Need ideas for designing your own cover images in Pressbooks?
Read the Make a Book Cover chapter in the Guide to Using Pressbooks. This chapter highlights user-friendly tools, including the Pressbooks cover image generator. We do not recommend using Canva because...
Or check out other the resources, below, that UTSA has to support cover image design for your project.
Basics: Image Resolution
A webbook is the default format for all books created on UTSA Pressbooks.
Whichever tool you use to design your cover image, the final image must meet the 900x1200 minimum requirement for a webbook.
Why is this important? Depending on where and how you make your book available, cover image resolution expectations will change. Follow the guidelines for every platform to ensure that your image is sharp and beautiful everywhere.
More Basics:
Creative Commons Licenses
As a UTSA Pressbooks author, you must apply a Creative Commons license to any books per our terms of service.
Because of this, it is also expected that UTSA Pressbooks titles be made available free of charge on any print on demand platform.
UTSA Libraries provides access to Pressbooks primarily to support the creation of open educational resources at UTSA.
More Basics: OER
(OER) are "teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions (UNESCO, 2022)". OER are free with unfettered access.
Cover Image Generator
Pressbooks has its own cover generator that you can use to make covers.
Click this link for steps on using this tool.
Print on Demand
If you plan to offer your book on a print on demand service like Ingram Spark, Apple, or Kindle Direct as other points of discovery, the book should also be free on those platforms. You can use the cover image PDF generated by Pressbooks and can upload that to your preferred print on demand service along with the PDF. Follow Prominent E-book Stores and Cover Image Expectations to ensure you meet the minimum specifications for these platforms.
Adobe Express: Quick & Easy
Since UTSA is an Adobe Creative Campus, you have a great book cover generator available to you in Adobe Creative Cloud. Click the video below for a quick how-to on using this fun tool.
Book covers created in Adobe Express have a resolution of 2250X1410.
Work with Your Own Graphic Designer
Then you can upload your custom image in Pressbooks to override the default settings.
- Generate a JPG of the front cover.
- Upload the front cover on the book info page when logged in to Pressbooks. You can use a JPG or PNG of just the front cover. You can also screenshot the PDF and upload the screenshot. For more details, follow this link.
Want to UTSA involve Student Roadrunners?
If you're looking for a more unique cover image to draw your readers in and you have a longer timeline before your final project is due, our Student Roadrunner visual designers can help. We are working with our Adobe Student Ambassadors and UTSA Commercial Publications instructors to coordinate.
If you select this option, please plan to select one of the student designs as your final design.
Questions? Email oer@utsa.edu for answers or click the button below for details.
Credits:
Created with images by DariuszSankowski - "paper heart symbol" • Pexels - "hands plant soil" • cocoparisienne - "waterdrop water pearls raindrop" • Paul_Stachowiak - "woman confetti sparkles" • Pexels - "open illuminated light" • geralt - "stairs stages feet" • ThoughtCatalog - "tea time reading poetry" • qimono - "doors choices choose" • fda54 - "staircase upwards rails" • JoshuaWoroniecki - "keyboard computer technology"