How To Create HOT PDF Cover Pages?

In our last post we promised that we will be guiding you about making cover pages for e-books. It’s time to fulfill our promise, so shall we...

In our last post we promised that we will be guiding you about making cover pages for e-books. It’s time to fulfill our promise, so shall we begin? Most of us are already aware of the importance of having an excellent cover page be it a class assignment, a term report or any other full fledge document. In today’s world of advertisements, people go for the things which look most significant, which can make them stop. We have already discussed how to make an e-book. When you are done with the content of your e-book…you have worked hard, added each and every word carefully. Now you want to bring it in the market. This is the time you need to work for your cover page.

Series:

1. Create a PDF File in 4 Simple Ways!


2. 
   How to Merge Documents in PDF Format?


3. 
   How To Create HOT PDF Cover Pages?


4. 
   Simple Ways To Edit a PDF Document
   

The Paradox:

When I discussed this idea with my friend, he asked me to tell about some free PDF images which can be edited. For that time being I agreed to him but soon after I realized that there’s something missing. I would never go for any handful set of images to make my cover page. When I have written whole book on my own, I should have a special cover page, designed specifically for my e-book. In other words I rejected the approach of editing PDF images. As editing with PDF is not an easy task and most of us are non- familiar with it. We are comfortable with only reading PDF documents. So why mess up things and why not look for easily applicable options.
I then found two choices. I could either use a professional designer’s approach to make a cover page using Photoshop or GIMP .Or I could design it using MS Publisher as a home user. I won’t recommend you to go for any new design tools to make your PDF cover page rather we want a solution where we could use our creativity with the tools we are skilled at. Once the image is finalized; we can then convert it into PDF document.

Professional Designer’s Approach:   

If you are skilled at Photoshop, GIMP or any other professional designer tool, feel free to create your cover page with it. I usually save my work in .jpg, .bmp format. It’s time to convert them into PDF format. We are using the same PDF software tools which we have used earlier, so that you don’t need to download any other tool.

PDF Creator:

Click Start -> All Programs -> PDF Creator (Folder) -> Images2PDF (Folder) ->Images2PDF
File -> Import Images. ‘Import’ Dialog box appears. You can use the default settings or customize it.
Click Import. It will ask you to specify file.
You can see the file is added. Export it to PDF format now.
Click File -> Export to pdf. Export Window pops up and allows you to enter its properties like its title, author. Image compression options are also available.
In the ‘File’ bar click on the ‘dotted button’, it will make you specify save location and the exported file name.
Click ‘Export’.

Your image is now in PDF format. You can also convert it in the same way as you create simple PDF files but that won’t allow you specify any image size or compression etc.

DoPDF: 

DoPDF also cater image files to be converted into PDF.  
Select Start -> All Programs -> DoPDF.
Specify your file and it will recognize image file by its extension.
It will provide you some options, you may use them.
Click ‘Print’.

PDF converter:

You can also convert your files to PDF format online at freepdfconvert.
Just add your source file. You may add any URL.
Click ‘Convert Your File’.
You may enter your e-mail address to receive your file via e-mail or can open or save it directly after conversion.

Home User’s Approach:

If you are satisfied with MS Office, you may prefer to use MS Publisher. It is a really good tool and provides with varieties of options. As described by its name, it is mostly used to design banners, brochures, flyers etc.

Working with it is quite easy. All you need to do is save your file in PDF format.

You may find yourself interested in making 3D- cover pages. For guidance on that you may read our post  "Make an Ebook - Complete Guide" .

What’s next?

We will be wrapping up the series in our next post InshAllah. We will discuss some miscellaneous features of PDF documents in that. You may write to us if you want to suggest the topic for next post of this series.

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Guest Post by Aiman Khan. MBT's Regular contributor