Createspace Formatting issues

[ShaunHorton]

So, I've been working on this for a while, but I just can't seem to get it right. The margins are too thin on the top, and too wide on the bottom and it doesn't seem to matter what I set them at in Word. It's not something I can see in the digital proof check and I'm getting tired of ordering physical proofs just to find nothing is any better.

Any suggestions? How do you set your margins from Word for Createspace?

My settings are:

Top: 0.5
Bottom: 0.25
Inside: 0.25
Outside: 0.5
Gutter: 0.75

 

[Sleeping Cat Books]

Are you uploading a PDF or something else? You should be uploading a PDF to ensure that what CS receives is exactly what you want your book to look like. MS Word file formats are not intended to render exactly the same on different computers; Portable Document Format (PDF) files are. Generate a PDF of your interior (with fonts embedded) and open it in Adobe Reader. Select View > Page Display > Two Page Scrolling and make sure that Show Cover Page in Two Page View is selected. This will show your interior in reader's spreads, with the first page of the file (usually the title page) by itself on the right-hand side, and the rest of the pages in spreads. If your file looks perfect in Reader, upload that to CS and it should print just like that.

 

[Cindyt]

So, I've been working on this for a while, but I just can't seem to get it right. The margins are too thin on the top, and too wide on the bottom and it doesn't seem to matter what I set them at in Word. It's not something I can see in the digital proof check and I'm getting tired of ordering physical proofs just to find nothing is any better.

Any suggestions? How do you set your margins from Word for Createspace?

My settings are:

Top: 0.5
Bottom: 0.25
Inside: 0.25
Outside: 0.5
Gutter: 0.75

This comes from createspace for Word.

For a 6 x 9 paperback:

Top: .5
Bottom: .5
Inside: 0
Outside: .5
Gutter: .75

Multiple pages: Mirror Image

Apply to: Whole Document

The inside margin doesn't require as much space as the outside--apparently, so it's going to look narror while the outer margin is wider. And remember the even page will look different than the odd page so they will fit together properly in the book.

 

[kevinwaynewilliams]

My first advice is to get Open Office, set your format, directly export to PDF, then upload the PDF. Don't let Amazon do the conversion from Word.

I do that, and, for a 6"x9", I have inside: 0.88", outside: 0.61", top: 0.55", bottom: 0.36". Mirrored format.

What I am confused by is your statement of "it's nothing I can see from the digital proof." Are you saying that your printed copies are coming back with different margins than your digital PDF? That's something to take up with CreateSpace. What use is a digital proof if it isn't an accurate proof?