★★★★★“Their quality remains consistent regardless of the size and complexity of the project. I’ve never seen them cut a corner.”— James Fogarty · Google review

★★★★★“Imprint Digital are THE best printers out there. The quality and service is second to none.”— Vicky M · Google review

★★★★★“Getting my first book printed was made very easy, with no pressure at all.”— Jack Roberts · Google review

Hardback books being thread-sewn on the Universe sheet-fed sewing machine at our Exeter facility

Thread-sewn bookblock with linen thread visible through the folded signatures

Cloth hardback spines in navy, green and red with gold foil blocking

Gold foil blocked title on a black cloth hardback cover

Full-colour printed endpapers inside the front board of a hardback

Text blocks being cased into hardback covers on the Digibook line

Your hardback — specification

SizeA5 · 210 × 148 mm

Pages200

PrintingBlack & white

Paper80gsm opaque white, uncoated

BindingThread-sewn, case-bound

CoverPrinted paper case · gloss lam

Extras—

Copies50

ProofFree digital proof

Turnaround10–12 working days · Fast Track available

Estimated dispatch…

New to hardbacks? Start with our plain-English guide to understanding hardback books.

Hardback Book Printing

Name: Hardback Book Printing
Brand: Imprint Digital
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.9 (136 reviews)

★★★★★ 4.9 · 136 Google reviews · made in-house in Exeter

1 The book

Size custom trims available

Paper 19 stocks — samples in the free pack

Pages mono and colour counts, like the full calculator

mono pages colour pages

2 Cover & finish

Cover material

Lamination

Binding

Extras all priced live · barcodes are free, build yours with the ISBN barcode generator

3 Copies & proof

Copies

copies

Per-copy price at each run size — tap a bar to switch. Bigger runs, cheaper copies.

Proof

Your files — after you order

Single-page PDF, 3mm bleed on all edges
Images at 300dpi, CMYK colour
Free file check on every order — we flag issues before press

Not ready? Generate a cover template or run the pre-flight check now.

…

Estimated dispatch…

Books

…

UK deliveryEstimated…

Total…

No VAT on printed books

Add to cart → See our work first: free sample pack

Email me this quote

A one-page estimate for this exact spec, priced at your quantity and the next run sizes up. No account needed.

Free digital proof before we print · refine in the full calculator

Also available: Wibalin cloth, buckram & leather covers · foil blocking, emboss & spot UV · dust jackets & ribbons · custom sizes to 320 × 320mm · 19 papers, 70–170gsm · runs to 10,000+.

Universe sewing machine, on-site Digibook case-binding line Hardbacks since the late 1990s Made in Exeter, Devon →

How much does hardback book printing cost?

The table shows the same A5 hardback — 200 pages mono, thread-sewn, printed paper case — at six quantities, priced live by our calculator, so you can see exactly how the per-copy price falls as the run grows.

The steepest savings come between 10 and 100 copies as binding make-ready spreads across more books. Beyond 250 the curve flattens — don’t over-order to chase a discount. Colour photo books on coated paper cost more. See full UK book printing prices or get your exact price →

Prices from — A5 · 200pp · B&W · sewn hardback

10 copies	£25.18
25 copies	£14.32
50 copies	£10.70
100 copies	£8.78
250 copies	£4.63
500 copies	£3.49

Includes UK delivery. No VAT — printed books are zero-rated in the UK.

Free tools

Set your files up with our free book tools

Built by us for book work — every output is generated to your exact spec, not a static download.

Generator

Cover template generator

A press-ready cover template built for your trim size, spine and cover material — in seconds.

Pre-flight

Pre-flight check

Upload your PDF and we flag bleed, resolution and colour issues before anything reaches press — free.

Publishing

ISBN & barcode

Whether you need an ISBN, where to get one, and how the barcode goes onto your cover.

Calculator

Spine width calculator

Your exact spine width from paper, page count and binding — live, to the tenth of a millimetre.

Plus words-to-pages, interior templates and the full UK size guide — see all our free tools →

The craft

What goes into every hardback

Thread-sewn binding

Pages sewn into signatures — not glued like most short-run hardbacks. Opens flat, lasts decades.

How it works →

Covers & cloths

Printed paper case, Wibalin & buckram in 30+ colours, leather and vegan leather.

Guide to case binding →

Foil & finishing

Gold, silver and coloured foils, embossing, spot UV, ribbons, head & tail bands.

Foil blocking →

Sizes & papers

B-format to A4 plus custom trims to 320 × 320 mm. 19 stocks from 70 to 170gsm.

Book sizes →

★ 4.9 on Google

Rated 4.9 from 136 Google reviews

Pulled live from our Google Business listing · read them all on Google →

★★★★★ “Their quality remains consistent regardless of the size and complexity of the project. I’ve never seen them cut a corner.”James Fogarty · repeat client

★★★★★ “Imprint Digital are THE best printers out there. The quality and service is second to none.”Vicky M · author

★★★★★ “Getting my first book printed was made very easy, with no pressure at all.”Jack Roberts · first-time author

Questions

Hardback printing FAQ

What is the minimum order quantity for a hardback?Our minimum order is 10 hardback copies. Unlike most UK book printers, we use a digital sheet-fed sewing machine so short runs are genuinely short — you are not pushed toward a minimum of 100 or 250.

How much does it cost to print a hardback book?For a 200-page A5 mono hardback in the UK, expect roughly £10.70 per copy at 50, £8.78 at 100 and £4.63 at 250. Colour photo books on coated paper are higher. The pricing table on this page shows live numbers from our calculator.

How long does a hardback print run take?Standard turnaround is 10 to 12 working days from artwork approval. Our Fast Track service delivers in 7 working days for a 25% supplement. Proof copies are dispatched within 2 working days of your files being received.

Can I see a sample before committing?Yes. We dispatch free sample books to most UK addresses. Email [email protected] with your name and address and we will send a range of hardback examples covering different binding, paper and cover finish options.

What cover materials are available?Printed paper case (PPC) with gloss, matt or soft-touch matt lamination is the standard. We also offer Wibalin and buckram cloths in 30+ colours, leather and vegan-leather alternatives. Foil blocking, embossing and debossing are applied directly onto any of these.

How durable is a thread-sewn hardback?A thread-sewn case-bound hardback is the most durable book binding available. Pages are physically sewn together with thread and bound into rigid boards — the same construction used on Penguin Modern Classics and on archival reference works. Built to last decades of regular use.

Can you print a hardback with 500 or more pages?Yes — we bind hardbacks up to around 1,000 pages depending on paper weight. Many online printing services cap hardbacks at 400–600 pages; thread-sewn binding is what makes genuinely thick books practical, because the thread carries the weight of the block rather than a line of glue.

Is there VAT on hardback book printing?No — printed books are zero-rated for VAT in the UK, so no VAT is added to a finished hardback book run. The main exception is products designed to be written in (notebooks, journals, diaries and planners), which carry standard-rate VAT.

From the same bindery