Portfolio Printing

Hi, we’re Ex Why Zed! We are the creative print company you have been looking for. Day in, day out, we help transform people’s ideas in to print!

So, what does that mean? Well, from the first contact with us we will give you a wealth of resources, knowledge and friendly advice to broaden your understanding of the print process. We help everyone from the complete novice to the print rockstar.

We don’t believe that you should have to settle for the bare minimum from your print company. You have spent hours, weeks and months preparing your stunning artwork so why would you now go and give it to a printer where you can get an instant price, upload a pdf, then the files disappear and you have to keep your fingers crossed that what turns up is what you expected?

Choose from a large selection of paper, size and binding options.

What sizes can we print?
The largest portrait size we can print is an impressive A3 (420mm high x 297mm wide).  Our maximum square size is 297x297mm.  The maximum landscape size is 210mm high x 297mm wide (A4 Landscape). For cost-effective sizes keep your catalogue within A4 portrait, A5 landscape or 210x210mm square – these are the cheapest sizes to print but do choose the size that best fits your publication.

Not sure about which paper will work best for your project?
Check out video guide here and we’ll talk you through the options with examples printed on each of the finishes. Still uncertain? Jump on our sample pack form and we’ll get some paper choices in the post asap.

For engaging video guides on how to style a booklet for print, do spend a few minutes enjoying these:

Styling a booklet for print

Paper choices for printing

Well that flew past didn’t it, University? Now it’s time to spread the word about your talents, cause some ripples through the art & design oceans and land that dream position in the industry!

With your Portfolio being the first contact between you and potential employers let’s make sure of two things: the Portfolio looks the best it possibly can and that it arrives before your deadline. At Ex Why Zed we are Portfolio printing specialists and will print your work using the highest quality digital presses to ensure it does maximum justice to your excellent work. We just need you to give us enough time to produce it!

Submit your files early and we’ll deliver in plenty of time for your deadline!

STUDENT DISCOUNT
As a helpful leg up, we wont charge you for adding extra pages! If you are printing 1 or 2 copies then you can have a wire stitched booklet with up to 36 pages for the same price as we charge for just 12 pages. Choose any number of pages upto 40 and it will be the same price.

If your portfolio is perfect bound then you can print 96 pages for the same price as 40.  Any number of pages up to 96 for the same price on print runs of 1 or 2 copies.  No, that’s our pleasure 🙂

Hopefully that gives you a bit more freedom when designing without having to worry about the cost? If you have 40 pages then add as many as you like up to 96 pages and it wont cost a penny more!

If you are printing 3 copies or more then we do charge per page for those.

It’s super competitive out there right now but you know YOUR work is better than your peer group so let’s tell everyone! Printing a professional portfolio to showcase your work is a great step to winning more business, promoting your brand and creating a memorable impression on potential employers and clients.

Why not produce a book or portfolio which celebrates your career’s work and will form an impressive retrospective. Most portfolios will be 12-40 pages to keep the cost of postage down but there is nothing to stop you really going for it and printing a tome of hundreds of pages to capture all your finest moments within one publication.

Enthusiastically pack the pages of your portfolio with your best and most iconic work. Maybe accompany the visual pieces with an essay or two about your working methods, your ideal job and how you became so passionate about your trade.

You could also challenge convention and print a portfolio as a folded leaflet. A3 folded to A6 or A2 folded to A5 both give you 8 panels of content both sides. The larger size which works well as a poster to remind the recipient of your work and it subsequently folds down to a handy size to put in an envelope and post.

We have been doing this a while now and have seen a lot of impressive publications come off our presses.  To give you a head start with your portfolio printing, here are three print specifications which work well (and photos of them, see right).  Each has its own characteristics which have proven to be winning combinations and will be sure to get you and your work noticed.

If any of our showcase options would work for your project, take a note of the spec and jump on our quote form to receive your bespoke quotation. Or ping us an email on hello@exwhyzed.com if that is easier.

Showcase 1 – a professional-looking, A4 stapled portfolio:
A4 Booklets.
4pp Cover onto 170gsm Uncoated.
Matt Lamination to outer.
24pp Text onto 170gsm Uncoated.
Four colour print throughout.
Trimmed, collated and wire stitched.
As a guide, you could print 200 copies of this for £2.51 each.

Tweaks you could consider:
• Increase to A3 for a visually imposing presentation piece.
• Reduce to A5 to help lower the costs.
• Raise or lower the number of pages depending on your content.
• The spec above is a ‘self cover’ portfolio with all the pages onto the same weight but you could print the cover onto a card instead.

Showcase 2 – a neat, compact, square format:
148x180mm Landscape Books
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated
Matt Lamination to outer
40pp Text onto 120gsm Uncoated
Four colour print throughout
Trimmed, collated and perfect bound
.
As a guide, you could print 1000 copies of this for £1.20 per copy.

Tweaks you could consider:
• Increase to as wide as A4 landscape for an impressive double-page spread size.
• Increase the number of pages depending to fit in more work.
• Pick out some content on the cover and add Gloss Spot UV varnish to make it shine (this is an additional £280).

Showcase 3 – a cost-effective, A5 stapled portfolio:
A5 Wire Stitched Portrait Books
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk
Matt Lamination to outer
24pp Text onto 130gsm Silk
Four colour print throughout
As a guide, you could print 200 copies of this for £1.20 per copy.

Tweaks you could consider…
• Reducing the cover to 200-250gsm which also makes it easier to open.
• Switching to gloss lamination for a shiny aesthetic.
• Increase the size to A4 for more room OR decrease to A6 for a pocket sized solution.

Get inspired by the solutions we have printed for our talented previous customers.

We have done our best to give you a huge wealth of information on this page and in our guides but if here are some frequently asked questions to help you get your work into print.