So you have a book or manual that you’d like to print, but how does the process go? In this post, we’ll walk you through a book’s printing process from your first call to the finished product.

Initial Consultation

Your book’s printing journey starts with your first call to POD Print. We’ll ask some questions to determine the best options for paper stocks, binding, and finishing, all tailored to your budget and needs.

When it comes to binding, one common style is perfect-bound—or paperback-style—binding. This is ideal for novels, nonfiction, and some larger manuals. If your work is more technical in nature, you may also choose to use a three-hole binder, or perhaps wire or spiral binding. For coffee table books, hardcover case-binding may be your ideal option. Our Customer Service Representative will discuss the pros and cons of each style with you to help you make your choice.

Likewise, they’ll help you select a paper stock and finishing options for your cover, such as coating or lamination.

At this point, we’ll also discuss how much design and pre-press assistance you’ll need. You may have print-ready files that you’ve prepared yourself or that have been created by a designer. Or you may only have a text document, in which case POD Print is happy to create the interior layout and the cover design for you.

One advantage of working with POD Print: a fully finished proof. We will produce a sample of your book exactly as it will finish when the full order is complete. This includes any lamination or finishing, your binding options, and printing on the same paper stock as the final piece. You can hold a sample in your hands and make any needed adjustments to the files or to the stock and finishing before pushing forward with the full quantity.

Pre-Press

After the consultation, you’ll submit your files to us for print preparation. If the files are nearly print-ready, our pre-press department will make minor adjustments to the file to ensure the colors print correctly and consistently, as well as reviewing the file for any possible image quality concerns.

Printing

Next, your files are off to our digital production department! Using digital printing technology, our equipment is just as ideal for print-on-demand and short run orders as it is capable of turning larger quantities.

Your books are printed on press sheets, with multiple pages on a single sheet. The covers will print on their selected stock as well. If your book is a manual with tabs, those are printed on either pre-cut tab stock, or full sheets for custom colors and sizes.

Cover Finishing

If you’ve selected a coating or laminating option for your cover, this is the next step in the process. The coating or lamination is applied before the pages are trimmed.

Tab Mylar and Cutting

For manuals that include custom tabs, these will be processed while the cover finishing is being completed. A variety of available mylar colors can be applied, and they’re cut to the specified size.

Binding

The finished covers are brought together with the body text (and the tabs if applicable), then the binding is applied. Whether this is perfect-bound, case-bound, spiral, wire, or a specialty binding like aerad, we’ll assemble the final product.

Quality Control and Proof Delivery

After passing an internal quality control check, your proof is delivered or shipped to you for final approval. Once it’s approved, the process repeats with your full quantity.

Shipping or Delivery

After your books are completed, they are packaged and either delivered locally or shipped to the address of your choice.

So that’s the journey of a book from us to you! If you’re interested in book or manual printing, give us a call or send us an email today. We’d love to hear from you!