Publisher's Choice® - it won't cost the earth

Answers to FAQs about Publisher's Choice®

Is Publisher's Choice® a print on demand service?

If Print on Demand is defined as single copy production then this is not what Publisher's Choice® offers.

What it does offer is a unique way of maintaining much lower stock levels which can respond quickly and flexibly to your publishing demands.

If my title was printed litho last time, will it look the same printed digitally?

We use the same range of papers on our litho and digital presses ensuring consistency of quality and appearance throughout the life-cycle of a book whether it is printed litho or digitally. Additionally all the books that we print are finished through the same binding line.

Can I produce hardbacks under Publisher’s Choice®?














Yes, Biddles is quite unique in that we are able to offer digital production of slotted hardbacks with all the usual finishing choices and at unit prices that you would expect when printing higher quantities under litho production.

What are the paper choices?

We offer three paper choices:
• 80gsm Vancouver Opaque Vol. 13.2 - Woodfree offset high white paper
• 80gsm Vancouver White Bookwove Vol. 17.5 - Woodfree bookwove good quality off white paper
• 80gsm Vancouver Cream Bookwove Vol. 17.5 - Woodfree bookwove good quality off cream paper

Are there are any extra charges?

For the first printing there is a Pre Press and cover proofing charge which includes a printed cover proof (or electronic soft proof if preferred) and life-time storage of your files in our digital archive. An overnight courier delivery service to one UK mainland address is included in the unit cost price (deliveries outside this area and any additional deliveries to other addresses will cost extra). Other extras include scanning pages from an existing book, plate sections and blocking to the front on a hardback (blocking on the spine is included as standard).

Are there any restrictions?

Our Nipson Varypress 600 dpi digital press is not ideally suited to producing books with halftones or photographs integrated with the text (although line artwork, graphs, mathematical formulae etc. are not a problem). If you have a book with photographs that you think would suit Publisher’s Choice® then an option is to produce the photographs as a separate section. The section would be produced in either full colour or black and white on our Xerox iGen3 2400 dpi digital colour press.

Alternatively if you are looking to produce a higher quality book with a number of colour or black and white pictures within it then we can print the entire book for you under our Illustrated Choice service..


Quick links

Mini case study

Elastic Press

I'm very happy to endorse Publisher's Choice which we started using in 2006. Since we gained a distribution deal a few years ago we have been struggling to make money on our books that we sell through the bookstores because of the discounts that are required.

However, with Publisher's Choice we have actually halved our printing costs which now means we profit on any of our titles, whether sold directly or through the stores. This has allowed us to consider expanding our operations, and the flexibility of the programme also means we can structure our orders according to pre-sales and reprint as and when necessary rather than incurring warehouse costs or having to pulp titles because we may have over-ordered. I can honestly state that without MPG Biddles we might no longer be in business."

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