If students are drawing the cover art, use 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper — one for the front and one for the back cover. This makes it easier to size and align the artwork in the designer.

✅ Tips:

Keep designs at least ⅛ inch away from the paper edges to avoid trimming.

If art goes to the edge, that’s okay — it can be slightly resized and any white space can be filled with a background color in the software.

Many schools feature the winning design on the front and show runners-up on the back or in a special page inside the book.

Add spine text or other cover elements later using the Text tool in the designer.

Encourage the use of bold colors and clear details for the best print results.

Artwork should be scanned at 300 DPI or higher for the best quality.