Wild Words Anthology: A5 Art & Poetry Book Printing for Royal Holloway

A5 Books
4pp Cover onto 190gsm Recycled Uncoated FSC Certified
40pp Text onto 120gsm Recycled Uncoated FSC Certified (4mm spine)
Four colour print throughout
Trimmed, collated and perfect bound

Wild Words Anthology is a brilliant example of how light, tactile materials can make an anthology feel approachable and easy to live with. The wraparound cover image does the heavy lifting visually, while the slim 4mm spine keeps the whole thing feeling nimble — even though squeezing spine text in at that size is a bold move.

For anyone planning an art-and-writing collection, this is a strong reminder that you don’t always need heavyweight stocks to make something feel considered — you need the right paper surface, pacing, and clean chapter design. (If you’re exploring options, our Printed Project Builder is a good place to start.)

About the Book

Wild Words Anthology was produced for a Royal Holloway creative writing course — aimed at readers who love poetry and art, including current and former students.

Inside, the layouts give the work space to breathe: clear chapter openers, generous margins, and confident typesetting that makes each contributor’s section feel like its own small “moment” within the wider collection.

Useful links while you plan yours:

• Explore book printing options
• Learn how to print a book

Print Specification & Materials

This was an A5 perfect bound book, printed in full colour throughout.

• Format: A5
• Cover: 4pp on 190gsm recycled uncoated, FSC certified
• Text: 40pp on 120gsm recycled uncoated, FSC certified (4mm spine)
• Binding: Perfect bound

A couple of the most important “feel” decisions here:

• Light cover + lighter text stock keeps the book from feeling bulky or overbuilt — ideal for an anthology you’ll pick up often and flick through.
• The inside pages were printed onto Evolution Uncoated, which has a noticeable tactile grain compared to a smoother uncoated “house” sheet — you feel it as you turn pages, and it suits the handmade, art-led energy of the content.

If you’re weighing up stocks, ordering paper samples can save a lot of guesswork.

Design Details

The wraparound cover image sets the tone immediately — a close, textural photograph with the title held back in clean type. It’s a smart way to make a small-format book feel contemporary and “gallery tidy” without over-designing it.

Inside, the chapter pages are a highlight: strong typographic hierarchy, calm pacing, and consistent layout choices that help lots of different voices sit together without fighting for attention.

And yes — we’ll say it: spine text on a 4mm spine is ambitious. It can work (as it has here), but it’s one of those decisions where tiny shifts in alignment or trim tolerance suddenly matter a lot.

For anyone building files for perfect binding, this guide is worth having open while you export.

The Client’s Print Journey

The course team sent files over via WeTransfer, along with a clear spec and delivery details. There was a brief moment of confusion around invoicing — it turned out the project had already been paid earlier, so we removed the duplicate invoice and moved straight to proofs.

We issued a final PDF proof for sign-off, with the usual guidance on checking on a computer and reviewing trim lines carefully before approving. After approval, the job moved onto press, was completed, and dispatched with delivery updates shared the day before and on the day.

How Ex Why Zed Helped

• Account-managed support from first email through to proof and dispatch updates, keeping everything calm and clear.
• Proofing structure that protects the project — especially important when you’ve got a slim spine and lots of image/text variation.
• Practical material choices that keep the book light in the hand, while still meeting the technical requirements for perfect binding.

If you want to sanity-check a similar project (format, spine width, paper choice), our instant quote tool is a useful starting point.

Takeaways for Your Next Art & Poetry Anthology

• Don’t default to heavy stocks. Lighter pages can feel intentional — and they make anthologies easier to handle and post.
• If you want a slim perfect bound spine, plan early. A narrow spine can work, but spine text becomes a precision job — keep it simple and give yourself tolerance.
• Choose paper for the hand-feel, not just the look. A subtly grained uncoated sheet can add warmth and tactility without changing the design
• Let chapter openers do the organising. Strong, consistent chapter pages make multi-author books feel coherent.