbers behind margins, gutter, spine width, or full cover dimensions for your specific trim size and page count, use the Book Dimensions Calculator built into this app. Those numbers come from print physics, not from which platform you print through, so the same calculator output you already used for KDP and IngramSpark applies here too.
- Upload your finished interior PDF and cover PDF into D2D Print's own upload screens, double-checking each file lands in the correct slot, the same common first-time mistake called out in the IngramSpark uploads topic earlier in this stage.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming D2D Print has a different set of print-file rules than KDP or IngramSpark, the physical printing math (margins, bleed, spine width) is the same regardless of which platform prints the book; only the upload screens differ.
- Adding a print edition through D2D Print without a specific reason to, when you're already covered by KDP and/or IngramSpark for print.
Completion checklist
0 of 2 checked
Your selections save automatically on this device. They are not synced or backed up and may be erased if browser data is cleared.
Troubleshooting
Can I reuse the same print-ready PDF files I already made for KDP or IngramSpark?
Usually yes, as long as the trim size, margins, and bleed match what D2D Print asks for. Always double-check D2D's own current file specification page before uploading, since exact technical requirements (embedded fonts, color profile, and so on) can differ slightly between platforms.
Where do I get the exact margin and spine numbers for my book?
Use the Book Dimensions Calculator built into this app. It calculates the real numbers for your trim size and page count and isn't specific to any one printing platform.