VectorPaint continuous book spines: check artwork and titles against volume widths

English translation of the Chinese original, translated on 2026-11-03. Original publication dates, attribution, code and version notes are retained.

A group of spines should work both together and individually. Design a continuous branch motif for three fictional volumes, defining unequal widths before making slices. Exercise dimensions are illustrative. Actual spine width, folds and production requirements must come from the real producer; this graphic is not a ready-to-use print die.

Define volume order and unequal widths

List volumes one, two and three at exercise widths of 120, 160 and 100 pixels and height 700, totalling 380 pixels. These values define slicing, not physical paper thickness. Create the full strip and record boundaries separately. Prepare fictional titles, subtitles and volume IDs. Real production dimensions require replacing the plan and redoing layout rather than stretching this preview. Establish the structure before drawing the continuous artwork.

Mark volume boundaries on the complete strip

Mark boundaries at 120 and 280 on the complete strip. Preserve separate text areas so titles do not split between books. Hide ordinary diagnostic boundary lines in final output. Backgrounds may span volumes, but identities must remain legible within each slice. Test unequal widths in greyscale, especially the narrowest spine, without changing them to equal widths for convenience. Retain the boundary record as the slicing reference.

Keep the continuous motif clear of key titles

Draw an original simplified branch across the strip with a few leaves. Let connecting stems cross boundaries while avoiding awkward cuts through important leaf shapes. Keep title areas quiet. Account for the wider middle volume rather than repeating one identical panel three times. Inspect the motif alone and then with titles. Preserve the complete original artwork so every slice can be checked against its source.

Use consistent title direction and volume IDs

Choose horizontal text, manually stacked characters or a rotated line and test the longest title using supported controls. Do not assume a specialised vertical-typesetting mode. Audit character order and punctuation if stacking manually. Keep volume IDs at consistent ends with margin and coherent hierarchy. Adjust wording or area rather than distorting type. Verify each title individually before judging the group, so continuous artwork does not overwhelm identification.

Create three copies from explicit ranges

Create volume copies from ranges 0–120, 120–280 and 280–380. Use supported canvas, mask or another verified workflow to restrict visibility rather than assuming automatic slicing. Record exact intended ranges and preserve proportions instead of eyeballing crops. Retain full source content inside working copies if helpful, but export only the assigned volume. Inspect every slice for stray neighbour text or a missing volume ID.

Reassemble outputs at their recorded widths

Place actual exports side by side at proportional widths 120, 160 and 100, not inside equal-width containers. Check both branch joins and background/title relationships. Verify intended shelf order and test small physical gaps visually. This confirms artwork slicing and layout only, not curved binding surfaces, folds or production tolerances; physical proofs remain a separate requirement.

Retain the full strip and per-volume sources

Keep the complete source, volume copies and width list with explicit size/revision names. Changes to spanning artwork require checking every slice. Decide deliberately whether backgrounds remain in transparent output. Reopen all three files and the reconstruction preview to verify a common revision. Real delivery follows confirmed production specifications; these exercise pixel graphics are not automatically a complete cover spread, so state their purpose clearly.

Check ranges and scaling when the motif breaks

For a break at volume two, verify crop ranges and proportional display width before editing the drawing. Inspect masks, backgrounds and joins for seams and compare normal-size rendering. Fix clipped titles inside their own areas, not across neighbouring spines. Investigate stale sources/filenames after revisions. Repeat individual reading and combined reconstruction as separate checks of identity and continuity.