Resources / Notes from the pressroom

Clearer choices. Better prepared books.

Find the answer you need for the stage you are at. These guides connect design decisions, production details and the questions to ask before placing an order.

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Planning your book

Set the scope, prepare an inquiry and compare specifications.

How to Write a Printing Quote Request That Gets a Real Answer in 24 Hours
Where the Money Actually Goes in a Printing Quote
How to Compare Printing Quotes: Five Numbers, One Book
Children's Book Sizes: What Each Age Group Expects

Paper & binding

Understand the materials and construction behind a finished book.

How to Choose Book Paper: Coated, Uncoated, Cream or White
Cream or White: Shade, Bulk and the Reprint Question
Book Binding Glossary: 40 Terms Buyers Actually Meet
Smyth Sewn or Perfect Bound: How to Choose the Spine Your Book Deserves

Covers & finishing

Explore the surfaces, colours and details of a special edition.

Foil Beyond Gold: The Palette Nobody Shows You
Sprayed Edges: Solid, Gradient and Stencil, Demystified
The Special Edition Economy: Sprayed Edges, Foil, and Why Readers Collect

Print file preparation

Prepare the layout and artwork for the book you want to produce.

Files the Press Can Trust: A Print-Ready Checklist from Our Prepress Desk
Spine Width: The Formula Our Bindery Actually Uses
Brochure design for print: sizes, layout and production choices

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Tell us what you are making.

Send your starting specification or a reference book. We will help you work through the next decisions.

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