Go to the Lightning Source cover generator page to create the template for your book. Enter the information regarding your ISBN number, publisher codes, number of pages of your book, in what format in which you will return the completed cover and your contact information. Optional information that can be printed on the cover is planned selling price and if that should be listed on the bar code.
Wait until you receive the template from Lightning Source in an email. The file is sent in EPS format. The file may be opened in any design software program, such as Photoshop or Gimp, which is a free program.
Learn what the lines on the cover template mean. The magenta lines are considered the "safety" or "live" areas. All pictures, text and logos need to go in this area. The cyan (blue) lines represent the "bleed" area. If color is to extend to the edges of your cover, the bleed area needs to have the color extended to the cyan lines. The "cut" lines in the corners represent where the cuts to the corners of the cover will take place. The bar code in the bottom left is for Lightning Source and is not to be moved or changed.
Create your design for your cover. All images should be set to 300 dots per square inch (dpi). Settings below this result in blurry and poor image quality. Using Photoshop or Gimp allows you to design multiple layers of pictures and text. Each layer contains one aspect of your cover. When the cover is complete, you flatten all the layers into one image.
Create a PDF from the file you created. You can use the Adobe suite of software, as Lightning Source suggests, or use Ubuntu, which is a free version of Linux, to convert the EPS file to a PDF.
Review the PDF before submitting it to Lightning Source. Go to "Fonts" and review all the items listed. All items should have "Embedded Subset" listed. If an item is not an embedded subset, it will not print on the cover.
Submit the PDF to Lightning Source using the link it provided to you in the same email that you received your cover template.