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How to Create a MagCloud PDF

with Microsoft Word for Mac

a step-by-step guide from


Create a New Document (1 of 2)
1. Open Word and a new blank document should open automatically. If not, go to File > New Blank
Document.

2. Select View > Publishing Layout.

3. Go to Format > Document to open a window like the one below.

4. Check the box to “Mirror margins” and verify that the margins will Apply to: “Whole Document.”

5. Set the Margins: Top = 0.375 in / Bottom = 0.375 in / Inside = .5 in / Outside = 0.5 in

6. Click the Page Setup... button to open the Page Setup window (continued on page 2).

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Create a New Document (2 of 2)
1. In the Page Setup window, select Any Printer from the Format For drop-down menu.

2. In the Paper Size drop-down menu, select Manage Custom Sizes... to open the window shown be-
low.

3. Set the Paper Size: Width = 8.5 / Height = 11 in

4. Choose User Defined from the Non-Printable Area drop-down menu and set all measurements to
0.00 in.

5. Click OK to close the Custom Paper Sizes window, and then click OK again to close the Paper Setup
window, and finally click OK once more to close the Document window.

TIP: To avoid setting up your paper size every time, name your
Custom Paper Size something recognizable like MagCloud
and select it as your paper size for future publications.

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Get to Know the Trim Lines & Bleed
1. In the lower right-hand corner of the screen, select the Master Pages tab.

2. Drag from the ruler on the top of the window to create horizontal guides at 0.13" and 10.87" then
drag from the ruler at the left edge of the window to create vertical guides at 0.25" and 8.25".

3. Click on the All Contents tab to go back to your document.

4. Compare the on-screen view of your first page to the one below to familiarize yourself with the
trim line and bleed areas. This will be your cover page.

The gray line is


the edge of the
8.5" x 11" PDF
you will upload to
MagCloud.

The pink line is the


trim line. This is
where the magazine
will be cut after
printing, and it is
the edge of your
final 8.25" x 10.75"
printed magazine.
Content outside this
line will not appear
in the printed
magazine.

Inside the blue line is The area between


the safe zone. Any the gray and blue
content that you want lines is the bleed.
to appear completely Any content that you
in the print magazine want to extend to the
should be within this edge of the printed
area to avoid getting magazine, such as
trimmed off. full-page images,
should fill this area.

TIP: The trim line can vary slightly in either direction, so it’s best to
keep all text within the safe zone, 0.25” inside the trim line.

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Add Your Content
Create your magazine by adding images and text to the layout. A few things to keep in mind:

• Make sure all images have a resolution of at least 300 pixels per inch. A full page image should be
at least 2550 pixels by 3300 pixels.

• While images can remain in their original colorspace (RGB, sRGB, etc) any vector elements and
text created in Word should be CMYK. Make sure there are no spot colors used in the file.

• To ensure the best print output, black text should be 100% K (CMYK = 0/0/0/100).

• The bottom half inch of the back cover (0.625 inches including the bottom edge bleed) will be
covered by your tagline and an order number. Please see “How to Publish” in the Help section of
the MagCloud website for more information.

• If you plan to have a saddle-stitch bound magazine, the page count of your final PDF must be
between 4 and 100 pages, and a multiple of 4. If you plan to have a perfect bound magazine, the
page count should be between 20 and 384 pages, and a multiple of 2.

Designing for Perfect Binding


Once your PDF is uploaded to MagCloud, if it is over 20 pages you will have the option to select
perfect binding. A few things to think about if your magazine will be perfect bound:

• Up to 0.25 inches of the inside edge of your magazine may be lost into the spine so it is
recommended that you keep text at least 0.5 inches from the inside edge of your PDF page.

• When images cover two pages, this means that up to a half inch in the center of the image may be
lost into the spine. The best way to account for this is to shift the image outward on both pages so
it is duplicated in the area close to the spine, called the gutter (shown within the pink lines on the
diagram below).

FILE EDGE (8.5” x 11”) NOTE THE OVERLAP - IF THE GUTTERS WERE REMOVED, AND
TRIM LINE (8.25” x 10.75”) 4 THE TWO PAGES WERE PUSHED TOGETHER, THEY WOULD
GUTTER LINE (0.25” FROM INSIDE EDGE) CREATE A CONTINUOUS IMAGE
Export Your PDF
1. Go to File > Save As... A window like the one below should appear.

2. Choose a name for your PDF, and save it in a place where you can easily find it.

3. Select PDF from the Save as Type drop-down menu.

4. Click Save. The resulting PDF is now ready to upload to the MagCloud site.

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www.magcloud.com

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