Manga-Sized Page Template
Submitted by admin on May 3, 2010 – 10:12 pm32 Comments
This template applies to all pages for both manga-sized comics and manga-sized paperbacks.
Click the image above to download the template.
Open the template in your image editing software (photoshop, illustrator, indesign, etc.).
Build your comic page to the exact dimensions and specifications in the template.
To double check the dimensions and specifications of the page you build you can paste the template as a layer on top of your page. If all of your artwork that is intended to bleed off of the edges goes all the way to the edges of the template (the red area) while all of your relevant art, text, panel borders, captions, and word balloons are confined to the live area (light blue) then your page is in spec.
[...] Download the manga-sized template here. [...]
do you have a template for a manga sized spread?
Not yet … but I’m working on it now.
Could somebody please give the numbers for the template? (i.e. dimensions of live area, margain area and trim area)
All those numbers are on the templates themselves.
Seven of the eight posted templates contain those numbers. However, the current manga template contains only the information for the document size. The live area and trim size numbers are missing on the manga template.
@Grace — From my measurements, I think the manga template’s live area is 4.5″x7″ and the trim is 5″x7.5.”
anybody know the pixel dimensions of this template for the various margins? Live: 1350w x 2100h? thanks.
Can you rephrase that? I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking …
to rephrase, what are the margins’ sizes by pixel instead of inches?
What am I? A calculator? :) If you’re working at 300 dpi just multiply the amount in inches by 300 and you’ve got the pixel count.
a bunch of comedians, eh?
i’d do that, but the template doesn’t exactly say what the inch sizes for the trim and bleed areas are. so if i don’t know them… i can’t do the math.
From what I can see opening the template in Photoshop, the live area is 4.5 x 7 inches, the trim area is 5 x 7.5 inches, with a 1/4-inch margin on all sides. The bleed zone is 1/8 inch on top and bottom and 1/4 inch on the sides, which puzzles me a bit — every other printer I’ve worked with has 1/8 inch bleed areas all around the page. Why is Ka-Blamm different?
-Looking at the yellow margin area of the template, it looks like where the edge of the artwork meets the binding the artwork would sink into the binding and get lost. Is this adjusted for when the images are sent to print, or do I need to anticipate it in my page layouts?
-Do the covers of manga-sized paperbacks use the same format as the interior pages, plus a spine file? Am I understanding that correctly?
It’s just because we’re special …
Actually, we originally had — like most other printers — the full bleed size at 5.25 x 7.75 with an 1/8th inch trim on all four sides. But we found over time that for our system and on our equipment (I can’t speak for the way anyone else does it) the extra 1/8th of an inch that our specs call for makes a big, big difference both in our production and in the finished product.
Plus it has the added advantage of a 2-3 ratio (same as standard-sized comics) so they can scale up and down from one type to another with relative ease.
Depending on your page count you can lose up to 1/4 of an inch of artwork in the spine. But that shouldn’t be an issue if you follow our specs. Our specs make allowance for this. Let your artwork bleed to the edges, yes, but keep the story-relevant parts and all text WITHIN the live area and spine loss won’t be an issue.
Does anyone know how to set up Manga Studio for use? My girlfriend wants to print her online manga for her own personal collection, but I’m not sure what the settings should be.
@BarryGregory – This is the *only* Ka-Blam template that lacks measurements for the live and trim areas printed on the template itself. Artists will keep asking Ka-Blam questions about the live and trim area dimensions for as long as the Ka-Blam template omits this information. Few will read the comments to get these measurements, which I posted on August 3rd, 2010 and Scott Bieser had to repeat on September 11, 2010. This template must be updated.
@JIGreco – pixel dimensions are 1650×2325 for the entire page; 1500×2250 for the trim; 1350×2100 for the live area.
@ARamos – set up a Manga Studio template that’s 5.500×7.750 in total Page Size. For my Manga Studio Ka-Blam template, I set my Standard Resolution for 1200dpi. I also have the Ka-Blam template built into my page template as a “Sketch” layer. This is done by importing the template as a 300dpi layer and setting the layer’s Output Attribute settings to “Sketch.” Set the template layer’s Opacity to 50%. Then choose “Save As Template” from the File menu.
I ink at 1200dpi. When I’m done with my Manga Studio project, I output it in Grayscale at 1200dpi for a 6600×9300 pixel image. I then resize these images to 1650×2325 using either Photoshop or Irfanview. The reason I do not output these images at 1650×2325 directly from Manga Studio is that it seems to anti-alias individual layers before flattening them together, causing white edges on some of my fills.
The reason I ink at 1200dpi instead of 300dpi is for higher perceived resolution in the final image. I have more about antialiasing and Ka-Blam reproduction here:
http://lore.greeblegraphics.com/2008/10/12/tech-talk-anti-aliasing-artwork-for-best-possible-ka-blam-reproduction/
You’re right. I’ll get that corrected as quickly as I can.
Also coming soon are double page spread templates for manga and magazine sizes.
are the double page/cover spread templates for manga size available yet? or can you please provide the dimensions for them. thanks!
The template’s not ready yet, I’m afraid. The dimensions though are 10.5 x 7.75.
Hi…I was thinking of making a comic, start something up and get a back-log of pages, and perhaps make it a Manga sized page, so it’ll be less of a strain on me when I finally do get the money to pay for publishing it. Even though it’ll be my own style instead of anime…but that’s besides the point.
So how does the template work? is it one whole page, or 4 pages with the red dotted line as the seperation of the pages? If the 4 page thing is what’s going on, are half of the pages flipped or something?
I’d like to be sure that I’m doing the page right when I begin drawing, so the process is easier when I try to publish it. And if it’s any help to you, I usually use GIMP as my digital art program.
The template is intended for ONE single page of artwork. Before you get too far into this I’d recommend you do a bit of research online — plenty of tutorials out there — on page production. I think you’d probably benefit greatly from a bit of study before you begin. Best of luck!
I’m wondering if the extra bleed will affect wraparound covers. I’d like to line up elements on the left edge and the right bleed and make sure they crop correctly, but the variable bleed is making me weary.
For covers does the extra bleed get ignored or shifted to the outside edges?
I am looking at wrapping a book up soon but want it printed in the original right to left instead of left to right. how do I specify this before I submit so that there is not a problem getting it printed in this fashion? I looked to see if there was some place I could specify this on the general submissions page and didn’t see it. My concerns are that the kablam ad would be printed on the interior front cover because the whole book is backwards, and all the stories are laid out in reverse so would also make little sense if printed the standard way. That would be the worst case scenario.
I’ve got a couple questions concerning the manga-sized templates:
1. If everything on the pages stay within the live area and not extend into the yellow, will there be a white border on the pages? With most manga, there is no border on each page. The images extend all the way to the ends of the paper. The word balloons are sometimes placed in corners and are cropped off, but the words themselves aren’t cut off.
2. Will there be a template available for the covers(including the spine)? I saw the double-page spread for the standard-size comics, but whenever the manga spread template is available, how do we include the title/art that goes on the spine? (if the spine is wide enough to have the title printed, of course)
I think you’re misreading the template. We don’t want EVERYTHING inside the live area (or safe zone). If you want your pages to bleed off the edges (no border on the outside) then your artwork MUST extend all the way to the edges of the template — completely through the red areas. It’s the LETTERING and any other story critical element that must be confined to the live area. By “story critical element” I don’t mean just any artwork. I mean something that the reader MUST see. For example if a character is making a hand gesture that’s relevant to the story then that character’s hand MUST be inside the live area, etc.
As to the spine, the spine gets trimmed only on the top and bottom so as long as your spine is the proper width and your elements are at least 0.25 inches in from the top or the bottom you should fine.
Use the double page spread template for your covers.
See my reply to Ashlyn in this same thread.
Hi, I was just wondering if you had dimensions to use on Manga Studio Debut?
Can someone help me with the dimensions for manga studio? If page size is 5.5 x 7.75, what would be the dimensions for the Finish Frame, Basic Frame and Bleed Width?
I love Manga Studio, but I really wish they’d use more established terminology. I’d recommend you set your page size to 5.5 w x 7.75 h, your finish frame (which is the trimmed size — live area plus margins) to 5 x 7.5, and the basic frame (the live area) to 4.5 x 7.
For more info please consult our template .