How do I make my pdflatex .pdf compatible with Ingramspark

Question

I've been using the createspace.sty to build a PDF using pdflatex / memoir.sty that's compatible with CreateSpace for a book. Now I'd like to do the same sort of thing for Ingramspark.

The Ingramspark POD service has more rigorous specifications for PDF. Does anyone know of anything to make life easier? The specifications I'm following come from here:

Must be PDF/X 2001 or 2003
Must use the SWOP coated profile
Must be Grayscale color mode for interiors, CMYK for covers 
Must be 300 dpi for images and 106 lpi for text
Should turn off ICC Color Profiles
Must be set to 240% TAC/TIC
All fonts must be embedded
Margins must be set to Ingram specifications

I've been using only open source tools, and I'd like to continue that (meaning no Adobe to fix things at the end). Does an ingramspark.sty exist? If not, any advice on how to achieve this?

user139954 · Accepted Answer

Yes, there IS a correlation with LaTeX!

Have a look at the novel document class package. There, you will learn how to convert a cover image into CMYK at 240% ink limit. For that part, you do not yet need LaTeX.

Then, if you have LuaLaTeX, you can use the novel document class to convert the above CMYK image into PDF/X-1a:2001 with Output Intent "US Web Coated SWOP v2" (or some other choices).

That's what Ingram Spark wants. That's what you get.

Absurdly detailed instructions in HTML format, in the document class package. Also contains some useful support files.

EDIT: This document class has been successfully used, more than once, for this purpose. Although the printer wasn't Ingram Spark, it was a similar print service using the same technology.

The novel class can do two different things: (1) It can create the book text block (not in color, no bleed) using LuaLaTeX technology. It is pre-set for the most popular requirements of American softcover books, but you can easily change things using understandable commands. The result will be PDF/X-1a:2001 unless you tell it not to do that. Verified using Adobe Acrobat pro. (2) With auxiliary free software (Windows, Linux, Mac), and scripts that make it all no-brainer, it can convert a color cover image to CMYK at 240% ink limit, then covert to PDF/X-1a:2001. This is independent of how you do the book block. So, you can write your book using a different document class, then just use novel for the cover, if you wish.

Visualize this as a much larger (cover size at 300dpi) RGB image. I created it in GIMP. It is sized to include bleed:

Then, after processing via novel instructions, here is a screenshot of the PDF/X compliance report from Adobe Acrobat Pro:

The above report does not mention ink limit, but that can be separately investigated in Adobe Acrobat Pro, and I assure you that it complies. The color specification "DeviceCMYK" indicates that no ICC profile is attached to the image. None is attached to the PDF, either. For grayscale interior, it is "DeviceGray" instead.

One other thing: novel does NOT do e-books. Never will. Print only.

user3486184 · Answer

I gave up on the createspace.sty. Instead, I used the regular memoir template and set the size manually:
setstocksize{10in}{7in}
settrimmedsize{10in}{7in}{*}
setbinding{0.5in}
setlrmarginsandblock{0.75in}{0.75in}{*}
setulmarginsandblock{0.88in}{0.75in}{*}
setheadfoot{12.07pt}{footskip}
checkandfixthelayout

After generating, I post-process the XeTeX output with Ghostscript to create a PDF/A:
$ xelatex my-book.tex
$ gs -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -r300x300 -dPDFA -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -dSAFER 
-sOutputFile=ingram.pdf -sICCProfilesDir=/usr/share/color/icc/ghostscript/ 
-dProcessColorModel=/DeviceGray -dColorConversionStrategy=/Gray 
-dPDFUseOldCMS=false -dDEVICEWIDTHPOINTS=504 -dDEVICEHEIGHTPOINTS=720 my-book.pdf

For the cover, I used GIMP and exported as a PDF. IngramSpark was happy to use that.
This is all for print books - eBooks are still out of my reach for now.

How do I make my pdflatex .pdf compatible with Ingramspark

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