What is Book Printing?
Book printing at Exprintmart involves producing high-quality printed books tailored to your specifications. We offer a range of options for binding, paper types, and finishes, ensuring your books meet professional standards for both content and presentation. This process involves both printing and binding, which are crucial in creating a high-end finished product.
Understanding the Book Printing Process
Book printing is a complex but rewarding process that transforms a set of pages into a complete book. The journey starts with the stacking of book papers onto a commercial printer. These papers are then stapled and glued together using strings and cardboard, forming the backbone of your book.
Commercial Printing Methods: Lithographic vs. Digital
Today, there are two primary methods commercial printers use: lithographic and digital printing. Each method has its unique advantages and is suited to different needs and volumes.
Lithographic (Offset) Printing
Lithographic, or offset printing, takes advantage of the principle that oil and water don’t mix. This traditional process has been in use since much of the 1900s. It’s economically efficient for long press runs because the sheets can be large, and more images can be grouped on a sheet, making the process cheaper per page. Once the pages are printed, they are cut down to size, grouped together as a book, and inserted onto another machine that glues a cover around the whole stack. This process, known as perfect binding, only makes economic sense when there are a lot of books to print. Traditional offset presses can be either sheet-fed or roll-fed, using large rolls of paper. Examples of this process can be seen in the image here.
Digital Printing
Digital printing offers the advantage of printing all pages in order one at a time, resulting in a complete book trimmed and ready for binding. It is more economical for short runs of many books compared to long runs of a single book. Digital inkjet and laser printing systems use a roll of paper, which goes in at one end, and multiple piles of book blocks ready to bind come out on the other end. An example of a digital printing operation can be seen in the image here.
Book Binding Processes
Once the pages are printed, the next step is binding. Traditional hardcover bookbinding involves several steps, including selecting the cover, trimming the book, and attaching the cover to the book using a signature adhesive. This process is often seen as labor-intensive but produces a high-quality final product.
Offset Lithographic Printing
Offset lithographic printing is an intricate process that involves transferring ink from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to the paper. This method is ideal for large print runs and can produce highly detailed and professional results.
Digital Bookbinding Process
For digital printing, once the pages are printed and trimmed, they are often inserted into a signature and then attached to the cover using a perfect binding process. This process is more flexible and efficient for shorter print runs.
Conclusion
Whether you choose lithographic or digital printing, the key is to understand the specific needs of your project. Whether you are into hardcover books or digital printing, Exprintmart can cater to your needs. Let us help you bring your vision to life with our high-quality printing and binding services.