The answer to our last post’s question about what the trim marks actually represent in either proof is: I THINK the yellow arrows in the digital proofer DO mark where the page gets trimmed; whereas in the PDF proof, what we would normally call crop marks, shown as the black right angle lines at each corner, are NOT where the pages get trimmed. Ultimately, neither view really tells you how well your image will line up in the middle. So, it’s guess work, luck, and paying for a hard copy proof that will undeniably show you if you got it right.
At this stage, you might not see issues because you have been living with and loving your work for months, even years. As you close in on the finish, your eyes have adjusted to “Everything looks fine” mode, because you’re so tired of the endless proofing, and always in the back of your mind are all the rejections that compound your uncertainty and faith in your work. And so, when you’re looking at your pages in a different setting, you either see non-existent flaws or you see nothing wrong at all. And here is where I tout another positive point about CreateSpace: the review process is very user-friendly and forgiving. So long as you have not approved your digital proof, you can upload again and again and again. And again. This part of the process is so invaluable to a first-timer, who is trying desperately to learn the process while checking that every mistake is resolved.

For this first-timer, I abused this option shamelessly. There were days where I uploaded viewed, corrected, and uploaded…ALL day.

Over three months had gone by since I had made the decision to self publish. Prior to that, over three months had been spent perfecting a manuscript and illustrations that had already undergone tremendous change and scrutiny since 2012. And so here at this moment in time, I found myself in an endless proofing loop.

Here’s a negative point about CreateSpace: the review process is very user friendly and forgiving.

At the top of CreateSpace’s advantages is their online review process, which, as I found out later, is sophisticated and fast.
 
There are two versions of proofing available before you have to order a hard copy proof, shown in the figure: a digital online proofing system and a downloadable PDF proof. Near the top right of the interface are buttons for different ways of viewing: 3D, spread, single page, zoom, and multiple pages. On the right side are little icons of each page, indicating that you can scroll through all your pages.
 
The online digital proofer simulates your book as a real book. You even get the swooshing sound associated with the page-turning action!
 
Now let’s look at the PDF proof. Not as much going on, but the pages are presented in spread format, and crop marks show where your pages will be trimmed.
 
These proofing systems were somewhat confusing for me at first. For instance, in both views, my impression was that there would be a gap in the gutter of my book, rather than a seemless image spread.
 
Let’ re-visit the issue of gutters. Having never been through this process before, it was confusing to figure out whether I set up the gutters correctly. Take a look at the yellow arrows in the top image, or the virtual proof. The book is open, and the left page looks like it is even buckling upward as a real book page would do. The page is also framed by two sets of dotted lines; this is what the yellow arrows are pointing out. So, my question is, what are these lines representing? Where the page will be trimmed to? Where the pages will physically meet? Answer, next post!
 
An additional note on CreateSpace: there are no additional fees if you find errors in your proof and need to fix and re-upload. After all, this is why it’s called proofing, so the fact that other platforms charge every time you need to re-upload is frankly unfair. There are simply some problems you can’t see until you reach this stage.