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shopping around for a print quote

One of the most important, and most expensive pieces of the self-publishing puzzle is the printing of your book. You can shop around for your own print quote or, if you are working with an experienced designer, ask them to provide you with one as part of their quote.

If you decide to shop around for your own printing prices, there are many variables that you need to know about your book in order to not only get an accurate quote, but the book that you expected delivered to you at the end of the printing process.

Quantity and Size

Quantitiy
When quoting with a book printer, you are best to quote 3 different quantities in order to see the difference in base cost per book as quantities increase.

Most traditional printing houses will not print quantities under 500, and will quote you 500, 1000, and 1500 to start if you are self-publishing. Self-publishers, or vanity presses will print much smaller quantities and can provide quotes for as little as 100, 500, and 1000.

As a rule, the larger the quantity, the lower the base price per book you pay. Quote with several printers to determine the quantity and base price that meets your immediate needs.

Page Count
The printer must know the final page count in order to provide an accurate quote. The page count is the actual number of pages, including blanks, from the beginning to the end of the book. It is easier to gauge the number of pages once the book has gone into the design phase and all the frontmatter and backmatter has been accounted for, such as title page, copyright, and any indexes.

Many printers also use signatures. A signature is a grouping of pages in multiples of 8. This means that your book must have a page count that is a multiple of 8 for printing. Check with your printer if they use signatures and adjust your page count accordingly when quoting.

Trim Size
If you go with a standard printer using offset presses, there are several standard trim sizes to choose from:

Paperback - 5.5" x 8.5" or 6" x 9"
Hardcover - 7" x 10"
Workbook - 8.5" x 11"

If you are quoting with a self-publisher, or vanity press, their sizes may vary slightly (5.25" x 8.5" as opposed to 5.5" x 8.5") and they may offer a little more variety.

Text Prepress

Software
All books today are submitted as computer files and the printer needs to know what program you use to produce the book in order to make sure that it is compatible with their production process in-house. It is a good idea to check with the printer before-hand to see if they can accept your files, or if you will need to have them converted to another format as some self-publishers today only accept hi-res PDF files. Some of the information you may need to provide is:

Software used - e.g. Quark, PageMaker, FileMaker, Word
Version of software
Platform - e.g. Mac, Windows, UNIX

Text Printing

Bleeds
If you extend any colour or images beyond the trim of the page, you are bleeding them off the page. Certain trim sizes allow for bleeds, and you need to let your printer know if you are planning on using bleeds as they need to adjust their paper size to allow for them when going to press. There are 3 types of bleeds:

Wing - on the left and right sides
Head - at the top of the page
Foot - at the bottom of the page

Ink
If you are printing a trade book, you will most likely be using only 1-colour inside (black) and your book will be the most cost-effective as this is the least expensive printing method.

Some projects, such as workbooks, choose to use a secondary colour for emphasis and will choose 2-colour (black +1 PMS) as their option. This option is not as cost-effective but is effective in the design.

Full-colour, or 4-colour (CMYK), is usually reserved for high cost publications such as magazines and coffee table books. This process is the most expensive option and is not recommended for self-publishing.

Stock
This can be the most confusing part of a printing quote as there are so many paper stocks to choose from and each individual printer carries different brands and thicknesses, making it hard to quote with the same type from one printer to another.

If you are printing your book for the first time and are unfamiliar with paper stocks, we recommend calling your printing rep and speaking to them directly about your book. They can recommend the perfect paper for you project depending on how you want your book to look, how thick you want your spine to be, and other factors. You can also request sample blank books to see exactly how the paper looks before choosing a stock. Below are some things to know when talking to them about paper:

Acid-Free - Lasts longer since it doesn't disintegrate as quickly as regular stock does.
Recycled and Dye-Free - There are many new recycled and dye-free papers in the market and their price is coming down. If you are an environmental group, or this is an important issue to you, ask about them.
Ink Absorption - The extent of ink penetration into the paper. This is important if you are printing a book that has many large images or full-colour photos as there will be a lot of ink coverage.

Cover

Cover Printing
There are several options for your cover, depending on how you are printing your book:

Cover - This option is used for paperback books. The cover is wrapped around the book and glued on. It is thicker than the inside pages, but still bendable.
Jacket - This option is used for hardcovers. The cover is printed on thinner paper than the inside pages and is wrapped around the hard cover of the book, with flaps tucked inside the front and back cover.
Casewrap - Also used on hardcovers as with the "Jacket", but this cover is not loose and is glued to the hardcover. Popular with textbooks.

Binding
Depending on the type of book you are printing, you may have the option of choosing a binding method:

Saddle-stitch - This option is used for paperback books. This technique is only used on small books and booklets. Pages are stapled along the spine.
Perfect-bind - Used for hardcovers and paperback. The signatures are stitched together and glued to the spine. The most common hardcover and paperback binding method.
Lay-flat - Used for hardcovers. More expensive than perfect-bound but perfect for any book that needs to be kept flat for long periods of time. Only first and last pages of the book are attached to the cover.
Case-bound - Use for harcovers. The signatures are stitched together, gauze is glued to the spine, and the first and last pages are glued to the spine. Most popular with textbooks.

For more information about binding methods and which may be right for your book, read our article What Are My Bookbinding Options?

Embellishments
There are several embellishments you can add to your cover, at additional cost, that can make it stand out on the bookshelf:

Die Cut - When a part of the cover is cut out to show a part of the page beneath. You can shape the die into anything you like and place it anywhere you wish on the cover. The extra cost is for the making of the die and the extra pass through the press.
Foil Stamp - When a part of the cover is enhanced by the addition of coloured foil. An additional pass through the press to add the foil.
Emboss - A part of the cover is raised, such as the lettering. Very popular on hardcover and paperback trade books.

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