Book printing is a specialist subject and you won’t find that your average High Street printer can assist. But whilst that probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise, you might also be interested to know that your average bulk standard jobbing printer probably can’t help either.
Why does book printing need a special kind of printing press?
The answer is that books are generally made up of a large number of pages and so the only way to get them produced in a cost effective manner is to print on very large B1 sheets of paper, meaning that lots of different pages – say at A5 size – can be printed with one pass through the press.
Without getting overly technical, let’s say you wanted to produce a 64 page book. Go to the right printer with a B1 Heidelberg book printing press and it would only equate to two sheets of paper being printed on both sides – which could happen with a single pass through the press.
The there’s digital book printing which means that options relating to length of print run are dramatically more flexible. Digital printing can be the right choice for small quantities, whereas litho book printing will almost certainly be less expensive for longer print runs. And strangely, because books contain numerous pages you don’t have to be printing all that many before litho printing become more efficient than digital book printing.
But of course books do come in all shapes and sizes and so the most important thing for you to do is get your book properly quoted in advance. And there are quite a few decisions that you’re going to need to make:
- Will the book be soft (that’s also known as a self cover) or hard bound?
- If the book is to be hard bound will it be Perfect or PUR bound or perhaps in hardback (case bound) format.
- What about any special finishes like foil blocking, fancy papers, dust jackets.
So, when it comes to book printing, the words on the page might end up seeming like the least of your problems!
As always, the best advice is to look for some examples of printed books that you’ve seen and like the look of. And then speak to an expert who can advise you on precisely which option you might get priced up.
When you start investigating the world of book printing you quickly discover that the options are virtually limitless and the sooner you get some sound advice, the better the final printed outcome of your book.
Perhaps most of all make sure you’re actually dealing with the people who will be producing your book. Too many people make the mistake of effectively dealing with a printing company who are in reality no more than a middle man. This means that you lose control of your book printing from the outside because your communications are via a form of Chinese whisper.
At PrintHouse Corporation we’ve become specialised in producing outstanding printed books on both litho and digital presses. Best of all, if you happen to be based in London and need to get a book printed, we’re right on your doorstep meaning that working with us will be easy from a proofing and delivery point of view too. To get your book print quote pay us a visit online or give us a call on 020 8963 0123 today.
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Dan Jacobs is Sales Director PrintHouse Corporation and has got years of experience in producing litho and digitally printed books in many different shapes and sizes. Dan can provide you with samples and lead you through your book printing options. Get in touch using dan@printhouse.co.uk or via the book print quote form here.
