Long-form answers to the printing questions publishers ask most. If you’re looking for a quick answer to something specific, our consolidated FAQ page has 73 of those.
Why we send a proof copy before printing the run, and what to look at when it lands. Digital vs bound, and when each is right.
ReadThe 3 mm of artwork that runs past the trim edge, why it matters, and how to set it up correctly in your file.
ReadWhy screens are RGB and printers are CMYK, what changes when you convert, and how to avoid the colour shift surprises.
ReadCoated, uncoated, bookwove, premium — how the paper choice changes the feel, the printing, and the cost.
ReadPerfect, PUR, thread-sewn, case bound, saddle-stitched. The full taxonomy of how books get held together, and where each fits.
ReadBecause they’re where almost every print job succeeds or stumbles. Proofs are your safety net before the run. Bleed is the 3mm that separates a clean trimmed edge from a white sliver. CMYK is why the colour on your screen isn’t quite the colour on paper — and how to manage the difference. Paper decides how your book feels, reads and costs. And binding decides how long it lasts and whether it opens flat.
Each guide is written from the production floor of our Exeter bindery, not paraphrased from elsewhere — the same answers we give customers on the phone every week, in enough depth to act on.
Ready to go further? The information hub holds our long-form guides — from formatting a book in Word to choosing a book size — and the free tools turn the answers into numbers: spine width, page count, book weight and print-ready templates.
Our main FAQ covers 73 questions about quotes, files, paper, binding, shipping and turnaround — one-paragraph answers, fast.