You can find all the templates for ECO albums HERE.
When designing the cover, it's important to carefully select the correct cover template for the number of pages and the size of the album!
- For 3 spreads, select the desired album size and cover, i.e., the file named okładka 3 karty.
- For 5 spreads, select the desired album size and cover, i.e., the file named okładka 5 kart.
- For 10 spreads, select the desired album size and cover, i.e., the file named okładka 10 kart.
The right side of the cover is the front.
The left side of the cover is the back.
The same rules apply to the cover design as to the spread design. This file has two additional guides in the middle of the design, indicating where the photo will be folded as the album spine.
Please avoid placing vertical text on the spine—the tolerance for spine folding is +/- 1 mm, which can result in an unappealing appearance if the text is misaligned. If you are not using our editor, you will upload the cover during the order configuration (after uploading the files for the album's interior).
If you are using the Zalamo editor, you will design the cover after approving the spreads, while in the Crystal Editor, the cover is designed first.
We also recommend designing the cover uniformly (see Example 3 below).
The process of gluing the cover to the album block is mechanical, so natural shifts of the cover relative to the assembled block may occur, which can slightly shift the designed back cover.
Below, we will show a few examples demonstrating different ways to position photos on the cover.
Cover File
This is what the cover file looks like when opened in Photoshop.
(All the examples below are screenshots from Photoshop, which is why a black frame is visible around them). In the Crystal Editor and Zalamo Editor, only the inner line at the edge of the template is visible.
This line marks the safe area for the design.
The area indicated by the red arrows is the album spine.
Example 1
The photo is stretched across the entire cover.
This is potentially an incorrect cover design because, as shown in the image below, the main motif of the cover falls exactly in the center, meaning it will be on the album spine.
And here is the final result: the printed, assembled, and trimmed album.
Front of the album
Back of the album
Album laid flat
Example 2
The photo is placed on the left side of the cover template.
This is potentially an incorrect cover design because, as shown in the image below, the main motif of the cover will appear on the back of the album.
And here is the final result: the printed, assembled, and trimmed album
Front of the album
Back of the album
Album laid flat.
Example 3
A photo collage on the front, background on the back.
As you can see, the cover is designed in a non-uniform manner.
And here is the final result: the printed, assembled, and trimmed album.
Front of the album
Back of the album
Album laid flat
Close-up of the spine
Note! However, remember that such a combination—photos on the front and background on the back of the cover—is quite risky because, as we mentioned earlier in this article, the tolerance for spine folding is +/- 1 mm, which can result in an unappealing appearance of the spine with misaligned text or, in this case, the connection between the photos and the background.
Example 4
Standard cover
This is an example of the most popular and correct way of designing a cover.
And here is the final result: the printed, assembled, and trimmed album
Front of the album
Back of the album
Album laid flat
