Hardcover Box Book Mockup
What's inside
- Applications Photoshop
- File Types PSD
- License Free (see author's terms)
- Author Pixpine
A hardcover box book mockup, made for presenting a book cover. Drop in your artwork and the lighting and shadows stay as they are.
Useful for authors as much as for cover designers. One thing worth knowing: design the spine too, even if it’s narrow. Book mockups showing the side look unfinished with a blank spine.
Seeing a layout on a real book is also the easiest way to catch problems early. A phone number that looked fine on screen can turn out too small once it sits on paper. If you’re building a full identity, pair it with an envelope or letterhead mockup for a matching set.
Works well for
- A book cover
- A cookbook
- An annual report cover
Credit goes to Pixpine. We link to their download page rather than re-uploading the file, so check their terms there before commercial use.
What you can edit in this Hardcover Box Book Mockup
The PSD is layered, so you can change:
- Your design, placed through the smart object
- Paper texture you can turn up or down
- Front and back artwork, where both sides are shown
- Shadows and highlights on their own layers
Editing the Hardcover Box Book Mockup, step by step
- Export your artwork as a high-resolution PNG or JPG, around 300 ppi at print size.
- Open the file in Photoshop and double-click the smart object thumbnail in the Layers panel.
- Paste your design, resize it to fill the area, then save (Ctrl/Cmd + S) and close that tab.
- Tweak the shadow and highlight layers to suit your colours.
- Export a full-size image for your portfolio and a smaller one for social media.
Another tip: keep text at least a few millimetres from the edge. The mockup shows the trim, and cramped margins read as a mistake.
Where the Hardcover Box Book Mockup works best
- Present a cookbook in a client proposal or brand guide.
- Show a novel jacket to a client before it goes to print or production.
- Use it as the cover image for an annual report cover in your portfolio.
Before you download
- Made by Pixpine. The download size and format are listed on their page.
- Check the smart object size before you design, so your artwork fits without stretching.
- Built for Adobe Photoshop. A recent CC version handles the smart objects best.
- The preview shows the angle, background and lighting you’ll get.
Browse more free book mockups on Artistic Orbit, with new files added every day.
Questions about this mockup
What licence does it come with?
It's free to download, but the licence belongs to Pixpine. Check their page: it states whether commercial use is allowed and if attribution is needed.
How do I add my design?
Open the file in Photoshop, double-click the smart object thumbnail, paste or place your artwork in the new tab, save it (Ctrl/Cmd + S) and close. The main file updates on its own.
Which Photoshop version do I need?
A recent Photoshop CC version is best. Older versions can open the file but sometimes have trouble with smart objects and effects.
Can I show both sides?
It depends on the file. Many print mockups include a front and a back smart object; the preview usually shows whether both sides are visible.
Why does the download open another website?
We list free files from designers around the web and link to the original page, so Pixpine gets the visit and you get the file exactly as they published it.
