Which is the right production route for me?
Biddles will always estimate for the most cost-effective method whilst achieving the best quality.
For colour book printing on short runs of between 20 and 500 copies it will be digital printing where the print quality will be excellent, and for over 500 copies the book will most probably be printed on offset litho presses.
On mono printing it will depend on the quantity, size, extent and the paper that is required. Printing text/tints on offset, bookwove and coated papers, quantities from 20 up to 500 will be printed digitally. For projects of over 500 copies, the book printing process – where there are a lot more options on available papers – will again be offset litho. If there is a paper that you specifically want please ask for it on our estimate request form.
We always will base our prices on the most economical method based on your specification.
Production/turnaround time until delivery
If we are working from fully designed print-ready PDF files please allow:
- Short run (20 to 500 copies) digital paperbacks from 5 working days
- Short run (20 to 300 copies) digital hardbacks from 7 working days
- Offset litho (over 500 copies) paperbacks from 10 working days
- Offset litho (over 300 copies) hardbacks from 15 working days
These schedules will depend on the capacity available at the time an order is placed but these are our average turnaround times. If you are having a launch for the book please ensure to add this comment to your order and allow for the books to be delivered one week before the launch.
Extent
This is the amount of pages in the book. Prices often alter in increments of 4 pages. If the book requires a separate illustration section this can be produced as a 4-, 8-, 16 or 32-page section.
Paper
There are simply hundreds of different papers in the marketplace and so to get the most economical price for digital book printing we tend to limit the papers that we estimate on to those held in stock.
Mono digital can be printed on silk (coated) papers in 115/130/150/170gsm for the best quality and on uncoated papers, white or cream bookwove in 80gsm and offset (bond) papers in 80/90/100/120gsm weights for text, tints and reasonably reproduced pictures.
Colour digital can be printed on silk or gloss (coated) papers from 115/130/150/170gsm and uncoated papers from 90 to 140gsm.
For longer-run and offset litho reproduction we can offer a wide range of papers. If there is a specific stock that you would like, please ask for it in the Comments box when you ask for an estimate.
Delivery
The books will be packed in shrink-wrapped parcels or boxes (cartons) and made to the door of a UK or Ireland address. Please note that the delivery agents will not be insured to come inside your property so if a large number of books are being delivered then please ensure that you have someone available to help you offload the boxes.
Payment
We require 50% of the order value with your order and print ready PDF files. The remainder must be paid within 15 days of receipt of the final invoice (generally sent after delivery). We can accept payment by BACS transfer, credit card or cheque.
Reprinting
The digital files that you send us or that we create will be stored with us to enable you to order reprints in the future.
Copyright
Details about copyright are available from The Patent Office’s website at:
www.gov.uk/topic/intellectual-property/copyright
VAT
Books are VAT zero-rated unless they are considered as stationery items.
