Book printing services

Cost is driven by five things: quantity, page count, trim size, binding, and whether the interior is black only or full color. A 200 page paperback at 1,000 copies and a 120 page hardcover at 250 copies are different projects with very different unit costs. Send us those five details and we return itemized pricing, usually within one business day, with digital and offset priced separately wherever both are viable so you can see the crossover for yourself.

Send a press ready PDF of the interior and a separate PDF of the cover, along with your quantity, trim size, and preferred binding. We quote it, supply a proof, print it, bind it, and ship it. For most books that is 10 to 15 business days from approved files. If your files are not print ready, our prepress team tells you what to fix before anything goes to press, and our design team can build the layout if you would rather hand it over.

There is no minimum. Single book printing runs on our digital presses, which need no plates, so one copy is a normal order rather than a special favor. People use it for proof copies before committing to a run, for family and memorial editions, and for award or presentation copies. The unit cost is highest at one copy and falls steadily as quantity rises.

Perfect binding glues the pages to a flat spine. It is the paperback standard, it is the cheapest option at volume, and it gives you a printable spine, but the book will not open flat and the glue eventually fails under heavy use. Smyth sewn stitches the signatures together with thread before the cover goes on. The book opens flat, holds a spread without cracking, and lasts decades. It costs more, and it is the right choice for bibles, reference works, cookbooks, and anything archival.

Yes, and it is one of the things we do best. We produce case bound hardcovers with either a printed and laminated case or a cloth case with foil stamped type. Dust jackets, embossing, head and tail bands, and ribbon markers are all available. For coffee table books and archival titles we usually recommend pairing the hardcover case with Smyth sewn binding so the book opens flat and stays intact.

Yes. You do not need a publisher, an agent, or a distributor to print a book with us. Self published authors are a steady part of our work. We can help with ISBN registration, barcodes, and Library of Congress submission if you want the book available through retail channels, and we can skip all of it if the run is for your own use. You keep the files and the rights either way.

Plan on 10 to 15 business days from approved artwork for most bound books. Hardcover and Smyth sewn construction add time over perfect binding because the case and the text block are built separately and then joined. Quantity matters less than you would expect, since press time is a small part of the schedule compared with binding and drying. Tell us your in hand date when you request a quote and we confirm what is achievable before you commit.

Two press quality PDFs: one for the interior as single pages in reading order, and one for the cover built as a single spread including the spine. Fonts embedded, images at 300 dpi or higher, and 0.125 inch bleed on anything running off the edge. The spine width depends on your page count and paper, so use the perfect bound spine calculator or let us supply the dimension before you build the cover. We review every file and contact you if something needs adjusting.

Yes. Bulk and wholesale book printing runs on our offset presses, where the plate setup is amortized across the run and the unit cost drops sharply. This is how publishers, universities, and distributors print. We keep your specifications on record so reprints match, and we can stage delivery or drop ship to multiple locations rather than sending the whole run to one dock.

We are family owned at 929 W 16th Street in Indianapolis and have printed here since 1989. Local customers pick up at the plant, and press approvals in person are welcome when the color matters enough to stand at the press. We supply proofs on request, and for a large or unusual run we can produce a bound sample so you hold the actual book before the rest is printed. We print and ship nationwide as well.