UK paperback book printing — perfect bound, PUR bound, or thread-sewn softcover books from just 10 copies. Custom paperback book printing for novels, trade paperbacks, catalogues, journals and self-published editions. Produced entirely in-house at our Exeter facility with fast UK turnaround and consistent commercial quality.
The most common paperback method. Pages are glued directly into the cover spine with a hot-melt adhesive. Clean, professional and cost-effective — ideal for novels, guides, journals and trade paperbacks.
Polyurethane reactive adhesive provides superior strength to standard perfect binding. Recommended for coated paper, heavy-use publications, and books that need to lie flat. The strongest glued binding available.
Using our Universe digital sheet-fed sewing machine, we can thread-sew paperback books from just 10 copies — the same binding used in hardbacks, delivering exceptional durability and longevity.
The first four rows below are the same A5 paperback at four quantities — per-copy price drops sharply between 50 and 500 copies. The bottom two show different formats. For your exact spec, our paperback book printing quote calculator takes under a minute.
| Format | Specification | Quantity | Per copy |
|---|---|---|---|
A5 paperback novel |
200pp mono · perfect bound · 80gsm opaque |
50 | £4.08per copy |
A5 paperback novel |
200pp mono · perfect bound · 80gsm opaque |
100 | £2.88per copy |
A5 paperback novel |
200pp mono · perfect bound · 80gsm opaque |
250 | £2.16per copy |
A5 paperback novel |
200pp mono · perfect bound · 80gsm opaque |
500 | £1.92per copy |
B-format novel |
250pp mono · perfect bound · 80gsm cream |
100 | £3.66per copy |
A4 colour catalogue |
100pp full colour · PUR bound · 100gsm opaque |
250 | £7.59per copy |
All prices are perfect-bound or PUR-bound paperbacks with gloss-laminated cover. Includes UK delivery, excludes VAT. Add roughly 10–20% for thread-sewn binding, foil blocking or special covers. See full UK book printing prices for hardback and other formats, our guide to how much it costs to print a book, or get an exact quote →
Five standard sizes — B-format, A5, Royal, B5 and A4 — plus any custom size up to 320×320mm. 19 paper stocks from 70gsm Enso to 170gsm coated gloss. Mono or full colour throughout.
Cover lamination in gloss, matt or soft-touch matt. French flaps, shrink wrapping and ISBN barcodes all available.
Price your paperbackPaperback book printing — also called softcover book printing, soft-cover book printing or simply paperback printing — covers any book bound into a flexible card cover rather than rigid boards. We do all of it in-house at our Exeter facility, from 10 copies up. Whether you call it paperback, softcover or soft cover, the construction is the same: full-colour cover printed onto 240–260gsm card, laminated with gloss, matt or soft-touch matt, then bound to the book block using one of three methods (perfect, PUR or thread-sewn).
Custom paperback book printing means you choose every spec — size, page count, paper, binding method, cover finish — and we make it. From 10 copies, no setup fees, no minimum order penalty.
For the technical detail, see our guides on PUR binding and thread-sewn binding, browse all book binding services, or compare formats in our hardback vs paperback guide.
Three binding methods for paperback book printing — each with different strengths:
Already have your interior and cover artwork ready? Print a paperback book from PDF in five steps:
For the cleanest result, your PDF should have 3mm bleed on all edges, all images at 300dpi, and CMYK colour throughout. If it doesn’t, our file check flags it before going to press — no surprises at the press stage.
Most of the paperback work we run is for self-published novels. Whether you want to self-publish a paperback as a debut release, print a small first run to send to reviewers and bookstores, or produce ISBN-barcoded retail copies for Amazon and indie stockists, the route is the same: configure your spec, upload your PDF, approve a proof, get books in 5–10 working days.
For a complete walkthrough of the self-publishing journey from manuscript to printed book, see our UK self-publishing guide — covers ISBN, legal deposit, distribution channels and printing economics in detail.
Our UK paperback printing service runs across the full range of softcover work:
Whatever the project, the production specs are the same: in-house printing in Exeter, 5–10 working day turnaround, free physical proof, UK delivery included in the price.
Submit print-ready PDFs via our file upload portal. We check your files and flag any issues before going to press.
A physical proof copy is dispatched within 2 working days for your approval before the full print run.
Entire order printed, bound and finished in-house at our Exeter facility. No outsourcing, ever.
Tracked courier delivery throughout the UK. Most orders arrive within 5–10 working days of order placement.
An honest comparison of how Imprint Digital differs from typical UK paperback book printers. We don’t name names — just describe what’s common across the industry.
| Aspect | Most UK paperback printers | Imprint Digital |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum quantity | 100–500 copies typical. Below that, jobs are pushed to print-on-demand with higher per-copy cost. | From 10 copies, no setup fees. Per-copy pricing scales smoothly to 10,000+. |
| Binding options at short-run | Perfect bound only. PUR and thread-sewn typically reserved for runs of 1,000+. | Perfect, PUR and thread-sewn paperback all available from 10 copies on our digital sheet-fed sewing machine. |
| Production location | Often outsourced — many UK printers send paperback work to a third-party finisher or overseas. | 100% in-house at our Exeter facility. Print, bind, finish, pack all under one roof. |
| Standard turnaround | 2–4 weeks typical for short-run paperback. Faster turnarounds usually require a rush fee. | 5–10 working days standard. Fast Track 3–4 days (+25%) on most jobs regardless of run size. |
| Cover finishes | Usually gloss or matt lamination only. Soft-touch, foil, spot UV often unavailable on short runs. | Gloss, matt and soft-touch matt lamination plus optional foil blocking, spot UV, embossing — all in-house. |
| Physical proof | Often charged separately at £25–£50 extra. Sometimes digital-only proof. | Free physical proof copy, dispatched within 2 working days. Full run only starts after you approve. |
"Their quality remains consistent regardless of the size and complexity of the project. I've never seen them cut a corner."
"Imprint Digital are THE best printers out there. The quality and service is second to none. Five stars."
"Getting my first book printed was made very easy. Sarah was very helpful throughout with no pressure at all."
More on paperback specifically? See our full 73-question book printing FAQ for detail across file prep, paper, binding, finishing, turnaround and shipping.
Instant pricing online — no account required. Dispatched in as little as 3 days with Fast Track.
