Frequently Asked Questions
What is your production time?
Our book printing production times work in two stages and are subject to order size and delivery location:
- 5 Working Days from receipt of full payment to delivery of hard copy proof
- 5 Working Days from proof approval to delivery of full order
What is the difference between a page, sheet & side?
You may be confused by the differences between ‘pages’, ‘sides’, ‘sheets’ and ‘leaves’. To help clear things up we only refer to ‘pages’ within our website and ordering process.
Definition: When you open a book, you will be looking at 2 pages. Each page generally has a page number and a single sheet of paper will contain 2 pages.
Will you send me a proof?
Yes and no. All orders come with a PDF proof which we send via email.
You can purchase an optional fully printed and bound proof copy for £60. This is to allow you to check that you are happy with your artwork, material print quality.
We will ONLY print your full order on receipt of a written proof approval.
Will you deliver outside Mainland UK?
We are happy to deliver your order anywhere. However, our online quotes include delivery to Mainland UK only. For delivery outside, please contact us for a price.
When is or isn’t VAT charged?
VAT is not applicable on printing services for ‘standard’ books. This includes novels, autobiographies, poems, etc.
VAT is charged on books which contain areas for writing in. This includes; diaries, workbooks and journals
VAT will not be charged for additional services including cover design and artwork only if we printing of the book is within the same order. VAT is charged for standalone design and artwork services if no printing is required.
Do you print Hard Back Books?
No. We no longer print hard back books. We only print paperback (soft back) books either perfect bound, stitched (stapled) or wiro bound.
My book has more than 50 pages. Can it be stapled?
No. We can not staple (stitch) books as large as this. We recommend a maximum of 40 pages (20 sheets) as the bulking over this amount will cause trimming and binding issues which will look unattractive.
My book has less than 50 pages. Can it be perfect bound?
Yes. We can perfect bind books with less than 50 pages (25 sheets). We can go down as low as 32 pages (16 sheets) as standard. Perfect bound books with fewer than 32 pages will require a specialist manufacturing process which will be charged extra from £100.
My book size is unique – not A5 or A4. Can I place an order?
Yes. We are able to print books of any size. The vast majority of books are either A4 or A5. However, if your book size is unusual we can help.
TIP: If your book size is between A5 and A4 it will be priced as an A4. If your book size is between A6 and A5 it will be priced as A5.
Can graphics be included in my book?
Yes. A graphic is anything else that is not text. It can be a large or small picture, a piece of clip art or a map. We are happy to accept most file formats including jpg, tiff, gif and png. These are standard formats provided by digital cameras and scanners. Ideally the resolution for greyscale (B&W) images should be a minimum of 200dpi and for colour 300dpi so as to ensure optimum quality. Most modern digital cameras (including camera phones) will take acceptable photos.
What does ‘Artwork’ mean?
Artwork is the file(s) containing the content for your book. We ideally prefer artwork to be supplied as 2 PDF files. One PDF containing the inner pages and a second PDF for the cover. Don’t worry if you do not know how to save your artwork as a PDF, we’ve seen it all over the years and can work with almost any file type.
What is Print-Ready Artwork?
Print-ready artwork should be saved as a high resolution (300dpi) PDF with crop marks and 3mm bleed. Most publishing software (MS Publisher, Adobe InDesign, QuarkXpress) allows this type of export.
You can save PDFs from MS Word by going to ‘File, Save As, PDF (best for print). Unfortunately, MS Word does not allow you to save artwork with crops or bleed which may cause print issues with some books but we can usually resolve all these with little trouble.
We may charge a small fee if your artwork requires work in order to become printable.
Blank Pages – when and where?
Most books include blank pages and they will affect the quote and spine thickness.
Example: You may want your book chapters to always start on a right hand page. This will mean occasionally inserting blank pages.
See our Book Artwork Template Guidelines for an example of the correct layout.
What file formats are accepted?
We accept the following file formats:
- Complete Print-ready artwork files: PDF (recommended), Packaged InDesign, MS Publisher
- Manuscripts: DOC, DOCX, TXT
- Image files: JPG, GIF, TIF, AI, EPS, PSD
How do I calculate a book’s spine?
Below are a selection of calculations to help. Please contact us with your book’s exact specification to receive a precise measurement. Spine widths below are based on our standard material: 80gsm inner pages, 250gsm cover.
Use our Free Book Spine Calculator
- 50 pages – 3.5mm spine
- 75 pages – 4.8mm spine
- 100 pages – 6.1mm spine
- 150 pages – 8.6mm spine
- 200 pages – 11.1mm spine
- 300 pages – 16.2mm spine
I wish to supply my own cover design. What do I do?
Simply create the cover design to the size of your book. Don’t forget to include a spine and back cover. If the cover design has an image which extends to the edge, 3mm bleed will need to be added to allow trimming.
Ideally you should create the cover artwork for the whole cover (front, back and spine) as a single design. Check out our Book Cover Guidelines for more information
What is an ISBN?
ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is an international code made up of 13 digits which is assigned to a particular title and edition of a book published by a specific publisher. This unique number is obtained from a national centre and is printed on the reverse of the book. This number facilitates the ordering and purchasing of the book and helps to identify it in national bibliographies and other book catalogues. It also further strengthens the ownership of the book.
Buy an ISBN for your book at Nielsen.
The ISBN Code can be used to generate a unique barcode which can be placed on the back of your book.