Member of UK book industry trade bodies
Live, transparent pricing for short-run UK book printing — paperback and hardback, mono and colour, 25 to 1,000 copies. Real numbers from our calculator (the same figures you would see if you configured the equivalent spec at get a quote). All prices include UK delivery and exclude VAT.
Paperback novels start at £2.14/copy (A5, 200pp mono, 1,000 copies) and rise to £7.21/copy at 25 copies. Thread-sewn hardbacks start at £3.47/copy (A5, 200pp mono, 500 copies) and rise to £12.21/copy at 25 copies. Full-colour A4 photo books on coated paper run £11.22 to £20.58/copy. Tables below show the full curve at every quantity tier.
Paperback is the cheapest format for most book runs — perfect bound covers most novels, PUR for heavier or coated stocks, thread-sewn paperback for premium short runs. The first two tables below are mono interior; the third is full colour.
200pp mono · perfect bound · 80gsm opaque
| Quantity | Per copy | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 25 copies | £6.57per copy | £164.25total |
| 50 copies | £4.08per copy | £204.00total |
| 100 copies | £2.88per copy | £288.00total |
| 250 copies | £2.16per copy | £540.00total |
| 500 copies | £1.92per copy | £960.00total |
| 1,000 copies | £1.80per copy | £1,800.00total |
The most common UK novel format. Per-copy price drops 70% between 25 and 1,000 copies.
250pp mono · perfect bound · 80gsm bookwove cream
| Quantity | Per copy | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 50 copies | £4.86per copy | £243.00total |
| 100 copies | £3.66per copy | £366.00total |
| 250 copies | £2.94per copy | £735.00total |
| 500 copies | £2.70per copy | £1,350.00total |
| 1,000 copies | £2.58per copy | £2,580.00total |
The standard UK trade paperback size (198×129mm). Pricing for a typical commercial novel.
100pp full colour · PUR bound · 100gsm opaque
| Quantity | Per copy | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 50 copies | £10.85per copy | £542.50total |
| 100 copies | £8.67per copy | £867.00total |
| 250 copies | £7.59per copy | £1,897.50total |
| 500 copies | £7.23per copy | £3,615.00total |
For catalogues, manuals, illustrated paperbacks. Colour roughly doubles per-copy cost vs mono.
The calculator covers any spec — page count, paper, binding, colour mix, quantity. No email gate, no sign-up.
All our hardbacks are thread-sewn as standard — the same construction as a Penguin Modern Classic. Most short-run UK printers can’t offer this below 250 copies. We do it from 10. The tables below are case-bound on PPC (printed paper case) cover.
200pp mono · thread-sewn case bound · 80gsm opaque
| Quantity | Per copy | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 25 copies | £11.57per copy | £289.25total |
| 50 copies | £7.08per copy | £354.00total |
| 100 copies | £4.88per copy | £488.00total |
| 250 copies | £3.56per copy | £890.00total |
| 500 copies | £3.12per copy | £1,560.00total |
Thread-sewn from 10 copies — most short-run UK printers cannot offer this on hardback below 250 copies.
300pp mono · thread-sewn case bound · 80gsm opaque
| Quantity | Per copy | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 50 copies | £7.93per copy | £396.50total |
| 100 copies | £5.73per copy | £573.00total |
| 250 copies | £4.41per copy | £1,102.50total |
| 500 copies | £3.97per copy | £1,985.00total |
The premium UK hardback novel format (234×156mm). 300pp covers most full-length fiction and biography.
100pp full colour · thread-sewn case bound · 150gsm matt
| Quantity | Per copy | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 25 copies | £20.40per copy | £510.00total |
| 50 copies | £15.00per copy | £750.00total |
| 100 copies | £11.86per copy | £1,186.00total |
| 250 copies | £10.24per copy | £2,560.00total |
For photography, art and coffee-table books. Coated paper plus full colour is the most expensive combination.
Cloth Wibalin, leather, dust jackets, foil blocking, ribbon markers — configure your exact spec in the calculator.
The pricing tables above use standard PPC covers, gloss lamination, no extras. The percentages below show the typical premium each upgrade adds to the base per-copy price. Specific quotes for premium finishes are confirmed at order time.
Tracked courier delivery via DPD, Parcelforce or pallet for larger orders. Highlands & Islands surcharges and international shipping quoted separately.
One physical proof copy dispatched within 2 working days. Full run only starts after you approve.
Bleed, trim, spine, fonts, image resolution and colour profile checks on every job. Issues flagged before press.
Choice of gloss, matt or soft-touch matt cover lamination on paperback. Standard PPC lamination on hardback.
If any book fails to meet our standards, we reprint at no additional cost. Production-defect-free, end to end.
One named contact for your project from quote to dispatch. Phone, email, real working hours in the UK.
VAT is excluded from all figures and added at the order stage. Most printed books are zero-rated for UK VAT.
An honest comparison of how Imprint Digital’s pricing works versus typical UK book printers. We don’t name names — just describe what’s common across the industry.
| Aspect | Most UK book printers | Imprint Digital |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum quantity | 100–500 copies typical. Below that, jobs are pushed to print-on-demand at higher per-copy cost. | From 10 copies, no setup fees. Per-copy pricing scales smoothly to 10,000+. |
| Thread-sewn at short-run | Reserved for runs of 1,000+, or only available at extra cost. | Standard from 10 copies on our Universe digital sheet-fed sewing machine. No upcharge for thread-sewn binding. |
| Per-copy pricing transparency | Pricing often hidden behind email gates, account creation or quote forms. | Live pricing on this page and the calculator. No email required to see exact figures. |
| Physical proof copy | Often charged separately at £25–£50 extra. Sometimes a digital-only proof. | Free physical proof, dispatched within 2 working days. Full run only starts after you approve. |
| UK delivery in the price | Typically charged separately, often substantial for hardback orders. | UK mainland delivery included in every figure on this page. |
| Production location | Often outsourced — many UK printers send work to overseas partners. | 100% in-house at our Exeter facility. Print, sew, case, foil, dust-jacket all under one roof. |
The calculator handles any combination of size, page count, paper, binding, colour mix, quantity and finishing — live pricing in under a minute, no account or email needed.