Ahhh, Books! The weight of a freshly printed book in your hands, the crisp rustle of a turning page, the undeniable allure of a well-bound spine. There’s something truly magical about bringing your stories, ideas, and artwork to life on the printed page—a tradition that has captivated authors and readers alike for centuries. In a digital age where screens dominate, the art of book printing in the UK is a continuing powerful tradition of tangible, tactile, and timeless keepsakes.
At Ex Why Zed, we are passionate about helping self-publishers and authors transform their manuscripts into beautiful, printed books that leave a lasting impression. Whether you’re a first-time author looking to see your words in print or an experienced publisher with a vision for your next masterpiece, our high quality book printing is tailored to meet your unique needs. We’re seeing more authors than ever taking the leap into self-publishing, creating works that span every genre—from fiction and poetry to memoirs and academic works.
The beauty of self-publishing with Ex Why Zed is the freedom to design your book exactly as you envision it. Choose your layout, select the perfect paper stock, and decide on the binding that best suits your project. Whether it’s luxurious hardback book printing that demands attention or a sleek paperback that’s perfect for distribution, we’re here to bring your dream to life. And with our commitment to quality and attention to detail, you can be confident that your book will be as exceptional as the words it contains.
There are infinite possibilities within the overall term ‘book printing’.
How about designing and printing one of these niches:
• Self Publishing (spoiler alert: its easier than going to a publisher)
• Family History book printing
• Local History book printing
• Children’s Book printing
• Photo Book printing
• Colouring Book printing
• Coffee Table Book printing
• Street Photography book printing
• Picture Book printing
• Comic Book printing
We Make Book Printing Simple
Is printing and self-publishing a book with Ex Why Zed easier than navigating a tired publisher’s antiquated and lengthy processes? Absolutely, and you probably guessed that already!
Never printed a book before? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Our friendly and experienced team is here to guide you through every step of the process, making it easy and stress-free. Catch us during office hours on hello@exwhyzed.com, by phone on 01206 766647 or our live chat.
Ignite Your Imagination: Start your book printing journey by bringing together your manuscript, illustrations, or photographs that reflect your vision. Whether it’s a novel, a memoir, or a portfolio, this is your time to shine. If you need help designing the book, check out our list on best book designers and our advice on finding a designer on Fiverr or PeoplePer Hour.
Perfect Your Layout: Open up Adobe InDesign or your preferred design software and start crafting the layout of your book. Need a hand? Our detailed set-up guides are here to ensure you get it just right. Not sure which layout program to use, enjoy our guide on the best design software.
Save It Correctly: We just need a print-ready PDF to print your book. You can save to PDF from all programs and apps these days so, don’t worry, it’s super easy! When your design is complete, export or save it as a print-ready PDF. Make sure to include that all-important 3mm bleed to ensure your pages are printed perfectly.
Make the Right Choices: Explore our Portfolio and the Ex Why Zed Print YouTube channel to fine-tune your print specifications. Choose the perfect paper, size, binding style, and quantity that will make your book stand out.
Submit Your Masterpiece: Sharing your artwork is a breeze with our easy-to-use WeTransfer upload system. Our expert team is just a click away, ready to assist you with the final steps of your order. We will preflight your artwork thoroughly when it arrives and feedback any changes. We won’t just bury our heads and go straight to print. We take a lot of pride in the advice we impart and the care we take at this stage.
Watch the Magic Happen: Once you’ve reviewed and approved your proof, our dedicated production team will bring your book to life with the precision it deserves on our top of the range machine.
Anticipate the Arrival: The final step—sit back, relax, and look forward to the moment you hold your beautifully printed book in your hands. Trust Ex Why Zed, with our 5-star Reviews.io rating, to deliver exceptional quality and service. It is genuinely a buzz opening the boxes to reveal your very own publication.
A World of Choices for Your Book Printing Needs. When it comes to printing your book, the options are truly limitless. At Ex Why Zed, we offer a vast array of paper types, sizes, and binding methods to ensure your book is as unique as your vision. For those looking to delve deeper into the intricacies of book design, our Styling Hub in the Print Journey is a treasure trove of inspiration and information.
Choosing the right paper finish is crucial to achieving the desired look and can greatly affect the reader’s experience.
The three primary finishes available are Silk, Gloss, and Uncoated.
Silk paper offers a coated surface and a subtle sheen, perfect for adding a touch of sophistication. Gloss delivers a bright, reflective finish that makes colours pop. Uncoated provides a soft, matt texture that exudes a natural, understated elegance.
It’s vital to decide the paper type based on the book’s purpose and audience preferences. To elaborate further on this, photography books, fashion coffee table books and the like tend to gravitate towards silk inside pages. Children’s books and graphic novels look more dynamic with the illustrations and stories on gloss, while uncoated is great for reading books, poetry and creative writing or for pages that have elements which will be written on (exam papers, journals or colouring books).
The weight of your paper plays a pivotal role in the overall feel of your book. For the inside pages, we recommend choosing between 100gsm and 170gsm. For a delicate, lightweight feel similar to photocopier paper, 100gsm is ideal. However, most books thrive with 115gsm or 130gsm (in either a silk, gloss or uncoated finish). 115gsm Uncoated, 130gsm Silk and Gloss are the standard weights we print 95% of our jobs onto. They offer enough thickness to prevent images and text from showing through (unless you hold them up to to the light). If you want a more substantial, premium feel, 170gsm will give your book a luxurious heft that readers will appreciate as they turn each page. Again, 170gsm is available in all three finishes.
FUN FACT: The processes involved in producing uncoated paper mean that 170gsm uncoated is bulkier and feels thicker than the equivalent 170gsm in silk or gloss.
Quality book printing services, such as Ex Why Zed, offer a range of paper types to compliment both the content and purpose of your book.
Remember, all of our papers are FSC Certified. Read more on this in our post on sustainable printing.
Don’t judge a b…..yes, yes, we wont say it!
Your book’s cover is its first impression, and choosing the right weight is crucial. Options range from 170gsm to 350gsm, each offering a different tactile experience. A 170gsm cover provides a lightweight appeal, while 200gsm and 250gsm are more akin to a thin card—flexible and easy to handle. The most popular choice, 300gsm, strikes a perfect balance, giving your book a solid, professional appearance that protects the book but is slightly harder to open (especially at small sizes A6 and A5). For those desiring an ultra-durable, premium feel, 350gsm is the go-to option, especially for larger formats where a rigid cover enhances the overall experience. Our advice is that 350gsm is best avoided on A6 and even A5 books because the narrower width of the publication makes the rigid card hard to actually open. It is better suited to 240x170mm or A4.
Remember, if you choose a cover weight of 200gsm or more, we strongly recommend laminating it to protect against ink cracking and to keep your book looking pristine. There is a choice of a matt, gloss or soft-touch finish.
Hard Back Book Cover Options
These are slightly different to soft back in that we use thick 3mm greyboard to make the cover structure, the wrap this with either a 170gsm Silk printed sheet or a book binding cloth from Winter & Company. Here is a quick video to show the hardback binding process.
We discuss this in much more detail on our hardback book printing page.
Still not sure? Don’t worry, we get it…we’re all visual people. Get in touch with us for a printed paper sample pack or send us your work-in-progress file and our experts can take a look and offer insight into which finish we think would work best.
The binding method you choose will influence the durability and presentation of your book. For books up to 40 pages, staple binding (also know as wire stitching or saddle stitching) is a classic and cost-effective option but does look more like a booklet than a book.
For thicker books, perfect binding offers a polished, professional look, with a flat spine that allows for additional design or text. We need a minimum of 32 pages to make perfect binding possible.
For those looking to create a truly prestigious piece, hardback binding is the ultimate choice. With this method, you can choose between a printed cover or a material cover, depending on the style and feel you wish to achieve. Remember, hardback binding requires a minimum of 28 inside pages to ensure the best quality and durability.
If you prefer a stapled booklet, then check out our new booklet printing video guide for stacks of advice.
The size of your book not only affects its aesthetic appeal but also its practicality and cost. We can print any size up to A4 portrait or A4 landscape (for perfect bound books). A4, A5, and the square 210x210mm sizes are among the most cost-effective and versatile options. We can print ANY custom size up to and including A4 though so do not feel constricted by regulation.
If you’re working with a tighter budget, sticking to an A-size or 210x210mm is your best bet. For larger or more unique projects, consider exploring our Newspaper Printing options for something truly standout.
The range of size choices is slightly different on our hardback book printing.
For 1 – 1000 copies, choose any size from A6 to A4. That is 148x105mm to 297x210mm. We will generally print these books on our HP Indigo Digital Press and they can be delivered in around 6/7 working days.
For 750+ copies we open up the option of printing your books on our B1 litho machine to achieve the maximum possible print quality and production values. The sizes range from A6 up to a whopping 340x245mm. You also have the option of section sewing the inside pages for super resilient – the pages are literally sewn in. You can add head n tail bands as a finishing touch which brings a smile in the mind of your reader. These options are VERY expensive on smaller print runs.
Eye-catching hardcover book sizes we can print on our litho press are 340x245mm, 245x170mm, 300x300mm, 320x270mm, 220x245mm (height x width). Of course, we also print all the standard A-sizes and custom sizes within 297x210mm.
At Ex Why Zed, we’re committed to helping you make the right choices for your book printing project.
Any questions, do give us a shout, remember we are here to help on email, phone and live chat.
Here are three examples of winning book printing ideas. These are combinations of size, binding type and finish which produce a cohesive and professional looking finished publication. No need to reinvent the wheel, if these would work for your next book, then take a note and ask us for a quote on a like-for-like.
274×210 Photography Books
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated
Matt laminated to the outer
74 inside pages onto 150gsm Uncoated
Four colour print throughout
Perfect bound
Would work best for: Photo Journals, Final Major Projects, Photo Zines, Graphic Novels.
210x210mm Books
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk
Matt Lamination to outer
40pp Text onto 170gsm Silk
Four colour print throughout
Perfect bound
Would work best for: a Children’s Book, Photography Journal, Business Brochure.
A4 Case Bound Books
Cover onto 170gsm Silk
Wrapped over greyboard case
Matt laminated to the outer
2x 4pp End Papers unprinted onto 170gsm Uncoated
66 inside pages onto 130gsm Silk
Full colour print throughout
Trimmed, collated and case bound
Would work best for: Self-Published Books, Hardcover Photo Books,
This isn’t our first rodeo, we take great pride in offering…
🌟Accessible, Expert, Friendly Advice
👩💻 Free File Check and Preflight
💃🏻 We Talk the Talk, But We Also Walk the Walk
🌲 All Papers are FSC Certified
🚀 Fast Turnaround
🏆 Finest Digital and Litho Print
🖨️ Professional Printing process
🛠️ Flexible Custom Options
🖼️ Enjoy 500 Case Studies in our Portfolio
😍 A Solution For Every Budget
🎁 FREE Paper Samples
🌍 FREE UK Delivery
🌍 Worldwide Shipping
✅ Transforming Your Ideas Into Print Since 2006.
Start a conversation with Harriet or Mike today on hello@exwhyzed.com or 01206 766647.
Enjoy a selection of recent Books we have printed in the UK at Ex Why Zed
We have done our best to give you a huge wealth of information but here are some frequently asked questions to help you get your work into print.
Printing a book involves multiple cost factors, such as paper quality, book size, binding type, and print run size. Paper choice significantly influences the feel and price, with premium options increasing the cost. Similarly, book size, binding (e.g., hardcover or perfect bound), and the number of pages directly impact the overall expenses. While larger print runs reduce cost per unit, print-on-demand services offer flexibility for smaller projects. Budgeting wisely while maintaining quality ensures a successful self-publishing experience.
For a more in-depth discussion, check out our full article here.
Printing your book online simplifies the publication process. It begins with preparing your manuscript according to the printing company’s specifications. Once your files are ready, obtaining an instant quote and submitting your materials through an online platform makes the process efficient. Companies offer guidance on formatting, selecting paper, and choosing binding options, ensuring a seamless transition from manuscript to printed book.
The benefits of using an online book printing service include convenience, flexibility, and access to a range of printing options. Whether you’re looking to print paperback or hardback books, online services offer custom solutions that cater to diverse needs. The ease of getting a free quote and the ability to manage your print order from anywhere provide a hassle-free experience for authors across the UK.
To ensure a smooth book printing process online, it’s essential to communicate clearly with your printing company, double-check your files before submission, and consider ordering a proof copy. Utilizing digital printing and litho printing options strategically can also enhance the quality of your book. Companies like Ex Why Zed offer comprehensive support to make online book printing a rewarding experience for authors and publishers alike.
A booklet typically refers to a smaller publication, usually containing fewer pages—often up to 40 pages. Booklets are commonly used for brochures, event programmes, product catalogues, and company reports. They are usually bound using saddle stitching, where the pages are folded and stapled together along the spine. This method is cost-effective and perfect for projects that don’t require a large number of pages or a more formal presentation.
In contrast, a book is a more substantial publication, often with 48 pages or more. Books can cover a wide range of formats, including novels, portfolios, academic works, and more. Depending on the number of pages and the desired finish, books can be bound using perfect binding, which involves gluing the pages together at the spine, or hardback binding for a more durable and prestigious look. Books are ideal for projects that demand longevity, a polished appearance, and the ability to convey more in-depth content.
Understanding these distinctions ensures that your printing project is tailored to meet your specific needs, whether you’re aiming for the simplicity of a booklet or the sophistication of a book. At Ex Why Zed, our expertise in both formats guarantees that your project will be produced with the highest quality and care.
When it comes to book printing in the UK, cost considerations are critical. Generally, hardback book printing incurs higher production costs due to the materials and labour involved in their construction. However, the longevity and aesthetic appeal of hardback books can justify the initial investment. For authors and publishers on a budget, paperback book printing offers an economical alternative without compromising much on quality, making it a suitable choice for larger print runs.
Hardback book printing offers a slew of advantages, from durability to an upscale appearance that can increase the perceived value of your book. Hardback or hardcover books are often associated with premium quality, making them attractive to collectors and readers who prefer a more luxurious product. For authors, selecting hardback printing can distinguish your work in a competitive market and potentially yield higher returns.
The hardback book production process involves several meticulous steps to ensure durability and a sleek finish. Starting with the sewing of printed signatures of 16 page sections to create the book block, moving onto attaching the hardcover using various binding types like perfect binding, and finally finishing with covers that can be customised to suit any aesthetic. This careful process, managed by teams of print experts, guarantees a high-quality book that endures over time.
Custom book printing services open a world of possibilities for authors and publishers. From choosing unique book sizes and paper types to incorporating custom features like embossing or foil stamping, personalisation can elevate the appeal of your book. Companies like Ex Why Zed offer custom book solutions, including photo books and booklets, allowing you to stand out in the vibrant UK book market.
Working with a book printing service like Ex Why Zed begins with conveying your vision. A friendly team of print experts can guide you through selecting the best format, binding type, and print run based on your specific needs. Digital printing technology and short-run book printing options provide flexibility and cost-effectiveness for both new and experienced authors.
Choosing the right format, binding type, and deciding on the print run are key considerations when printing a book. Formats can range from standard A4 sizes to custom dimensions tailored to your content. Binding types, such as perfect binding for paperbacks or more durable options for hardbacks, affect the book’s usability and appearance. Furthermore, determining the print run size can significantly influence the overall cost, with short-run printing offering a viable option for independent authors and small publishers.
