PDF file configuration

Important:

  • Google Play partners can sell ebooks and audiobooks in certain countries/regions. The features described here aren't available in every country/region.
    • Due to regulatory requirements, Google can't offer pre-orders in India. Your book will be available in the Google Play Store in India on the release date.
  • Pre-orders allow customers to order, but not read, your book before its release date. On the release date, customers who pre-ordered your book are charged for the purchase and they gain access to the book.
  • Before you upload any files, make sure your content meets Google's guidelines. If you plan to sell your books on Google Play, review our publisher content policies for books on Google Play.
  • Analytics charts and sales transaction reports use the date the customer placed the pre-order, so that you can measure customer anticipation level. Revenue shown in such orders isn't paid to you until the book is released. For a financial report that matches your payment, go to Google Play earnings reports.

If you provide your book content in .pdf format, users who read the book on Google Play will have the "Original pages" viewing option.

Original pages
Readers will see the original layout.
Flowing text
Readers can resize the text.

File optimization

  • Minimum resolution:

    • Content pages: 400 pixels per inch binary; 200 ppi grayscale or color
    • Images and book covers: 300 ppi color
      If a page of your book measures 8 inches by 10 inches, your minimum resolution for optimal display is 2400 pixels by 3000 pixels (8 * 300 by 10 * 300).
  • The order of pages in the .pdf should match those of the physical book. For most books this will be: Front cover, book matter, then back cover. If your cover files are separate from the content file, you may upload these separately. To do so, please follow the filename guidelines.

  • Please submit your .pdf files in portrait orientation. We also ask that each page of your .pdf file correspond to a single page of text.

  • If you have created your own .pdf, please ensure that all fonts have been embedded in the file. We will not be able to process your book properly if it includes unembedded fonts.

Cropping

The pages of your .pdf file will be cropped in accordance with your Adobe Acrobat Trim Box settings. If your Trim Box settings are not in line with your Crop Box settings, please note that your file may not be processed correctly.

If your .pdf contains hyperlinks, either to other parts of the same book or to external websites, please note that the links will be disabled when your book is processed.

Bookmarks (for a table of contents; optional)

Adding bookmarks to your .pdf files will generate a table of contents for your book. This allows Google Books users to see a list of the included content, while readers who buy your book on Google Play can navigate directly to each bookmark. We suggest bookmarking the first page of each of the following sections:

  • Front cover
  • Back cover
  • Title page
  • Table of contents
  • Copyright page
  • Preface, foreword, or introduction
  • Each chapter
  • Bibliography or references section
  • Index

Right-to-left languages

If you create .pdf files in Adobe Acrobat for languages written from the right to the left (like Arabic or Hebrew), you should configure an additional setting.

  1. On your computer, open the Adobe Acrobat Pro.
  2. Open your .pdf file.
  3. At the top, click File and then Properties and then Advanced.
  4. Under "Reading options," set the "Binding" setting to Right edge.

Want a quicker way to get help?

Chat with a member of the Google Books team.

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