From paperback novels to hardback gift editions, short-run academic monographs to trade-publisher print runs — we print and bind every kind of book in-house at our Exeter facility, from 10 copies up. Pick the route below that fits your project.
From paperback novels to hardback gift editions, yearbooks to academic monographs — we print and bind every kind of book in-house at our Exeter facility. Pick the closest match.
Perfect bound, PUR or thread-sewn paperbacks from 24 to 1,000+ pages. The standard trade book format.
Paperback printing
Case-bound, thread-sewn hardback books from 10 copies. Cloth, leather or printed paper covers. Premium hardcover finish.
Hardback printing
10 to 500 copies. Dedicated print job, far cheaper per copy than print-on-demand. Real bookbindery quality.
Short-run printing
We print and bind self-published books. You keep the rights, we make the copies. From 10 copies, no setup fees.
Self-publishing
Hardback or paperback school yearbooks, A4 or Royal, foiled spine standard. From 25 copies up for any school size.
Yearbook printing
Lay-flat thread-sewn hardback cookbooks. Heavy coated paper for food photography, premium binding for kitchen use.
Cookbook printing
Premium hardback wedding albums and anniversary editions. Cloth, leather or vegan covers, foil-blocked titles.
Wedding book printing
Large-format hardback photo and art books. Premium coated paper, thread-sewn binding, foil and embossed covers.
Coffee-table books
Comics and graphic novels in B-format to A4. 115–170gsm silk or gloss, perfect/PUR/thread-sewn binding.
Comic book printing
Custom journals, planners and notebooks. Thread-sewn, PUR or wire-O binding. A6 to A4, 70–200gsm paper.
Journal printing
Saddle-stitched booklets, programmes and brochures from 4 to 64 pages. Cost-effective short-run format.
Booklet printing
Hardback thesis and PhD dissertation printing. Thread-sewn, foil-blocked spine, library-deposit ready.
Thesis printingOur Universe digital sheet-fed sewing machine lets us thread-sew books at short-run quantities — the same binding you’d find on a Penguin Modern Classic, available from just ten copies. Most short-run printers can’t do this at all.
Print, bind, finish, pack — every stage handled by our own team at our Exeter facility. No outsourcing means tighter quality control, faster turnarounds, and a single point of contact for your project from start to finish.
Typical paperbacks dispatch in 5–10 working days, hardbacks in 3–4 weeks. Fast Track service brings paperbacks to 3 days and hardbacks to 2 weeks for a 25% supplement — available on most jobs.
Every binding type below is produced in-house. Pick the one that fits your project — or call us if you’re unsure and we’ll talk you through which method gives you the look, durability and price-point you’re after.
Hardback books with rigid 2.75mm board covers. The most durable, premium-feeling binding we offer — built for long-term preservation.
Pages physically sewn together with thread before binding. The strongest, longest-lasting binding available — and books open completely flat.
Polyurethane reactive adhesive. Stronger and more flexible than standard perfect binding — recommended for coated paper, heavy-use books and titles that need to lie flat.
EVA hot-melt adhesive holds pages directly into a wraparound cover. The classic trade-paperback method — cost-effective, professional and ideal for novels, manuals and catalogues.
Folded sheets stapled along the spine. The most economical binding for shorter publications — magazines, brochures and event programmes.
Every binding method above is produced in-house at our Exeter book bindery. Whether it’s short run book printing for self-publishing authors and trade publishers (10–500 copies), academic editions for university presses, or longer trade runs up to 10,000+, the same press makes every copy. Unlike print on demand services that print one copy at a time on shared equipment, every order here is a dedicated print job with the same paper, binding and proofing as a long run. More on our book binding services →
Printing a book in the UK comes down to six steps — getting a quote, uploading files, approving a proof, printing and binding, packing, and delivery. Here’s how the process works at Imprint Digital and what to expect at each stage.
Use the online calculator for live pricing on any spec. No account, no commitment, no payment up-front — you only pay when you’re ready to print.
Submit print-ready PDFs via our cover and interior file checkers. Each runs preflight checks in your browser and flags any issues before going to press.
A physical proof copy is dispatched within 2 working days for your approval. Take your time — full production only starts once you’re happy.
Your full run is printed on Canon and Ricoh digital presses, then bound on our in-house lines. No outsourcing — ever.
Books are packed in single-skin boxes with bubble wrap, then placed in larger double-walled cartons. Hardbacks are individually shrink-wrapped.
Tracked courier delivery via DPD, Parcelforce or pallet for larger orders. International shipping available — quoted at order time.
Ready to print your book?
Print your book in the UK from just 10 copies. Instant online pricing, free file checks, and a physical proof before your full run.
Live pricing for any spec is available via our book printing quote calculator. To give you a starting feel, here’s the per-copy price for six common book printing specs at typical short-run quantities. Per-copy cost falls as quantity rises.
| Format | Specification | Quantity | Per copy |
|---|---|---|---|
|
A5 paperback novel
|
200pp mono · perfect bound · 80gsm opaque
|
200 | £2.28per copy |
|
B-format paperback
|
250pp mono · perfect bound · 80gsm cream
|
100 | £3.66per copy |
|
A4 colour paperback
|
100pp full colour · PUR bound · 100gsm opaque
|
250 | £7.59per copy |
|
A5 hardback
|
250pp mono · thread-sewn case bound · 80gsm opaque
|
50 | £7.45per copy |
|
Royal hardback
|
300pp mono · thread-sewn case bound · 80gsm opaque
|
100 | £5.73per copy |
|
A4 colour hardback
|
200pp colour · thread-sewn case bound · 100gsm opaque
|
50 | £19.96per copy |
Prices include UK delivery and exclude VAT. Most paperbacks dispatch in 5–10 working days, hardbacks in 3–4 weeks. For the comprehensive UK book printing prices across every quantity tier, or our deeper guide to how much it costs to print a book, see those pages — or get an exact quote for your spec →
Real bookbindery floor at Unit 1, Seychelles Farm, Upton Pyne, Exeter EX5 5HY. Print, sew, case, foil, finish — all under one roof.
132 reviews from UK self-publishing authors, publishers and businesses. Highest-rated UK short-run book printer in Devon.
Founded as the printing arm of Imprint Academic in the late 1990s. Continuous in-house production ever since — before Lulu, before Mixam, before the aggregator era.
Want to see the comparison and the five questions you should ask any UK short-run book printer? Read our short-run book printing comparison →
We print any size up to 320×320mm. A5, B-format, royal, A4 and pocket are standard — pass us a custom trim and we'll quote it. Use the spine width calculator to size your cover, or the quote calculator for an exact spec.
Live UK book printing prices across paperback and hardback at every quantity tier.
Thread-sewn, PUR, perfect, case, saddle — all five binding methods, in-house in Exeter.
Free spine width calculator, cover and interior file checkers. Issues flagged before press.
A free pack of finished sample books posted to UK addresses. Hold the print quality first.
PDFs in CMYK at 300dpi are ideal — but if you’re not sure, our browser-based tools will check for you and flag anything that needs fixing before going to press.
Upload your cover PDF — we’ll overlay bleed, trim, spine and safe-zones, and flag anything off in plain English.
Sample pages, dimensions, bleed, fonts, colour profile and low-res images — all checked in your browser, no upload to staff needed.
Drop in page count, paper stock and binding — we’ll give you an exact spine measurement to paste into your cover template.
Whether you call it printing your own book, self-publishing book printing or custom book printing, it’s the same in-house service from our Exeter facility. Three of the most common framings:
If you have a press-ready PDF (or a Word file we can convert), our book printing quote calculator takes under a minute. Choose paperback or hardback, paper, page count and quantity — you’ll see live per-copy pricing and an exact total. From 10 copies up, no setup fees, free physical proof on every order.
Price your bookIf you want to print your own book in the UK from a press-ready PDF, our quote calculator handles size, paper, binding and quantity in under a minute. From 10 copies up, no setup fees, no email gate.
Print your own bookYou design and write the book — we print and bind it. Make your own book with us means a finished, thread-sewn paperback or hardback that looks and feels like a published trade book. From 10 copies, free physical proof.
Make your own bookFor bespoke books — cloth or leather covers, foil blocking, embossing, head & tail bands, ribbon markers, printed endpapers, gilded edges — the full bookbindery toolkit is available in-house at short-run quantities.
See bespoke hardback optionsTen of the most common questions we get on book printing in the UK. For the full set of 73 questions across design, printing, quotes and shipping, see our FAQ page.
What is short-run book printing?
Short-run book printing means producing small quantities — typically 10 to 500 copies — without the setup costs of a traditional offset run. It is the standard route for self-publishing authors, trade publishers running test editions, academic monographs and corporate report runs. We print all our short-run work digitally on Canon and Ricoh presses, so there are no plate-setup penalties for low quantities, and pricing scales smoothly with volume. Unlike print on demand (which prints one copy at a time on shared equipment), every short-run order is a dedicated print job with the same paper stock, binding and free physical proof as a long trade run.
What is the minimum order for book printing?
Ten copies. There is no upper limit — we routinely print runs from 10 up to 10,000 copies, and per-copy pricing falls as quantity rises.
What file format do I need to supply?
Press-ready PDF, ideally CMYK at 300dpi. If you only have a Word document we can convert it to PDF for you and send it back for approval before printing — no charge for this.
How long does printing take?
Standard turnaround is 5 to 10 working days for paperbacks, 3 to 4 weeks for hardbacks. Fast Track is available on most jobs for a 25% supplement and brings paperbacks down to 3 days, hardbacks to 2 weeks.
Do you print eco-friendly?
Yes. We use responsibly sourced papers, and most of our work is printed on uncoated bookwove or opaque stocks rather than energy-intensive coated papers. Books are dispatched in cardboard rather than plastic packaging.
How much does it cost to print a book in the UK?
Cost depends on quantity, page count, paper, format, binding and finish. As a guide from our current digital press pricing: a 200-page A5 paperback in 80gsm uncoated bookwove works out around £9–£12 per copy at 50 copies, falling to £4–£5 per copy at 250 copies and £2–£3 per copy at 1,000+. A 200-page A5 hardback (case-bound, thread-sewn, printed paper case) ranges £18–£25 per copy at 50 copies, £10–£13 at 250 copies, £6–£8 at 1,000+. All prices include UK delivery and a free physical proof. For your exact spec see our quote calculator or full UK book printing prices page.
What is the best book printing company in the UK?
There is no single "best" — it depends on quantity, binding type, turnaround and budget. Short-run hardback specialists (10–500 copies, thread-sewn binding, in-house finishing) differ from print-on-demand generalists who optimise for one-copy-at-a-time fulfilment, and again from offset houses who only quote competitively above 1,000 copies. We are a real UK book printer, not a print management company — see the five questions we recommend asking any UK book printer further up this page to spot the difference between a printer and a broker.
How much does it cost to print a 200-page book?
For a typical 200-page A5 paperback in 80gsm uncoated bookwove with a soft-touch laminated cover, expect roughly £9–£12 per copy at 50 copies, £4–£5 per copy at 250 copies, and £2–£3 per copy at 1,000+. For a 200-page A5 hardback (case-bound, thread-sewn, printed paper case), expect £18–£25 per copy at 50 copies, £10–£13 at 250 copies and £6–£8 at 1,000+. All prices include UK delivery and free physical proof. Pricing scales smoothly with quantity — there is no minimum charge or setup fee.
Can I print just one book?
Yes. We will happily print one or two copies as a proof or single-copy gift. Per-copy cost is significantly higher at single-copy quantities because the press setup is the same regardless of run length, but for a one-off it is straightforward. Most customers ordering a single copy are doing it as a proof before committing to a short run — in that case the proof is free as part of the standard order. For genuine print-on-demand single-copy fulfilment routed direct to retail, dedicated POD partners are better suited than a commercial book printer.
Do I need an ISBN to print a book?
No — an ISBN is only required if you are listing your book for retail sale (Amazon, Waterstones, Blackwell's, libraries). For private editions, family histories, corporate reports, internal academic editions, gift editions and any non-retail use, no ISBN is needed. We can print, bind and dispatch your book whether or not it has one. If you are self-publishing for retail, you will need an ISBN per format (one for paperback, a separate one for hardback) — ISBNs are issued by Nielsen UK.
Live online pricing in under a minute — no account required. Or order a free sample pack to see and feel the books we print before you commit.