The Definitive Guide to Book Binding

You’ve done it! You’ve finally finished your book, you’ve it laid out, have an amazing design for the cover and you have the perfect blurb for the back. Now it is time to print it. Printing your book might be intimidating at first glance, adding bleed and margin. Do you pick perfectly bound or case bound? What does a layflat bind mean?

On this definitive guide we’ll explain it all. We’ll fill you in on each bind type, things to consider before heading to print, what’s best for you and your needs and how to upload your work to be printed.

Choosing the correct binding for your project doesn’t have to be complicated. There’ll be a binding option out there for every idea. Consider what your project is, its needs, and what you want the outcome to be.

If you’re a photojournalist and want to create a book documenting a story, you might want to think about a layflat book, as it’s perfect for displaying every mm of your image.

If you want to make a new starter booklet but want it to be more than just a brochure, then a perfect bound book might be the way to go, as it creates a professional appearance that leaves a lasting impression.

You may want to create print advertising to stand out from the rest and add another marketing tool to your arsenal with the inexpensive, sleek, and stylish saddle stitch booklets.

When considering printing, there are some things to consider before clicking send. “Do I need colour? Is the markup enough? Does this style match my project?” Making sure you have a print that matches all your needs is essential.

Nothing beats a good hardback. Perfect for that cookbook you've always wanted to make, limited-edition prints of your new novel, or if your company had a great year and you want to showcase that with a sleek annual report. Case Bound Books are truly a cornerstone in publications, providing a more durable and cleaner look.

Whether it's A4, A5, or even a custom size, we have everything you need, including a variety of cover options with lamination and foil selections. With up to 500 pages available to print at one time, you have more than enough room to fill those pages with colourful images, as you can print in mono or full colour.

Don’t forget about your spine width. You don’t want half the people in the yearbook to end up in the spine of the book. We have a calculator on the product configurator that will tell you how thick your spine needs to be to ensure the best print possible.

For a detailed walkthrough on setting up your artwork for hardback books, check out our guide on Setting up Artwork for Hardback Books.

Looking for something sleek and professional? Perfect Bound Books are ideal for everything from novels to magazines and catalogues. Perfect bound book binding offers several benefits. PUR books provide a clean and professional look making it a great choice for businesses and individuals looking for high-quality printing.

Whether in the market for a small booklet or a full print PUR is a great option for displaying your content. Available in a range of sizes from A4 to A6 and custom sizes too with up to 600 pages, perfect for a level of novelist, starting or advanced.

Looking to further customise your print? You can add a number of laminated covers and even spot UV and foil embellishments. You can even have silk coated internal pages which is a great middle ground paper, good at holding colours, bright whites and smooth with a slight shine.

For a detailed walkthrough on setting up your artwork for PUR binding you can check out the PUR Bound Books Guide.

Saddle stitching truly is an inexpensive marketing solution for businesses wanted to showcase their product range, service or if you want to create a welcome packet for your new starts. Saddle stitch books are super versatile and stylish solutions.

No matter your industry, stapled booklets have had a hand in your marketing strategy. These booklets are a high-quality option and can be handed to the customer at the checkout, handed out at a networking event, or left on a table, they ensure your brand remains firmly at the forefront.

These sleek and stylish saddle stitched booklets are completely customisable Just upload your content, up to 68 pages worth, and choose from the expansive selection of paper stocks and foil embellishments.

Whether you need A4-A6 or you are looking for a smaller square size, we have a solution for you. We have a selection of gloss and silk pages with matt and soft touch lamination available. You can fully customise your booklet to best suit your needs and impress those potential clients.

For a detailed walkthrough look at our booklet guide.

Nothing beats a photo album, every image jumping off the page. Whether for personal enjoyment or professional reasons, a well-designed Hardcover Layflat Book can be a stunning piece of art.

The appeal of a layflat is no page gets lost in the spine as it, lays flat. Making it perfect for showcasing beautiful images of your big day or photos of your latest journey. In a more professional sense, these are perfect for showcasing your latest recipes or your photographic skills.

Available in A4, A5 and A6 as well as custom sizes and in both landscape and portrait, it can be customised to suit your needs. Gloss, matt or soft touch cover you can fully control the outcome of the book. You can even have up to 120 pages.

For a detailed walkthrough check out our hardcover layflat books guide.

Also known as Wiro Bound Books, the humble spiral-bound book is your classic sleek notebook style book. Called as such for the metal spiral that holds the pages together the wiro-binding book is both durable and convenient.

Whether you need spiral books for presentations, manuals, portfolios or just want a custom notebook, our wiro binding process, punched and secured with a spiral coil ensures that your pages stay secretly in place and are easy to flip open.

Completely customisable offering various paper types, sizes and cover finishes allowing you to create a spiral bound book that perfectly matches your needs.

For a detailed walkthrough check out the wiro bound books guide.

The classic paperback is a powerful tool. Looking to self-publish a novel, print manuals or textbooks or wanting to print your latest product catalogue or company brochure the flexibility of the paperback is unparallel.

Whereas PUR book binding is better suited to visuals the paperback is your classic novel or report book style. Still has space for up to 600 pages and with multiple cover types available such as 300gsm silk or uncoated you cannot go wrong choosing paperback.

Perfect for first time publishers, or veteran novelists, students wanting to print their doctorate dissertation or those wanting to share skills this low-cost method of producing books and document is a very cost-effective way of creating that perfect token of your hard work.

You’ve picked out your idea printing, adding all your cosmetic editions and paper choices and now it is time to upload your artwork and get printing. But, you may not know much about the specifics of print. We have templates on each printing option but let’s breakdown what to consider before uploading your artwork.

Bleed

• This is the area outside of the trim line.

• Don’t include anything important in this area.

• To avoid white borders on your final product, extend your design beyond the trim line, usually by 3mm (some templates may vary).

Margins, Gutters and Safe areas

• These are safe zones inside the trim line.

• Keep important elements within these margins to prevent them from being cut off.

CMYK

• This stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black.

• This colour model is used in printing, your artwork needs to be in CMYK mode to maintain accurate colour reproduction.

When uploading file formats for print, PDFs or InDesign documents are the preferred option and we have a PDF proof option available upon upload in special finishes, you’ll be emailed a PDF proof of your job for you to double-check before it goes to print.

For optimum image print quality please ensure all your images are 300dpi-450dpi or dots per inch. Anything lower than that will give poor image quality.

For more resources and tips on book design and printing, explore our Book Super Centre.