Real production · real specifications · real outcomes
Case studies
Real books, real specifications, real production runs.
See how we manufacture books for publishers, organisations and independent presses, from fast reprints and multi-title orders to premium sewn hardbacks and larger commercial runs.
Gold foil, Woodstock endpapers, head and tail bands, matt laminated jacket with spot UV
Built around the manufacture, specification intact
A launch run for an author and international publisher: a production route built around the manufacturing requirement, with every element of the specification kept.
80gsm Munken Premium Cream 17.5 (Munken Premium White also offered)
Book block
Thread-sewn sections
Case board
2,750 micron (2.75mm)
Case
Wibalin cloth, gold foil blocked on the spine
Endpapers
140gsm Fedrigoni Woodstock Giallo, coloured through the sheet
Bands
Head and tail bands
Jacket
150gsm, matt laminated, spot UV
Quantity
1,000 copies, with a possible increase to 1,500
Delivery
UK delivery, included
Every element of the brief, kept
Thread sewing
2.75mm boards
Wibalin cloth
Premium Munken text paper
Through-coloured Fedrigoni endpapers
Foil blocking
Head and tail bands
Matt laminated jacket with spot UV
We built the production route around the actual manufacturing requirement.
At 1,000 copies a sewn cloth hardback is priced the way it is made. The route for this book was planned line by line:
Actual paper consumption at 1,000 copies
Press time
Sewing time
Case-making throughput
Casing-in speed
Foil, spot UV and lamination
Sourcing the through-coloured endpaper stock
Head and tail bands
One long run rather than several short ones
Every element of the brief is in the final specification.
Why the specification matters
01
Thread-sewn construction
Folded sections are sewn through the fold, rather than the pages relying only on adhesive at the spine.
02
2.75mm case boards
A 2,750 micron board makes a more substantial, rigid hardback case than lighter board constructions.
03
Munken Premium
An uncoated book paper with good bulk and a natural feel in the hand, in cream or white.
04
Fedrigoni Woodstock endpapers
A 140gsm stock coloured through the sheet, rather than a flat colour printed onto white paper.
05
Wibalin cloth
A covering material made for case binding, with the look and feel of book cloth. It takes foil blocking crisply and resists scuffing on the shelf.
Proof. A printed proof at £65: the full interior printed and bound as a plain-covered paperback, with a physical sample of the case cloth and the jacket material. Foil and spot UV are not on the sample.
Specification, line by line
Comparable price does not always mean comparable construction.
When we are asked to match an existing book or quotation, we compare the specification line by line. This is what that comparison looks like for a sewn cloth hardback.
An alternative hardback construction compared with our production option, component by component
Component
Alternative construction
Imprint production option
Book block
Glued or burst-bound
Thread-sewn sectionsDiffers
Case board
Lighter case board
2.75mm (2,750 micron) boardDiffers
Endpapers
Standard coloured endpapers
140gsm Fedrigoni Woodstock, coloured through the sheetDiffers
Text paper
Standard book paper
Munken Premium Cream or WhiteDiffers
Case
Varies by quotation
Wibalin cloth
Foil
Varies by quotation
Foil blocking
Bands
Varies by quotation
Head and tail bands
Jacket
Varies by quotation
Matt laminated, with spot UV
Different specifications produce different books.
An illustration of the comparison we make, not any one printer's specification. Where a lighter construction suits the book, we will say so.
Compare a specification
Already have a quote?
Send us the specification, a competitor quotation or a physical copy of the book. We will compare it line by line and tell you:
