Quick Guide on Understanding Page Margins for Printing Comics
By Bearumha | TipsandTutorials
Mar 20, 2023
While developing my comic, I fantasized about how it would be nice to get it printed. Whether anyone will buy it doesn’t matter, I intend to get a physical copy of my webcomic and say to myself, “I did it… you crazy bastard, you fking did it”. So, I thought, how can I make the process more manageable when I get to that step?
Research commences, and I didn’t realize that there are different presets and dimensions for comics…
Different Dimensions and Presets
It was overwhelming… which one to use… and which one to set my comic files to…
Depending on where you are from, comic books are printed differently. For example, printed American comic book dimensions are usually bigger than printed Japanese manga tankobon.
I had thought of making my comic manga-size since that is what I grew up reading, but then I learned that manga volumes also come in a variety of sizes like B6 (12.8 cm × 18.2 cm, 5.04 in × 7.17 in) and A5 (14.8 cm × 21.0 cm, 5.83 in × 8.27 in).
Also, did you know English-translated volumes are slightly bigger than the Japanese version?
I guess I never noticed it before. At this point, I’m still unsure which dimensions I will end up with.
However, I noticed that the page margins/guidelines are the same regardless of the dimensions.
Different Sections
Those lines help you understand how to format your pages.
Safe – Even if the printer decides to go haywire, nothing will get trimmed off. I recommend making sure all your important lettering, dialogue, and action are inside this area.
Trim – The intended final page size when printed. Anything that passes this line has a high chance of getting cut off by the printer. However, sometimes the printer messes up and cuts past the line.
Bleed – Anything past this line will definitely be cut and trimmed off.
Notes
- Yes, your canvas is bigger than what the printed version will be.
- The area between the Trim and the Bleed line is meant to be a precaution. There is a possibility the printer will not be precise and cuts past the line.
- If you plan on drawing something to the edge of the page, make sure it runs past both the trim and the bleed line so even if the trimming is off by an inch, the drawing will still run to the edge of the page.
Conclusion
Hope this helps! If you plan on printing your comic, you should research which kind of page dimensions you plan on using. But the good thing is the lines and areas are essentially the same. You don’t need to follow them to the tee, but it’s nice to know and keep in mind as you make your comic. Good luck!
If you have any questions, you can ask me on my social media.
Check out my Webcomic “Broken Mirage”!
Prefer Scroll Format? You can read it on Webtoons and Tapas!
Bearumha’s Social Media
Support