The wonderful world of embellishments

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Ahhh, have you held a copy of Maggies’s Harvest by Maggie Beer? No? Really? You are seriously missing out!

This is one of our favourite books when it comes to embellishments and there’s no doubt about just how ground-breaking the case finishes were at the time this hardback was published in 2007, by those creative folk at Lantern (Penguin Books).

Why do we love it so much, let us count the ways…

Well, the case of the book is not only padded but is embroidered using cotton coloured burnt orange and a stunning turquoise. The stitches are sewn onto a linen-feel fabric, (wrapping the case boards) then screen printed and stamped with white foil. The book is a whopping 700+ pages and has been printed on the most gorgeous, cream-coloured uncoated paper. And, I guess you’d expect two satin ribbon markers in a book so large?

So how can one book afford so many fancy embellishments you ask? Often, that’s the offshore factor. Teamed with a large print run and a very efficient and vast team of hand-workers, these finishes that dress up books become a whole lot more cost-effective and manageable.

Why not cut corners? (round corners, that is!)

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There are many fantastic ways to make your book stand out from its neighbour on the bookstore shelves and one of those is to finish off with round corners.

This, traditionally has been used on children’s books as it adds a smooth edge and takes away the risk of children hurting themselves with pointy corners. But, it’s not just the safety factor that makes this manufacturing finish a popular one. Round corners now feature prominently on a variety of books from coffee table books, cook books, stationery items through to gift books and journals.

So how long does it take to print a book offshore?

This is a commonly-asked question, when planning to print in China. Here are some of the basics you need to know.

Will your book require pre-press?

This is the stage just after final design and just before files get sent to the printer. You should allow about 4 weeks for this stage if you wish to review at least a couple of rounds of colour proofs. When you are satisfied with the colour reproduction, these are the proofs that accompany the print ready PDFs to the chosen printer.

As soon as files reach the printer, they are processed and you can expect to receive ozalids in about one week. An ozalid is the final checking stage before the printer starts the press. The length of time for checking the ozalid can vary from a few days to a full week, depending on your required delivery date. Minor corrections can be made at this stage, with revised files and revised ozalids going back and forward until full approval is given.

The next stage is the actual printing and binding of your book and you should allow 4 weeks for this manufacturing process. Complex books, large print runs and books with many embellishments can take 5 weeks or more.

Shipping your books comes next and the timeframes here depend on exactly where your final destination is. You can generally say door-to-door delivery will take from 3 to 6 weeks, depending on the warehouse location and country of destination.

The should help you plan your schedule. If you are having difficulty planning your schedule, just drop us a line and we can help you.