comic-export-and-publish

name	comic-export-and-publish
version	1.0.0
category	comic-production
description	Platform delivery contract — canvas/resolution/color specs per destination (Instagram, X, webtoon platforms, print zine, PDF chapter), lettering minimums, file naming, and archival rules for the Producer's sign-off.

Comic Export & Publish

Core principle: A comic isn't delivered until it survives its platform. Export specs are part of the project contract, not an afterthought at sign-off.

The Producer selects target platforms at brief intake; this skill supplies the specs those choices imply.

Platform Matrix

Destination	Canvas	Resolution	Color	Notes
Instagram feed	1:1 or 4:5	1080×1080 / 1080×1350	sRGB	3-panel strips re-cut to carousel (one panel per card) read better than one squeezed wide image
X / horizontal social	16:9	≥1600×900	sRGB	The native home of 3-panel-horizontal; preview crop ~2:1 — keep balloons off the extreme edges
Webtoon platforms	800 px wide column	slices ≤1280 px tall	sRGB	Export scroll segments as sequential slices; never split a panel or balloon across a slice boundary
Print zine (B&W)	A5/half-letter + 3 mm bleed	600 dpi line art / 300 dpi tone	Grayscale or 1-bit	Screentone styles export 1-bit to avoid rescreening moiré; check tone ruling survives the print lpi
Print (color)	per spec + 3 mm bleed	300 dpi	CMYK (coated/uncoated profile per printer)	Four-color era styles (golden-age-superhero-comic, pop-art-lichtenstein-comic) preview in CMYK from the start
PDF chapter	2:3 page	300 dpi	sRGB (screen) / CMYK (print-on-demand)	Embed fonts if real text layers exist; otherwise flatten lettering

Lettering Minimums (Legibility Floor)

• On-screen: rendered text ≥ ~12 px x-height at the platform's default zoom; phone-width test for webtoon and social
• Print: ≥ 6 pt effective; never let bleed-safe margins crop a balloon (balloons live inside the safe area, 5 mm from trim)
• Re-cuts (e.g., strip → carousel) re-run the comic-lettering-and-balloons order test per crop

Re-Cut Rules (One Master, Many Deliverables)

• The locked format from comic-format-library is the master; platform variants are derived crops/re-slices, never re-generations
• A re-cut may change panel framing margins, never panel content or order
• If a platform demands a different aspect than the master can honestly give, the Producer adds it to the contract as a second deliverable — at panel-budget cost — rather than distorting the master

File Naming & Structure

exports/deliverables/
└── <project>/<episode>/
    ├── master/        strip-007-master.png        (full resolution, locked format)
    ├── instagram/     strip-007-ig-p1.png …       (per-card)
    ├── webtoon/       ep03-slice-01.png …         (sequential slices)
    └── print/         ep03-pages-cmyk.pdf

• Names carry project, episode/strip number, platform, and sequence — sortable, no spaces
• Every deliverable folder includes a manifest.txt: bible version, shot-plan ids, generation-log references

Archival Rules (Sign-Off Requirement)

• Keep: masters, generation logs, shot plans, the production brief, and the bible version used — enough to reproduce or extend the episode a year later
• The Producer's sign-off checklist item "exports generated" means this matrix, not "some PNGs exist"

Integration

• Specs feed the Producer's brief intake (platform field) and sign-off protocol
• Consumes masters produced by the pipelines; lettering checks per comic-lettering-and-balloons
• Slicing rules for scroll work follow comic-webtoon-scroll-pipeline

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The platform is the last panel of every comic — design for it like one.