Finding bugs in the software I marketed was never fun. This bug appeared in the Mac version, and I had to make a “Gutter Talk” report:
9/16/2000 (Gutter Talk)
The Macintosh version has reported some problems with the All Grades Report. It appears that even though Mac printers are “What You See Is What You Get,” using PGGP with some printers, you “Get What You Don’t Want To See.” The white space running down the page, in the middle, is sometimes called a gutter. If your grades are in the gutter, help is on the way. I have a solution…send me an e-mail.
Definition
In the printing world, the gutter is the space made for folding a page or document.
You Need Gutters
Many self-published authors submit a pdf to Kindle Direct Publishing. (KDP) It is the one way to make sure “what you see is what you get.” My first efforts with KDP were met with a message that my manuscript was “out of bounds” for the 6X9 book template. I didn’t have gutters.
For a document to have gutters, the margins for the left and right pages must be different. In the images below, note the margin markers on the ruler. The difference is subtle but all-important. We are not looking at the inch scale, but where the scale starts on the ruler—the gray area.
KDP Template
Rather than figuring out how to make this happen, I suggest downloading KDP’s Print Book Templates. Using the copy with sample text will help you understand what is happening.
The image below shows KDP has created templates for each book size KDP will print.
This is where I got into trouble with Members of the Cast. I suggest getting the template font attributes set before you start pasting in the chapter text. By changing the template’s styles, it is possible to change all text in that style. (e.g., change the Chapter Title font throughout the book.) I lost all italics in my story text when I changed the text font after the text was in place.
Plan Ahead
When preparing a manuscript for self-publishing, I suggest you have your gutters established when you write the first line. The WIP in the images above is being written in the 6X9 KDP template. I write in LibreOffice (I donate) on my laptop, and the theory is that it will be print-ready when revisions are complete.
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