Classic Softcover
The construction of these books is identical to printed softcover books with the exception of the cover material. These books feature a luxurious colored cover stock, which is available in a variety of stock colors and finishes. This cover material is suitable for foil stamping, black ink only printing and full color printing on some of the lighter colored cover stocks.
Specifications & Limitations
- Minimum of 20 pages
- Maximum of 700 pages
- Perfect Bound with PUR adhesive
- Any trim size from 4” x 4” to 12” x 12” (in 0.25” increments)
Interior Papers
Our books are printed on high quality papers made by trusted and environmentally responsible American paper mills. We have chosen papers from Neenah, Mohawk, and Domtar which print beautifully on our presses and help to create strong and reliable bound books. Many of the papers we use are manufactured using renewable energy, and all are FSC certified.
Vellum Uncoated
We have added this luxurious vellum paper to our line in response to our customers request to have a more toothy paper for their books. This is a bright white paper with good opacity and thickness. The vellum surface texture appears slightly more matte than the smoother papers we offer. Color images print well on this paper, though blacks will not print quite as dark as they would on the super smooth uncoated or matte coated papers described above. We stock this paper in 80lb text weight (120gsm) only.
Natural Tone Uncoated
This paper is identical to the paper described above, but with a pleasing warm white color. Natural tone papers are considered to be easier on the eyes than bright white papers, and are frequently used for poetry books, novels, and any other text based book which does not contain many, if any images. Color images will not print accurately on this stock as the paper base is not a true white. We stock this paper in 80lb text weight (120gsm), though lighter weights are available for books with high page counts.
Smooth Uncoated
We suggest using this paper for books which are primarily text, such as poetry, fiction and memoirs. This paper is slightly rougher and toothier than our photo & art paper described above. Color images still print very nicely on this stock, though it feels more appropriate for text based books. We stock this paper in 80lb text weight (120gsm), though lighter weights are available for books with high page counts.
Matte Coated
Matte coated paper is another excellent option for art, illustration and especially photography books. It offers the print quality benefits you get from coated paper — rich detail and vibrant color — without the high gloss finish of some coated offerings. Matte coated is a good choice for designs that feature solid color graphics and backgrounds. We stock this paper in 100lb text weight (148gsm).
Super Smooth Uncoated
This paper is great for art, photography and illustration books. The super smooth surface and bright white base allow for accurate and vivid color reproduction. We stock this paper in two weights, 100lb text weight (148gsm) and 80lb text weight (120gsm). The page count of your book will dictate which weight will be used.
Cover Paper
Foil Stamping Preparation
For the foil stamping we will need a vector based PDF file. Please outline your text and/or graphics before exporting to PDF. All type and graphic elements should be set to the actual size desired, and should be black on a white background. Do not make an effort to represent a foil color when creating the file.
Cover Foil
- Foil dies to be used on the front or back of a book cover can be up to 5” x 12”
- If your cover’s foil stamping design will not fit on a single die, it may be necessary to use two dies which will add cost to your book order.
- Some designs may require multiple dies even if they fit within 12" x 5”. We will review the number of dies needed upon file receipt.
- Please note that foil stamping does not do a good job filling in large areas.
Spine Foil
- Min. page count for spine foil: 60 pages
- Max. Foil Stamp height: height of book minus 0.875” on top and bottom
- Max. Foil Stamp width: determined by page count
- Min. margin of 0.1" on either side of spine stamp
- Min. margin of 0.875" on top and bottom of spine stamp
Printed Endpapers
Printed Endpapers
The size of your PDF file for Printed Endpapers should be:
- Book Height by twice the Book width.
- Bleed: 0.25" on all sides
Printed Endpapers 4/4
For duplex printed endpapers the overall size is the same as printed endpapers.
Add a second page that is half blank, and half printed.
Gatefold Pages
Gatefold pages are pages that fold out, which can be added to your books at an added cost.
- Maximum 4 gatefold pages per book.
- Can be added to books up to 8.75” wide.
- One fold per page. The fold must occur 0.125” inside the outer edge of the book block. The folded flap must end 0.5” away from the binding (when folded). Thus, the flap area of the gatefold page file must be 0.625” narrower than the book width.
- You can include these extra wide pages within your contents file or send them as a separate file.
