How to make an IngramSpark print-ready interior and cover PDF in your browser

Short answer: Lay out the interior as single pages at your IngramSpark trim size, keep text at least 0.5 in from every trim edge, add 0.125 in bleed only on the top, bottom and outside edges if anything runs off the page, and export a CMYK PDF with embedded fonts and no crop marks. For the cover, request IngramSpark's free Cover Template Generator template (it gives the exact cover size and spine width and includes a barcode), place the PDF template as the background of a one-page PodoLay layout at the template's size, design over it, and export. PodoLay's own cover builder makes KDP and print-shop covers, not IngramSpark templates — so for IngramSpark, start from their template.

Before you start: what IngramSpark requires

These are IngramSpark's print file requirements, summarized from the IngramSpark File Creation Guide (version dated 8.24.26) and IngramSpark Help (October 2026):

Custom trim sizes are possible for paperbacks — on white paper from 4 to 8.5 in wide and 6 to 11 in tall, portrait only.

What you need in PodoLay

Print-ready PDF export starts with the Starter plan. On the Free plan (up to 30 pages per layout) you can design the interior and cover and test your template before you upgrade. See pricing.

Step 1 — Create the interior layout

1. On the dashboard click New Layout and choose Pages.
2. Page Size: choose your trim size. 6 × 9 in, 5.5 × 8.5 in, 5 × 8 in and Letter (8.5 × 11 in) are built in; for any other IngramSpark size (for example 5.25 × 8 in or 6.14 × 9.21 in) choose Custom and type the Width and Height in inches.
3. Page Mode: Facing Pages, First Page: Right (book). You design in spreads; the PDF still comes out as single pages.
4. Margins (mm): at least 13 mm (0.5 in) on every side — IngramSpark's recommended minimum. A thicker book reads better with a wider inside margin.
5. Turn on Primary text frame so text flows from page to page and pages are added as the text grows, then click Create.

To bring in a Word manuscript, use File › Import Manuscript (⌘D / Ctrl+D) in the editor — styles, footnotes, endnotes and images come with it — or start from the dashboard with Import › Word (docx). See Text › Importing a Word manuscript and Dashboard.

Step 2 — Pages, styles and images

1. Put page numbers and running headers on the master pages (Marker › Current page number, Text variable › Running header). See Pages.
2. Use paragraph styles for body text and headings; right-click an empty frame › Table of Contents... builds the contents with page numbers. See Styles.
3. Images: 300 dpi or more at printed size. The Resolution value in the Image section turns red below 300 dpi. For a black-and-white book, upload grayscale artwork — IngramSpark converts color images to grayscale when printing, and the result can shift.
4. Text color: keep body text in K-only black (C0 M0 Y0 K100), as IngramSpark asks for text 24 pt and smaller.
5. End on an even page count. IngramSpark uses the last page for its manufacturing information.

Step 3 — PDF settings for IngramSpark

In Layout Setup › Print:

• Color mode: CMYK.
• Bleed: 0 if nothing runs off the page. With bleed, set Bleed to 3.175 mm (0.125 in) and turn Inside bleed off: the binding edge gets no bleed, so a 6 × 9 in book becomes 6.125 × 9.25 in PDF pages — the size IngramSpark asks for. Extend edge-to-edge artwork to the bleed line shown by Show bleed in the View section of the Attributes tab.
• Crop marks: leave Show crop marks off.
• Don't use spot color swatches, or let the PDF convert them (below).
• Publishing target: IngramSpark isn't a target in PodoLay. If you set Amazon KDP paperback with the matching ink and paper, preflight gives you KDP's checks (bleed, margins, small text, thin lines, image resolution, color in a black-ink book). Most apply to IngramSpark too; ignore KDP-only items such as KDP's page-count limits.

Step 4 — Export the interior

1. Choose File › Preflight to check the layout without making a PDF. Click a result to jump to it; Turn off crop marks, Bleed 0.125 in, none inside and Spots to Process fix those settings in one click.
2. Choose File › Save PDF and the PDF type Amazon KDP paperback (PDF/X-1a), then Create PDF. Of PodoLay's PDF types it is the closest to IngramSpark's rules: single pages in CMYK, fonts embedded, no crop marks, spot colors printed as process, transparency flattened into 600 dpi CMYK images, and declared PDF/X-1a:2003 when the requirements are met.
3. Read the results: missing fonts or glyphs, RGB left over, low-resolution images, overset text and the PDF's page size.
4. Optional: File › Proof Preview renders the PDF like a print shop's RIP. Hover to read total ink, and compare the page's maximum ink coverage with IngramSpark's 240% (the TAC overlay itself marks areas over 300%).

Note on the PDF/X version: IngramSpark lists PDF/X-1a:2001 and PDF/X-3:2002. PodoLay declares PDF/X-1a:2003 (KDP paperback type) or PDF/X-4 (print type) and doesn't offer the 2001 or 2002 versions. Upload the file and check IngramSpark's upload validation and the eProof before you approve the title.

Step 5 — Make the cover on IngramSpark's template

1. In your IngramSpark account, open the Cover Template Generator, fill in the required fields for your book (use the final page count) and choose a PDF template. It arrives by email and shows the cover size, spine width, bleed and safety areas, with a free barcode.
2. In PodoLay click New Layout › Pages, choose Custom and enter the template's size (printed at the bottom left of the template) as Width and Height. Page Mode: Single, 1 page, Primary text frame off.
3. In Layout Setup › Print: Color mode CMYK, Bleed 0 and Show crop marks off. The template already contains the bleed area and its own trim and fold marks, and IngramSpark asks you not to add crop marks or canvas.
4. Draw a frame over the whole page with the Image tool, set X and Y to 0 and the size to the page size, click Choose an image from the gallery, choose PDF under Type:, upload the template and place it with the Box set to Media. Check that the Source size matches the page. Put the template on its own bottom level in the Layers tab and lock it.
5. Design on a new level above it. Run background art through the blue bleed area and cover the pink and blue areas completely (they print if they show). Keep text inside the pink safe area.
6. Barcode — either keep the template's barcode visible (place the template PDF again in a small frame on top, cropped to just the barcode), or leave a 1.75 × 1 in area free and IngramSpark places one in the lower right of the back cover. PodoLay's Insert ISBN barcode… works only in PodoLay cover layouts, not in this layout.
7. Export with File › Save PDF, PDF type Print (PDF/X-4). A layout with a placed PDF (the template) is never declared PDF/X-1a, and the print type carries the template's content unchanged. Avoid opacity, shadows and other transparency on the cover so nothing needs flattening.

If your page count changes by more than four pages after upload, IngramSpark may need a new cover file. Request a new template for the new count.

Common problems

• "File does not match trim size": the PDF page must be the trim size exactly, or trim + 0.125 in wide and + 0.25 in tall with bleed. Turn Inside bleed off — four-sided bleed makes every page 0.125 in too wide.
• Spreads in the PDF: don't turn on As spreads in the Save PDF dialog. IngramSpark rejects 2-up files (the KDP paperback type is always single pages).
• Crop marks: leave them off for the interior. On the cover, don't add any on top of the template's own.
• Gray text instead of black: use K-only black for text; a rich black or a black converted from RGB prints as a screen of all four inks.
• Cut-off text: IngramSpark's printing varies by up to 1/16 in, so keep page numbers and headers inside the 0.5 in margins.
• Unembedded fonts: PodoLay embeds (subsets) the fonts automatically; preflight lists any font it could not embed.

FAQ

Can I make an IngramSpark interior PDF without InDesign?

Yes. PodoLay runs in the browser and exports a single-page CMYK PDF with embedded fonts, IngramSpark's bleed (no bleed on the bind edge) and no crop marks. PDF export needs the Starter plan or higher. PodoLay declares PDF/X-1a:2003 rather than the PDF/X-1a:2001 IngramSpark lists, so check the upload validation and eProof.

What size should my IngramSpark interior PDF be?

Without bleed, exactly your trim size, for example 6 × 9 in. With bleed, add 0.125 in to the width and 0.25 in to the height (6.125 × 9.25 in for 6 × 9), because IngramSpark wants bleed on the top, bottom and outside edges only.

What margins does IngramSpark require?

IngramSpark recommends at least 0.5 in (13 mm) on all sides of the text block, because trimming can vary by 1/16 in. On the cover, keep text 0.25 in from the trim.

Can I use my KDP files for IngramSpark?

The interior often works if it already has 0.5 in margins, but check it against the table above. The cover can't be reused as is: IngramSpark's cover must be built on its own template, with its spine width and barcode.

Does IngramSpark accept PDF/X-4?

IngramSpark's File Creation Guide lists PDF/X-1a:2001 and PDF/X-3:2002 and doesn't list PDF/X-4.

Does PodoLay make the IngramSpark cover template?

No. PodoLay's cover builder makes Amazon KDP covers and print-shop covers with a spine calculated from paper thickness. For IngramSpark, request the template from IngramSpark's Cover Template Generator and design on it in PodoLay as in Step 5.

Related

• How to make a KDP paperback interior PDF in your browser
• PodoLay vs Adobe InDesign
• PodoLay pricing

Sources (checked October 2026)

• IngramSpark — File Creation Guide (version dated 8.24.26; checked October 30, 2026)
• IngramSpark Help — Cover Template Generator and Cover File Creation (checked October 30, 2026)
• IngramSpark Help — Custom Trim Size Available for Paperback Books and How to Upload Print Ready Files (checked October 30, 2026)
• PodoLay user guide: Layout Setup, Images, PDF export

IngramSpark is a trademark of Ingram Content Group LLC. PodoLay is not affiliated with Ingram.

Updated October 30, 2026