Photography Book Printing

Binding

Saddle Stitch

Saddle stitch binding is the most inexpensive and simple to make, yet professional form of binding, which allows us to save you money. They also offer the fastest turn-around time. Saddle stitched is the most popular and ideal choice for self-cover booklets and calendars with smaller page counts between 8 and 92 pages. Learn More

For books over 92 pages, perfect binding, spiral binding, and wire-o binding are recommended.

Perfect Binding

Perfect bound binding is the most popular type of soft cover binding. Perfect bound books are inexpensive to make and provide a durable, high quality attractive look that can’t be matched. Perfect binding is the ideal choice for publications with higher page counts (28 pages up to 2 inches thick), giving them a professional looking printable square spine. A paperback book or a phone book is a familiar example. Learn More

Hard Cover

Hard Cover books are case bound with your choice of covers. Our basic cover is printed in full-color, laminated and glued to a heavy, warp-resistant book board.

Spiral

Spiral binding uses a durable plastic coil which makes it an ideal option for every-day use as reference material. Spiral Bound Book Printing offers different coil sizes and diameters to accommodate a higher page count up to 2 3/4" thick. There is a fast turn-around time for very short spiral bound book production quantities. Manuals, Handbooks, and Guides are good examples of products well-suited for spiral binding. Available only in black coil. Learn More

Wire-O

Wire-O binding is similar to Spiral binding. Wire-O binding uses a professional-looking looped metal wire which makes it an ideal option when the product is for a more formal setting, such as a presentation. Wire-O binding can accommodate a higher page count up to 1 ¼" thick. They may cost a little more. Available only in black standard wire. Learn More

Pages

NOTE: 28 Pages is the minimum Page Count for perfect binding. Use the diagrams below as examples for counting pages.

Sheets vs. Pages

A single sheet of paper has 2 sides, a front and a back side (Diagram A below). A sheet is folded in half which gives you 4 numbered pages, as shown in Diagram B below.

How Do I Count Pages?

Count all pages including: Front Cover, Inside Front Cover, all inside pages, Inside Back Cover, and Back Cover.

Example: 8 Pages (Cover + 4 Inside)

Upload Pages in This Order

Example: To set up & upload an 8 page document on our site:

• In the image above, Page 1 is the Front Cover.
• The Inside Front Cover is Page 2.
• The inside pages continue in order, pages 3, 4, 5, & 6.
• The second to last page is the Inside Back Cover, Page 7.
• The last page is the Back Cover, Page 8.

Inside paper Options

Options

100# Gloss Text (5pt)– This shiny and lustrous coated sheet is excellent for full color printing making photographs stand out and look rich and beautiful. It is about 25% thicker and heavier than 80# text, giving a more upscale, sharp and appealing look with a higher end feel. This premium paper features high opacity for two-sided printing that will have minimal show through the opposite side. Most popular for Self-Cover.

100# Matte Text (6pt) – This dull coated sheet that exhibits low gloss finish. Excellent for jobs that require high quality color reproduction with minimal paper shine. Paper is glare free making it easier to read when there is a lot of typed copy.

80# Gloss Text (4pt) – is a perfect sheet with a great price for many printing projects. 25% thinner sheet than 100# gloss text with similar characteristics and about the thickness of a magazine page.

80# Matte Text (4pt) – is a perfect sheet with a great price for many printing projects. 25% thinner sheet than 100# matte text with similar characteristics and about the thickness of a magazine page.

70# Gloss Text (5pt) - perfect for all types of books and magazines with a high page count to keep weight down. Unavailable in 70# Matte.

70# Uncoated Text (5pt) - is a thicker stock than its 60# counterpart or copy paper, yet still offers the same premium look. Products printed on this paper will often have a high brightness and a high level of opacity. It is easy to write on and would be used in a project such as a journal or coloring book.

60# Gloss Text (4pt) perfect for all types of books and magazines with a high page count to keep weight down while still keeping your images vibrant.

60# Uncoated Text (4pt) - features a super smooth finish that is great for ink holdout and offers a professional look. This paper is higher grade of paper than normal copy paper. It is easy to write on and would be used in a project such as a journal or coloring book.

Coating Options

Gloss paper has a shiny and lustrous smooth coated gloss finish. Excellent for making full color printing appear more vibrant.

Matte paper is a dull coated sheet that exhibits low gloss finish. Paper has minimal glare, making it easier to read text.

Uncoated paper is easy to write on and should be used in projects such as a workbook or coloring book.

Cover Finish

We highly recommend UV Coating or Soft Touch Lamination for all Digital Printed Covers (orders 10-500). Solid black areas that are not supported with Cyan, Magenta and Yellow may appear to look washed out and faded. We cannot guarantee a satisfactory product if the black ink is not supported in this manner. We recommend a support of:

Cyan: 40%

Magenta: 30%

Yellow: 30%

Black: 100%

Note: UV Coating or Soft Touch Lamination is highly recommended for solid black covers. Again, we will not be responsible if the Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black percentages are not followed.

Why Do We Recommend UV High Gloss?

Besides being aesthetically pleasing, UV coating helps protect against scratching and scuffing caused by transport as well as frequent handling. This is even more important on short run quantities under 500, as digitally printed items have a higher tendency to scratch and scuff. UV coating eliminates those issues.

There are a few important things to keep in mind when deciding on whether to use High Gloss UV Coating on your project:

• We cannot guarantee against projects scuffing and scratching if you chose not to apply High Gloss UV Coating to your cover.
• We especially recommend High Gloss UV Coating on covers containing solid ink coverage where a large part of the cover or the entire cover has ink coverage.
• Keep in mind that when applying our High Gloss UV Coating to a Matte stock, it will result in the cover being glossy. The inside covers and other pages will be unaffected.

UV High Gloss Coating:

• Can be applied to all cover weight paper stocks except Uncoated Cover.
• Provides a high gloss finish and appearance to the front and back cover.
• Provides scratch resistance and locks in color - great for artwork with a high concentration of ink coverage.

Why Do We Recommend Soft Touch Lamination?

Soft touch laminate adds durability and a unique feeling that will capture the attention of your customers. It adds a velvety-smooth and matte finish to the cover of your products. This coating works best on a heavier paper stock like C1S, 80# and 100# cover.

Soft Touch Lamination:

• Can be applied to heavier paper stock like C1S, 80# Cover, and 100# Cover.
• Provides a matte finish and appearance to the front and back cover.