How to Prepare Comic Files for PrintNinja
PrintNinja’s offset spec: 0.125 in bleed, 0.25 in safe, CMYK with rich black rules, wraparound covers with their spine, and why the proof matters more.
PrintNinja is an offset printer, which changes the rules a little: minimum runs are in the hundreds, the price per copy is low, and the file requirements are stricter than a digital shop's because an offset plate cannot be re-run cheaply. Their file setup guide is thorough; this is the short version, current at the time of writing.
Interior pages
- Trim: standard comic 6.625 x 10.25 in; manga, digest and custom trims available.
- Bleed: 0.125 in on all edges.
- Safe area: 0.25 in inside the trim.
- Resolution: 300 DPI at size; line art may go higher.
- Colour: CMYK. Convert with a coated profile (their guide names one) and keep lettering 100% K.
- Black: rich black for large areas, under the total-ink limit; pure K for text and fine lines.
- Pages: multiple of four, one PDF, single pages, no spreads, no crop marks.
Cover
Perfect-bound and hardcover covers are one wraparound file with the spine width PrintNinja supplies for your page count and stock. Saddle-stitched covers are four single pages. Their template generator draws the spine; use ComicCraft's cover calculator to plan and their number to finish.
Colour is where offset differs
A digital printer converts your RGB and sends you a proof of what its press does. An offset printer expects you to have done the conversion. Soft-proof in your editor with the profile they name, watch the electric blues and lime greens, and export CMYK. The RGB vs CMYK post covers rich black and ink limits.
Proofs and timing
PrintNinja sends a digital proof and, for a fee, a physical one. Take the physical proof for a first book; freight from the overseas plant is measured in weeks, so a mistake caught after printing costs a month. Run the PDF preflight with the PrintNinja preset and tick through the checklist before the upload; it is cheaper than the second proof.