A5 Case Bound Books
Cover onto 170gsm Silk
Wrapped over greyboard case
Matt laminated to the outer
2x 4pp End Papers unprinted onto 170gsm Uncoated
84 inside pages onto 130gsm Silk
Four colour print throughout
Trimmed, collated and case bound
Most degree show catalogues play it safe. This one doesn’t. We printed the Mixed Media Graduate Show Catalogue as a hardback (casebound) A5 book — a choice that instantly makes it feel more substantial, more hard-wearing, and frankly, more “keep this on your shelf” than the usual show booklet.
And inside? There’s no gentle introduction. You’re hit with big colour, full-bleed imagery spread after spread — the kind of confident pacing that suits a graduate show where the work needs to grab you fast.
If you’re planning your own catalogue, you might want to browse our degree show catalogue printing, see what’s possible with case bound books, or get a feel for timelines and checkpoints in our print journey.
This catalogue was produced for a mixed media graduate show audience: students, tutors, visitors and alumni. That mix matters — it needs to work as both an exhibition companion and a record of the work after the event has finished.
The structure keeps things simple and clear. Each spread gives you the student’s name set in bold, plus one or two pieces of work. Easy to scan, easy to remember. Then, at the back, all the contact details sit together in one place — practical and purposeful.
The big move here is the hardback case binding. It costs more than a paperback, but it also changes how the catalogue is handled. It’s built for being picked up repeatedly during the show, passed around, stacked on tables — and still looking good afterwards.
We paired that sturdy build with silk stock for the image-heavy pages. Silk has a smooth finish with a subtle sheen, which helps colour reproduction stay vibrant and crisp — exactly what you want when the artwork is the main event.
Key spec summary:
There’s no subtlety in the page design — and that’s the point. Full-bleed images, big colour, and a steady rhythm of “name + work” gives the catalogue real momentum. You don’t drift. You keep turning pages.
The 130gsm silk pages add a touch of flex, which makes the book nicer to handle. With a little pressure (not much), the pages will even sit fairly flat — handy for viewers who want to look properly at a spread without fighting the gutter.
This was a first-time print project for the team producing the catalogue, so the emails were full of sensible questions: how to export, whether to send InDesign files or PDFs, single pages or spreads, and what “bleed” actually means.
We guided them through the essentials: adding 3mm bleed, keeping colour expectations realistic (RGB to CMYK changes), and supplying the hardback files as separate PDFs. If you’re in the same boat, our hardback book set-up guide and the guide to setting 3mm bleed will save you hours.
We also carried out a final preflight check and flagged two fixes before going to press: spine text placement (hardbacks have wrapped areas you don’t want to hide important type in) and a missing bleed edge on one page. Quick tweaks, big difference.
Hardbacks are brilliant, but they do ask more of the file setup. We kept the process calm and clear: confirming the spec early, checking page count and bleed, advising on colour conversion, and then supplying a proof for final approval.
The deadline mattered here — the books were needed for the show opening — so we stayed close to the details: proof approval, delivery confirmation, and quick tracking updates when a courier delay popped up.
Want us to sense-check your files before you commit? Start with Ready to order or explore more inspiration in our portfolio.
