Preparing Lulu Magazine Interior & Cover Files

What to do and why it matters

Export the interior and cover separately using Lulu’s current magazine template. A reader PDF with a front cover, every article, and a back cover in one file is useful for reading, but it is not automatically a printer-ready upload.

Prepare the interior

1. Keep the cover out. Put all inside content, including intended blank pages, in one PDF. Export individual pages in reading order, not paired reader spreads.
2. Match the template. Set the final size, bleed, safety area, and inner margin to Lulu’s requirements. Do not use the KDP calculator as Lulu specifications.
3. Check image quality. Aim for 300 pixels per inch at the size the image will print. Enlarging a small image does not add detail.
4. Export cleanly. Embed fonts and flatten transparency as Lulu directs. Leave out printer marks and password protection. For color, Lulu accepts sRGB and CMYK; retain suitable source settings and review the proof rather than blindly converting everything.

Prepare the cover

1. Upload the interior first and confirm the product choices. Then download the project’s custom cover template.
2. Design within that template. Follow its panel order, folds, bleed, and safe zones. Do not add a paperback spine to a saddle-stitch template.
3. Printing inside the covers? Lulu’s magazine cover instructions specify a two-page cover PDF for inside-front and inside-back printing. Use the magazine template to arrange the outer and inner panels; it is not two ordinary front-cover pages.
4. Rebuild after changes. If page count, paper, binding, or size changes, download the matching template again before uploading the final cover.

What do these terms mean?

Click to expand for more information.

Check before moving on

Open both PDFs locally and inspect every page. Confirm cover content is not duplicated inside, page order is intentional, and the issue date, credits, captions, and image permissions are correct.

Lulu PDF settings ↗ · Magazine cover instructions ↗ · Magazine templates ↗

Completion checklist

0 of 4 checked

• My interior PDF has individual pages in the intended order, separate from the cover.
• I used Lulu’s matching magazine template, not KDP dimensions.
• I followed the correct cover PDF layout, including inside covers if used.
• I inspected exported fonts, images, bleed, and safe areas.

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