Book Printing
We print and bind books — from single-copy and short academic runs through to bulk offset editions. Typesetting, cover design, printing, binding and finishing are all handled in this building, which matters because a book is the one print job where a mistake is bound in permanently.
Short runs and long runs
A thesis, a memoir, a temple or trust publication, a first print run for a self-publishing author — these are short-run digital jobs, and a single copy is entirely reasonable.
An institutional edition, a textbook, a catalogue at volume — these go offset, where the cost per copy falls steeply once the plates are made. We will tell you which side of that line your job sits on rather than defaulting to one.
Binding
Perfect binding for paperbacks. Section-sewn for books that will be opened flat and used for years. Hard case with printed or cloth covers, foil blocking on cover and spine. Spiral and wiro for working documents and manuals.
Binding is chosen by how the book will be used, not by what looks best in a photograph — a section-sewn book costs more and survives a decade of handling that a perfect-bound one would not.
Before you print
Supply a PDF rather than a Word file — Word re-flows on a different machine and your pagination will move. Embed fonts. Check the margins against the binding method, because perfect binding takes more gutter than you expect. And print one copy first and read it on paper: errors invisible on screen are obvious in print.
Materials
- Maplitho and uncoated text paperStandard text pages, easy on the eye
- Coated art paperIllustrated and photographic pages
- Cover board and duplexPaperback covers and hard cases
- Binding cloth and leatheretteHard case covers
- Foil and embossingCover and spine blocking
Applications
- Academic theses, dissertations and project reports
- Institutional and trust publications
- Self-published fiction and non-fiction
- Textbooks and study material
- Souvenir, commemorative and anniversary volumes
- Manuals, catalogues and directories
How the work is delivered
- Confirm page count, size, paper, binding and quantity.
- Typesetting and cover design, or work from your supplied PDF.
- Proof — a single printed copy to read on paper before the run.
- Printing, digital or offset according to quantity.
- Folding, gathering and binding.
- Cover finishing — lamination, foiling, embossing.
- Trimming, packing and delivery.
Frequently asked questions
Can I print just one copy of a book?
Yes. Digital printing has no plate cost, so a single copy is entirely economical. That said, it is usually cheaper per copy to print all the copies you will need in one run than to come back for more later.
Which binding should I choose?
Perfect binding for ordinary paperbacks. Section-sewn where the book will be opened flat and used for years — it costs more and lasts far longer. Hard case for institutional, commemorative and library copies. Spiral for working manuals. Tell us how the book will be used and we will recommend.
Should I supply Word or PDF?
PDF, always. Word documents re-flow on a different machine with different fonts installed, so pagination shifts and your contents page stops matching. Export to PDF, embed the fonts, and check it before sending.
Start a project
Tell us the site, the scale and the date it needs to be in place. We will tell you what is achievable and what it involves.