Select your Creative Solution

Choose a Product to Print

Step 1 - Orientation & Size

Choose Orientation and Size

The layout orientation can be portrait, landscape or square then let us know the finished size of your work.
If you are unsure, dive into our help and resources on the right.

(Do wait a few seconds for the next stage to load, it will drop through :)

Step 2 - Pages and Paper

Choose Number of Pages and Paper Type

For the purposes of our quoting, we call 'a page' one side of content.

[Do be patient for a few seconds while the next step loads, it will drop through]

Step 3 - Binding Options

Choose your Binding Style

There are 3 main binding methods for printing. We are displaying the relevant options for your number of pages. If no binding methods are available or are greyed out, please refer to the tips below and change the number of pages selected in the previous step.

Step 4 - Colour Options

Choose Full Colour or Black Ink printing

You can print your publication in full colour or in black & white (which includes shades of grey).

Step 5 - Copies

How many copies would you like to print?

If you are undecided, that's fine, select up to 3 amounts below and we will quote for all 3 options.

Step 6 - Your Details

Enter Your Contact Details

Thank you for your choices. Finally, add your details below and our experts will email a quote asap. If you have skipped ahead to this section, do complete the details so we can contact you.

Winning print specs

Winning Annual Report print ideas

We would suggest a 300gsm Cover with Matt Lamination and 130gsm Silk is a good spec for an annual report. To make it more premium you can increase the cover to 350gsm and the insides to 170gsm.

A stereotypical annual report and cost-effective to print:
A4 Perfect Bound Books
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk
Matt Lamination to outer.
Text onto 170gsm Silk.
Four colour print throughout.

A professional-looking, stapled, tactile annual report for a company with less information to impart:
A5 Stapled Books
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated
Matt Lamination to outer
24pp Text onto 115gsm Uncoated
Four colour print throughout.

Booklets lend themselves to many possibilities:

For your business: 
Product Range Catalogues 
Promotional Brochures
 Brand Guidelines 
Fashion Lookbooks 
Annual Reports 
Product Pricelists

To promote your creativity: 
Art Gallery Catalogues 
Fine Art Books 
Coffee Table Books 
Creative Zines
 Degree Show Catalogues
 Illustrated Comics 
Illustrated Diaries 
Promotional Portfolio 
Self Published Books
 Sketch Books 
Note Books 
Graphic Novels

To showcase your photographic skills: 
Beautiful Photo Books 
Creative Photo Journals
 Hard Back Photobooks 
An annual of your best images

Winning Zine print spec ideas

A super smooth, lightweight zine, with a slightly thicker cover: 
A5 Booklets 
4pp Cover onto 170gsm Silk 
40pp Text onto 115gsm Silk 
Four colour print throughout
 Trimmed collated and wire stitched 
As a guide, you could print 100 copies of this for £2.24 each.

A cost-effective zine with all the pages onto the same thin uncoated paper: 
A4 Booklets 
60pp Self Cover onto 100gsm Uncoated 
Four colour print throughout 
Trimmed collated and wire stitched 
As a guide, you could print 200 copies of this for £3.39 per zine.

An impressive, perfect bound skate book for an annual or large collection of rad content: 
A4 Perfect Bound Book 
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated
 Matt Lamination to outer 
88pp Text onto 150gsm Uncoated
 Four colour print throughout 

As a guide, you could print 1000 copies of this for £3.38 per book.

Winning Lookbook print spec ideas

A neat, cost-effective stapled A5 lookbook with all the pages onto the same paper weight: 
A5 Wire Stitched Booklets 
28pp Self Cover onto 170gsm Uncoated 
Four colour print throughout .

We can print 100 copies of this spec for £1.64 per lookbook.

A professional-looking perfect bound book with premium weight uncoated inside pages creating a more tactile finish: 
A5 Perfect Bound Books. 
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated. 
Matt Lamination to outer. 
40pp Text onto 170gsm Uncoated.
 Four colour throughout. 

We can print 250 copies of this spec for £1.99 per lookbook.

A dynamic folded lookbook that doubles up as a poster: 
A2 folded to A5 Leaflets 
Four colour double sided  onto 115gsm Silk 
Trimmed and cross folded to size:  One horizontal fold and three parallel concertina folds. 

We can print 250 copies of this spec for £1.63 per lookbook.

Winning Homeware and Interiors spec ideas

A cost-saving professional-looking stapled booklet which you can post out for one first class stamp: 
A5 Stapled Booklets. 
24pp Self Cover onto 170gsm Silk. 
(Self cover means all of the pages onto the same paper weight)
 Full colour print throughout. 
As a guide, you could print 250 copies of this for £254.

A compact square booklet with 32 pages to showcase your brand: 
210x210mm Stapled Books .
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated.
 Matt Lamination to outer .
28pp Text onto 115gsm Uncoated .
Four colour print throughout.

A stylish perfect bound with 40 pages of A5 content:
 A5 Perfect Bound Books .
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk .
Matt Lamination to outer .
36pp Text onto 130gsm Silk .
Four colour print throughout .

As a guide, you could print 100 copies of this for £2.36 per copy.

Suggested Brochure print specs

We would suggest a 300gsm Cover with Matt Lamination and 130gsm Silk as a good spec for a professional looking company brochure. To make it more premium you can increase the cover to 350gsm and the insides to 170gsm. For a more tactile feel, consider switching from silk to uncoated.

Winning Artist Catalogue print spec ideas

A smart looking A5 landscape, stapled catalogue which is not only cost-effective to print but cheap to post: 
A5 Landscape Wire Stitched Books.
 4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk .
Matt Lamination to outer .
16pp Text onto 130gsm Silk .
Four colour print throughout.

A professional catalogue to showcase your exhibition's complete works:
 A4 Perfect Bound Books.
 4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk. 
Matt Lamination to outer .
36pp Text onto 120gsm Uncoated .
Four colour print throughout.

A high-end, stylish catalogue packed with content that will impress your recipient: 
A4 Perfect Bound Books .
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk .
Matt Lamination to outer .
100pp Text onto 130gsm Silk .
Four colour print throughout.

Portfolio printing winning print spec ideas

Why not produce a book or portfolio which celebrates your career's work and will form an impressive retrospective. Most portfolios will be 12-40 pages to keep the cost of postage down but there is nothing to stop you really going for it and printing a tome of hundreds of pages to capture all your finest moments within one publication.

Enthusiastically pack the pages of your portfolio with your best and most iconic work. Maybe accompany the visual pieces with an essay or two about your working methods, your ideal job and how you became so passionate about your trade.

A professional-looking, A4 stapled portfolio:
A4 Booklets.
4pp Cover onto 170gsm Uncoated.
Matt Lamination to outer.
24pp Text onto 170gsm Uncoated.
Four colour print throughout.
Trimmed, collated and wire stitched.

As a guide, you could print 200 copies of this for £2.51 each.

Winning Degree Show Catalogue ideas

A5 is a winning go-to size for degree show catalogues. The large percentage of degree show catalogues each year are A5 and that is simply because it is large enough to include students work at a decent size, whilst also being small enough to fit in your visitors pocket when they leave.

Winning Newsletter print spec ideas

A stereotypical A5 stapled, village newsletter: 
A5 Stapled Books .
32pp Self Cover onto 130gsm Silk .
Four colour print throughout.

A compact, professional newsletter: 
A5 Perfect Bound Books .
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk .
Matt Lamination to outer .
36pp Text onto 130gsm Silk.
 Four colour print throughout.

A content filled A4 solution:
 A4 Perfect Bound Books .
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk .
Matt Lamination to outer .
100pp Text onto 130gsm Silk .
Four colour print throughout.

Winning Graphic Novel print spec ideas

A high impact, stapled graphic novel: 
A4 Wire Stitched Booklets .
4pp Cover onto 250gsm Gloss. 
Gloss Lamination to outer .
16pp Text onto 170gsm Uncoated.
 Four colour print throughout .

A standard cost-effective, A5 self cover comic:
 A5 Booklet. 
20pp Self Cover onto 115gsm Uncoated. 
Four colour print throughout. 
Trimmed, collated and wire stitched.

A dynamic, chunky A4 solution: 
A4 Perfect Bound Books. 
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated. 
Matt Lamination to outer.
 40 inside pages onto 170gsm Silk. 
Four colour print throughout.

Winning Bookazine print spec ideas

A stereotypical bookazine:
265x200mm Perfect Bound Books 
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk 
Matt Lamination to outer
 160pp Text onto 130gsm Silk 
Four colour print throughout 

As a guide, you could print 200 copies of this spec £10.16 per bookazine.

A compact, tactile bookazine:
A5 Perfect Bound Books 
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated
 Matt Lamination to outer 
80pp Text onto 120gsm Uncoated
 Four colour print throughout 

As a guide, you could print 100 copies of this for £3.58 per bookazine.

A content filled, smooth silk A4 solution:
A4 Perfect Bound Books
 4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk 
Matt Lamination to outer 
100pp Text onto 130gsm Silk 
Four colour print throughout 

As a guide, you could print 250 copies of this for £3.26 per copy.

Winning Photobook print spec ideas

A professional looking option at a good unit price and ideal for a self-promo portfolio: 
A5 Perfect Bound Books 
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated 
Matt Lamination to outer 
60pp Text onto 115gsm Uncoated
 Four colour print throughout .

As a guide, you could print 100 copies of this spec for £3.10 a copy or if you print 500 it will only be £2.10 per photobook.

An impressive square format for your annual or anthology, ideal for a mix of portrait and landscape images: 
210x210mm Perfect Bound Books 
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated 
Matt Lamination to outer
 76pp Text onto 170gsm Silk 
Four colour print throughout.

A stapled photobook handy for a smaller photo set and easy for the reader to open the double-page spreads completely flat: 
290x190mm Wire Stitched Booklet 
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk
 Matt Lamination to outer 
40pp Text onto 130gsm Silk
 Four colour print throughout

 As a guide, you could print 100 copies of this for £3.60 for each copy.

Winning Luxury Property brochure print spec ideas

A professional, stylish portrait brochure with gloss spot varnish on the cover: 
A4 Stapled Booklets. 
4pp Cover onto 250gsm Silk. 
Soft Touch Lamination to outer.
 Gloss Spot UV Varnish on the front cover. 
8pp Text onto 170gsm Silk. 
Four colour print throughout.
 Trimmed and wire stitched.

Showcase 2 - a stapled, landscape brochure with super-wide double-page spreads and gold foiled front cover: 
178x279mm Landscape Booklets. 
4pp Cover onto 350gsm Silk. 
Gloss Lamination throughout. 
Gold foiling to outer cover. 
12pp Text onto 200gsm Silk. 
Four colour print throughout.

Showcase 3 - a seriously impressive bespoke brochure for a high-end luxury property: 
A4 Perfect Bound Landscape Brochures. 
4pp Cover onto 330gsm Plike Black from GF Smith. 
Gold foiled logo and content to outer. 
32pp Text on 170gsm Silk. 
Four colour print throughout. 
Trimmed, collated and perfect bound.

Winning Children's Book print spec ideas

A great size for a children’s book is 210x210mm. This lends itself well to both portrait and landscape imagery and gives you a super wide 420mm double-page spread to fill with great artwork and an engaging story. If your budget stretches a little further, then you could also try A4 Landscape (210mm high x 297mm wide). Or for a cost-saving option, how about a neat A5 portrait or landscape book?

A square, perfect bound solution with silk finish:
210x210mm Perfect Bound Books.
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Silk.
Matt Lamination to outer.
40pp Text onto 170gsm Silk.
Four colour print throughout.
As a guide, you could print 200 copies of this for £5.95 per book.

An impressive, square hardbook version - the more you print, the lower the unit price will be:
210x210mm Case Bound Books.
Cover onto 170gsm Silk.
Wrapped over greyboard case.
Lamination to outer.
2x 4pp End Papers Printed onto 170gsm Silk.
52 inside pages onto 170gsm Silk.
Four colour print throughout.

A cost-effective, stapled landscape booklet ideal for low quantities:
A5 Landscape Booklets
4pp Cover onto 350gsm Silk
Matt Lamination to outer
24pp Text onto 170gsm Silk
Four colour print throughout
As a guide, you could print 400 copies of this for £1.30 per booklet.

Creative print solutions using GF Smith choices

For an impressive Artist Catalogue
210x210mm Perfect Bound Books
4pp Cover onto 270gsm Colorplan Adriatic Blue
Black print single-sided
88pp Text onto 120gsm Uncoated
Four colour print throughout.

As a high-end, self-published book
260x196mm Perfect Bound Books.
Cover 4pp onto 270gsm GF Smith Colorplan Ebony Black.
Embossed logo to front 100x100mm area.
White ink printing to spine.
104pp Text onto 150gsm House Uncoated.
Four colour print throughout.

Fine Art Degree Show Catalogues
176x125mm Perfect Bound Books
4pp Cover onto 270gsm Colorplan
Embossing to outer cover
36pp onto 120gsm Uncoated
Four colour print throughout.

Winning solutions for hardback book printing

Showcase 1 - a stereotypical hardback photography book:
 A4 Landscape Case Bound Book.
 Wrapped over greyboard case. 
Matt laminated to the outer.
 2x 4pp Printed End Papers onto 170gsm Uncoated.
 100 inside pages onto 130gsm Silk. 
Four colour print throughout. 
Trimmed, collated and case bound. 

Showcase 2 - a high quality, hardback children's book:
 254x203mm Books.
 Cover onto 170gsm Silk .
Wrapped over greyboard case.
 Matt laminated to the outer.
 2x 4pp End Papers Printed onto 170gsm Uncoated.
 32 inside pages onto 170gsm Uncoated.
 Four colour print throughout .
Trimmed, collated and case bound .

Showcase 3 - a super-premium, promotional book for your company, product or service: 
A4 Case Bound Books. 
Cover onto 135gsm Colorplan New Blue. 
Wrapped over greyboard case.
 2x 4pp End Papers Unprinted onto 170gsm Uncoated.
 116 inside pages onto 170gsm Silk.
 Four colour print throughout. 
Trimmed, collated and case bound. 

Tweaks you could consider...

• Reducing the cover to 250gsm which also makes it easier to open.
 • Switching to gloss lamination for a shiny aesthetic. 
• Decrease the size to A5 to save you money and make the publication more ergonomic. 
• OR increase to A4 for a larger area of content. 
• Increase the weight of the inside pages to 170gsm making it more substantial and impressive for the reader. 
• Pick out some content on the cover for Spot UV varnishing which makes it shine (this is an additional £280).

Hints, tips and money saving ideas

Cost saving choices

If you are working to a budget then we recommend A4 portrait (297x210mm), 254x203mm (10x8”), A5 (148x210mm), A6 (148x105mm) or 210x210mm square. These are the cheapest sizes to print but be different and do choose a bespoke size if you prefer. The most eye-catching publications are often the ones that challenge convention.

Book and booklet print spec ideas

• Reducing the cover to 250gsm which also makes it slightly easier to open. 
• Choose uncoated for a tactile, rustic appearance. Your images will print more muted than they appear on screen. 
• Or go for silk or gloss for a smooth, brighter aesthetic. 
• Change between matt or gloss lamination for the cover.
 • Increase the size to A4 for a more imposing booklet or if you have more content. 
• Reduce to A6 for a neat book that is cheap to post out to your mailing list. 
• Increase the weight of the inside pages to 170gsm making it more premium. 
• Foil or Gloss Spot varnish some content on the cover for a luxury finish (this is an additional £280).

Choose a standard size to save money

Our A sizes: A4, A5 and A6 are generally cheaper than custom sizes. We print these all day everyday so are quicker to set up and print.

If you do want something more eye-catching then do push the boundaries and choose a bespoke size though.

Still undecided about the options?

Grab a beer or two and enjoy our video guide on zine printing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAAfKueIJ2s

We detail the options available for size, paper and binding. We showcase illustrated, photography, poetry, skate and music zines and dissect the winning combinations.

For smaller, bite sizes guides, check these out:

Sizing a zine/styling a zine
https://youtu.be/zCQdx6WQwhI

An insightful look into zine pricing, printing and making your project viable
https://youtu.be/TqA6UAzvHOU

Expert advice for printing a wire stitched (stapled) zine or booklet
https://youtu.be/HbfiwjdnHxU

Printing a zine FAQs
https://youtu.be/AhB04-88BA4

What size is my favourite magazine?

Harpers Bazaar 290x215mm
Monocle 265x200mm
Kinfolk 275x215mm
Little White Lies 245x200mm
So Young 240x175mm
Creative Review 248x248mm
Grand Designs, Living Etc, Vogue and Elle Decoration are 280x220mm.

Maybe adapt one of these sizes to within 297x210mm for a more friendly price.

What does Flat or Folded mean?

You can either tell us the flat size of your leaflet - what size they are BEFORE they are folded. Or you can tell us the size AFTER folding. Whichever is easiest for you. There are a number of popular sizes listed below or type your own into the custom size box.

So, for example, your leaflet might be A2 when flat and A5 when folded.

What size folded leaflets can you print?

We can supply high quality leaflets at a zillion different bespoke sizes.

We have four presses that are used for folded leaflets, you can tailor your design to fit within our machines maximum printable size.
297x420mm.
500x700mm.
594x841mm (Litho print, so only choose for 100 copies+).
297x1000mm.
So the maximum possible width we can print is 1000mm, but that machine can only print 297mm high.

Within these parameters, the following sizes are winning solutions for a promotional, cross folded leaflet:
A3 folded to A5 or A6.
A2 folded to A5.
A1 folded to A4.

A cost-effective, roll folded leaflet style is:
A4 folded to 210x99mm. You'll have seen this folded method a hundred times before as a pamphlet advertising an event or service.

Super cool, concertina folded solutions:
850x85mm folded to 85x85mm.
840x148mm folded to 105x148mm.
140x420mm folded to 140x140mm.
120x600mm folded to 120x120mm.

Where can I use a folded leaflet?

How about printing one for...

• An artist portfolio
• An exhibition guide
• A tourist information leaflet
• A product brochure
• A restaurant menu
• A hand out pamphlet
• A compact user guide
• A promotional leaflet
• A takeaway leaflet or pizza menu
• An order of service
• A yearly calendar
• A Summer Tournament wall planner
• A greeting card
• A music festival guide

How many folds can I have?

Folded Leaflet Portfolio

Check our previous folded leaflet we have printed for more ideas and inspiration

Be creative and push the boundaries with your leaflets

Use your imagination and come up with a folding style that challenges convention. Send us a little video and we'll see if it's physically possible to achieve :)

We can fold a large number of variables and if it’s too complicated for our machines then we might be able to finish them by hand.

What are standard choices for Leaflets and Postcards?

A standard promotional club or event flyer would be A6, double sided onto 300gsm Gloss. This is a very cost-effective route to print.

For a high-end leaflet to promote your shop, service or business try A6 or A5, full colour double-sided onto 400gsm Uncoated. The rigid, tactile card will make you stand out against other flimsy attempts.

Postcards tend to be printed onto either 350gsm Silk with matt lamination to the front (to prevent scratching) or onto 400gsm Uncoated for a matt surface which is easier to write on. It comes down to personal preference which you choose.

What are standard choices for Poster printing?

A standard promotional club or event poster would be A4 or A4, single sided onto 130gsm Gloss. This is a very cost-effective route to print.

You could switch to uncoated but the paper surface mutes the colours and might not create as much impact as gloss on passers-by.

What is the biggest poster I can print?

On our large format machine, we can print an impressive poster up to 1500x5000mm. The pixel quality on this is not quite as sharp so it is intended to be read from a distance rather than scrutinised from close up.

For the highest quality print to showcase your graphics choose up to A2 for a cheap option (1 copy or more) or up to A1 for litho printed posters (100 copies or more).

What is the biggest size I can print onto GF Smith papers?

There are a few hundred options on papers so do jump on their website www.gfsmith.com and check out the parameters of each sheet. Most do come in large sheets so lend themselves to all uses (apart from roller fed, large format posters).

Print portfolio

Scroll down to the bottom of our dedicated GF Smith page for an inspiring series of case studies showcasing previous projects we have printed using their papers. From illustrious photography books to mesmerising degree show catalogues.

Cost saving tip for GF Smith papers

We’ll be on honest, On small quantities (under 100 copies), the most cost efficient way to achieve a coloured background on your pages is by printing that colour onto one of our white house papers. This is much MUCH cheaper than using Colorplan or a premium coloured sheet.

Have a look at the 200+ paper choices from the mill GF Smith. If there is something you can think of then there is a good chance they've got it from Japanese papers made of felt to coloured sheets made from actual beer. Yes, beer!

https://www.gfsmith.com/our-collection

Are you looking to print a landscape booklet?

When you open up a landscape book, the width of the double-page spread is a lot wider than it is on a portrait book. This is great for showcasing landscape photography and wider content but does dictate your publication will have to be printed on one of our larger presses which unfortunately have higher set up costs. We can print up to A4 landscape (210mm high and 297mm wide).

[COST SAVING TIP] If you are working to a tight budget, then stick to A5 Landscape or a size within A4 Portrait. Both of these options can be printed onto our top of the range Indigo digital machine which could save you hundreds.

Create a big first impression

To make a more impressive printed piece, you could add gold foiling, embossing or gloss Spot UV Varnish to the cover. These add a minimum of £280 to the total cost but really create an initial visual impact. Let us know in the comments if you would like one of the added. For more examples of what can be achieved, check out our Premium Extras page.

Case bound, hardback book sizing

The finished book size will be 6mm bigger than the size of the pages. So if your pages are 210x210mm, the book will be 216x216mm because there is a 3mm overhang on the cover. When specifying the size you would like on our project builder, choose the inside page size.

Hardback book video guide

Click to enjoy our definitive video guide on all aspects of the base binding and hardback book printing process.

Hardback book file set-up page

This helpful illustrated page will guide you through the different artwork we need to produce your book.

Print more and save

The more copies you print, the lower the unit price per copy will be. If you need to hit a target price, for example £4 per book, then let us know in the comments at the end of our Project Builder and we can advise how many copies you would need to print to achieve that target price.

Free Delivery

Delivery within the UK is free. Yes, FREE! The printing will arrive the day after it leaves us. We also deliver work around the world too and just charge the shipping at our cost price from the cheapest courier on the day.

Help / Resources

Paper Sizes & Measurements

A6 = 148mm x 105mm
A5 = 210mm x 148mm
A4 = 297mm x 210mm
A3 = 420mm x 297mm
A2 = 594mm x 420mm
A1 = 841mm x 594mm
B5 = 250x176mm
B6 = 176x125mm
10”x8” = 254x203mm
US Letter = 279x216mm
Business Cards = 85x55mm
Postcards = A5 or A6

Orientation and Size Help

Generally, portrait books are cheaper to print than landscape because they fit it on a smaller press.

The largest portrait size we can print is an impressive A3 for stapled publications (420x297mm) or a maximum of 340x320mm for perfect bound. Our maximum square size is 297x297mm. The maximum landscape size is A4 (210mm high x 297mm wide). 240x170mm and 254x203mm are dynamic, cost-effective sizes between A5 and A4.

Here is a helpful video guide to give you more ideas on what size to go for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfzEz8JCx0w&feature=youtu.be

Bite sized video guides

Sizing and styling a zine or booklet
https://youtu.be/zCQdx6WQwhI

An insightful look into booklet pricing, printing and making your project viable
https://youtu.be/TqA6UAzvHOU

Expert advice for printing a wire stitched (stapled) zine or booklet
https://youtu.be/HbfiwjdnHxU

Printing FAQs
https://youtu.be/AhB04-88BA4

Action packed video guide to Children's Book printing

We will teach you how to create and print a winning children's book.

The Definitive Zine Printing Guide at Ex Why Zed

We will teach you how to create and print a winning zine.

The definitive Degree Show catalogue video guide

Sit back and enjoy learning how to create and print a winning degree show catalogue for your grad show.

What size is a business card?

Standard business card size is 85x55mm. This fits perfectly into most wallets and purses.

Can you send me samples of GF Smith papers?

GF Smith offer their own, fast sample service. Ping them an email with the papers you’re considering and they’ll ship you out a set out in the next couple of days. You can catch their team on samples@gfsmith.com

Once you’ve made your choice then email us on hello@exwhyzed.fixed-staging.co.uk for a print quote, easy!

What are standard Stationery Sizes?

Letterheads are always A4 size. They will fit your standard office printer if you need to overprint them.

Compliment Slips are 210x99mm which is one third of an A4 sheet.

We don't need to reinvent the wheel here, these sizes have worked for decades :)

What size stickers can you print?

We have a wide range of pre-cut sticker sheets. All of the sizes are shown on our Sticker page.

The circular, square and smaller rectangular sizes tend to come on A4 sheets with the stickers ready to peel off.

If you need individual stickers then choose a custom size or ping us an email direct to discuss the options.

Why can I not get an instant price?

If you are looking for a print partner who listens to your requirements, spends time working out a bespoke price, helps you prepare the artwork correctly and then prints your brilliant work at the best possible quality, then welcome to Ex Why Zed :)

Your go-to print supplier

Ex Why Zed is the ideal print partner for your design agency, studio and self-initiated project. We are accessible, knowledgable and deliver a wide range of high-quality print to impress you and your clients.

Winning Print Specs

Winning choices for an Annual Report

Winning choices for a Zine

Winning Lookbook print spec suggestions

Winning Artist Catalogue print specs

Winning Portfolio print specs

Winning choices for a Brochure

We would suggest a 300gsm Cover with Matt Lamination and 130gsm Silk as a good spec for an annual report. To make it more premium you can increase the cover to 350gsm and the insides to 170gsm. For a more tactile feel, switch from silk to uncoated

Winning choices for a Booklet

Suggested print specs for a Degree Show Catalogue

Winning specs for Newsletter Printing

Winning specs for Comic or Graphic Novel Printing

Winning print specs for a bookazine

Winning print specs for a Photography book

Winning print specs for a Luxury Property brochure

Winning print specs for Children's Book printing

Creative print solutions using GF Smith paper

Winning solutions for hardback book printing

Try these sizes for folded leaflets

Alternative print specs you could consider...

Hints, tips and money saving ideas

Create a big first impression

Still undecided about options?

Grab a G'n'T or two and enjoy our video guide on zine printing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAAfKueIJ2s

We detail the options available for size, paper and binding. We showcase illustrated, photography, poetry, skate and music zines and dissect the winning combinations.

For smaller, bite sizes guides, check these out:

Sizing a zine/styling a zine
https://youtu.be/zCQdx6WQwhI

An insightful look into zine pricing, printing and making your project viable
https://youtu.be/TqA6UAzvHOU

Expert advice for printing a wire stitched (stapled) zine or booklet
https://youtu.be/HbfiwjdnHxU

Printing a zine FAQs
https://youtu.be/AhB04-88BA4

Bite sized video guides

What size folded leaflets can you print?

Folded Leaflet Portfolio

Check our previous folded leaflet we have printed for more ideas and inspiration

How many folds can I have?

Do remember the old tip they used to give on Blue Peter - you can never fold a sheet of paper more than 7 times. The more you fold them, the harder it gets. So maybe stick to one or two folds in each direction to ensure they look neat. For complicated folds use thin paper to ensure a crisp edge. For concertina folds, you can choose a thicker card.

With folded leaflets it's always best to make a mock up first so you are comfortable that all the panels are in the correct place when they're folded.

Be creative and push the boundaries

Use your imagination and come up with a folding style that challenges convention. Send us a little video and we'll see if it's physically possible to achieve :)

We can fold a large number of variables and if it’s too complicated for our machines then we might be able to finish them by hand.

What are standard choices for Leaflets and Postcards?

What are standard choices for Poster printing?

What is the biggest poster I can print?

Choose 'House' Papers

We have a carefully curated range of house papers which we keep on the shelf ready to go. Choose from a silk, gloss or uncoated finish. They have great printability, colour reproduction, come in a wide range of weights, are our ideal for our presses and are friendly on your budget. For big budget jobs or where a specific wow factor is needed, then we can also print onto all manner of specialist papers but do expect these to increase the costs sometimes by double or treble.

Print portfolio

Extra tips for choosing paper

• Choose silk or gloss inside pages for a brighter shinier print.
• Choose uncoated for a softer feel with more character.
• If colour accuracy is crucial then we strongly advise choosing silk or gloss.
• Reduce the inside pages to 100 or 115gsm to make them easier to turn and cheaper to print.

Paper suggestions for different publications

• Children's books look great on gloss.
• Photography is more colour accurate on silk or gloss.
• Uncoated is idea for notebooks and colouring book pages.
• Silk looks the most professional for annual reports and brochures.

Card Cover Help

300gsm is standard and the choice for 90% of the work we print.
350gsm for super thick and more rigid cover but, in turn, it will be harder to open.
200 or 250gsm for a more ergonomic, easier to open and thinner cover.
170gsm for a light weight cover.

For perfect bound books, the minimum cover weight is 170gsm because it has to be resilient enough for gluing.

Inside Pages Help

Your inside pages will be between 90gsm and 170gsm.
130gsm silk/gloss or 115gsm uncoated are the 'standard' weights.
Choose 170gsm for a premium, thicker feel.
90/100gsm are best for a lightweight, newsprint type feel.

The maximum weight for inside pages is 170gsm or it becomes too thick to turn.

Gloss is Great!

Children are really receptive to bright colours and high impact graphics so a gloss finish works particular well. A typical print spec would be a 300gsm gloss cover with gloss lamination and either 130gsm gloss inside pages or 170gsm for a premium upgrade.

Uncoated is the best for Notebook inside pages

If you would like people to use and enjoy your notebooks for scribbling, doodling or note taking then let’s print the inside pages onto uncoated which is perfect for a pen, pencil, crayon….paint brush….fountain pen.

Print multiple cover designs

If you have a range of artwork then why not split the whole print between a few different cover designs. Put the number of designs in the comments box at the end of our Project Builder. We generally print 4 pages per sheet so if you are printing say, 200 notebooks altogether, you could go for 50 copies of 4 designs. You might find one sells a lot better than the other and you'll know what to order more of next time around.

Always judge a book by it's cover!

We can add a number of premium finishes to the cover of your brochure to really make it stand out. Foiling creates a shiny metallic effect. Gloss Spot UV varnishing is the process of picking out some text, a logo or some lettering and making it shine. Embossing some text or an area adds a tactile dimension as it comes forward off the page and advances towards the reader. Debossing is the inverse of embossing and the content goes away from the reader and into the cover.

Make your architectural drawings look great

The more tactile and fibrous qualities of uncoated lend themselves well to architecture books or choose silk to give your drawings and images more crunch and vibrancy.

Cost saving tip for GF Smith papers

Laminating on GF Smith papers

Cover lamination: you are paying a lot of money for the feel and appearance of the GF Smith papers so we recommend NOT laminating them. Better to go for a more simple cover design and let the paper be the impressive part. Rather than have a lot of in coverage which will then need laminating to prevent the ink cracking on the cover folds.

I only have 32 pages, can it be perfect bound?

If you increase the inside pages to 170gsm then that will get you to the 3mm spine we need to glue and perfect bind.

Hardback book video guide

Click to enjoy our definitive video guide on all aspects of the base binding and hardback book printing process.

Hardback book video guide

Click to enjoy our definitive video guide on all aspects of the base binding and hardback book printing process.

Number of pages needed for Case Bound hardback books

You need a minimum of 32 pages. The front and back cover pages, 28 inside pages and you also have the option of printing not the end papers. The end papers are an additional three sides after the front cover before the text pages start and three sides after the last text page before the back cover.

Hardback book cover material help

There are two basic options for the cover of your book: a printed cover which will feature your image and graphics onto 170gsm Silk and matt or gloss laminated.

Alternatively, you can choose a fabric cover material from Winter & Company. These cannot be printed so are great for an eye-catching cover with a foiled logo, title or some text (foiling adds £280). Check out the Wibalin range from Winters for the choices available:

https://www.winter-company.com/en/products-a-z/wibalin/

What are end papers?

They are an additional sheet glued to the inside front cover and forming the first leaf in the book. Therefore you have three extra sides of content which can be printed or left blank.

At the end of the book, you have another end paper and extra three sides. This is IN ADDITION to the minimum of 28 inside pages you will need.

End papers are printed onto 170gsm Uncoated.

Enjoy our quick video guide on the process of binding a hardback book for more insight into endpapers.

Hardback book file set-up

This helpful illustrated page will guide you through the different artwork we need to produce your book.

Help and Resources for bound work printing (not applicable to leaflets)

Paper sizes and measurements

How many pages do I have?

For the purposes of our quoting, we call a page one side of content. So, a sheet of paper (or a leaf in the book) has two pages - a front and a back. If you put ’40’ in as the page amount, that will be a 4 page cover and 36 pages of content.

If you are printing a leaflet, folded leaflet, stickers or business card - any type of product that isn't bound, then your work will generally have 1 or 2, ie: single or double-sided.

Why do you call it ‘text’ pages? Can I print images too?

Yes :) The term ‘text’ pages is our common name for the inside pages of your publication. They can, of course, be filled with illustrations, photography, full colour artwork or just text if it is a poetry book.

What are the minimum number of pages for the different binding types?

The number of pages for a stapled (wire stitched) booklet has to be a multiple of four so 20,24,28 etc.

The number of pages for a perfect bound book has to be a minimum of 32 which would be the four cover pages and 28 inside pages (but we prefer 40 or more).

Which paper should I choose?

The three basic types of paper finish are gloss, silk and uncoated. Gloss is shiny, silk has a slight sheen, uncoated is matt and more tactile but the colours look less vibrant. All 3 choices come in a range of weights. Gloss and silk are the same price, uncoated is fractionally more.

Here is a video guide on papers to help you visually decide: https://youtu.be/JTwAvIbm6pU

Still stuck? We’re more than happy to send out a paper sample pack.

Paper choices video guide

Here is a video guide on papers to help you visually decide: https://youtu.be/JTwAvIbm6pU

Factors to bear in mind.
• Choose silk or gloss inside pages for a brighter shinier print.
• Choose uncoated for a softer feel with more character.
• If colour accuracy is crucial then we strongly advise choosing silk or gloss.
• Reduce the inside pages to 100 or 115gsm to make them easier to turn and cheaper to print.

Still stuck? We’re more than happy to send out a paper sample pack.

Card Cover Help

What is the thickest cover you do?

We can bind a cover that is 350gsm. This is a very rigid card and feels very impressive. Any thicker and the reader simply wouldn’t be able to open it.

We can, of course, print hardback books which involve a different binding process and are a solid 2mm thick. Choose Case Bound books in the Product Builder to select these options.

Inside Pages Help

Still stuck? Let us send you a sample pack

Ping us an email to hello@exwhyzed.fixed-staging.co.uk and we will send out a pack usually the same day.

Do I need lamination on my cover?

The short answer: when paper is printed, the ink sits on the surface. When it is then folded to make your cover the ink can crack. While you should never judge a book by it’s cover, this cracking will look unprofessional. Lamination is a thin layer of protection which prevents the ink cracking. Win win. It comes in matt, gloss, soft-touch or anti-scuff. Stick to matt for a soft, subtle finish or gloss for a shiny first impression.

Can the cover and inside pages be the same thickness?

Yes. A 'Self Cover' stapled booklet is where the inside pages and cover are onto the same weight. 100-170gsm works well.

Can you send me samples of GF Smith paper?

FSC and Recycled papers

Bite sized video guides

Sizing and styling a booklet
https://youtu.be/zCQdx6WQwhI

An insightful look into pricing, printing and making your project viable
https://youtu.be/TqA6UAzvHOU

Expert advice for printing a wire stitched (stapled) zine or booklet
https://youtu.be/HbfiwjdnHxU

Printing a zine or booklet FAQs
https://youtu.be/AhB04-88BA4

Why can I not get an instant price?

If you just need a quick price for printing your work then, great, there are a hundred companies online that do that. If you are looking for a company who listens to your requirements, spends time working out a bespoke price, helps you prepare the artwork correctly and then makes your work look brilliant in print, then welcome to Ex Why Zed :)

Help / Resources

Binding Choices

We have three binding choices: wire stitching (stapling), perfect binding and case binding (hardback).

Wire Stitching (Stapling)

Wire stitching is a little bit of print jargon for ‘stapling’. So, for example, if you have an A5 booklet then we print it onto A4 sheets, fold them in and put two staples along the left-hand edge to bind the sheet together. In some quarters, this is also known as ‘saddle stitching’. Let’s stick with stapling though if that’s easier :) Needs to be a multiple of four pages to work as a stapled booklet. Why? Because when you fold a printed sheet in half, you get four pages of content - try it there and you’ll see what we mean :)

This guide will give you further insight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJI06DSMfNQ&feature=youtu.be

Wire Stitched booklets need a multiple of 4 pages

It needs to be a multiple of four to work as a wire stitched booklet. So 8,12,16,20,24,28,32,36,40. You couldn't have 15 pages for example, we would quote for 16 pages which is a 4 page cover and 12 inside pages.

Wire stitching set-up guide

Our illustrated guide to walk you through the process.

Perfect Binding

You will be familiar with perfect binding binding style from most books and larger magazines. Perfect binding will give your publication a square spine and professional looking finish. We need an absolute minimum of 32 pages for this to work but 40 pages or more is more effective and you can go as thick as 400 pages plus for really a formidable, coffee table book.

I only have 32 pages, can it be perfect bound?

Yes, 32 is the minimum number of pages for perfect binding. If you increase the inside pages to 170gsm then that will get you to the 3mm spine we need to glue and perfect bind.

Perfect binding set-up guide

Our illustrated guide will help you prepare your files for a perfect bound book.

How many pages do I need for a hardback book?

You need a minimum of 30 pages. The front and back cover pages, 28 inside pages and you also have the option of printing not the end papers. The end papers are an additional three sides after the front cover before the text pages start and three sides after the last text page before the back cover.

Case Binding (Hardback)

For case binding, go back a couple of steps to the Product choice and choose 'Case Bound book'. Case binding is the process of making a hardback book. Again we need an absolute minimum of 32 pages to make the text block thick enough to glue. A printed or material cover is wrapped around a greyboard ‘case', then the endpapers added and inside pages bound in. Here is a video guide to illustrate the process: https://youtu.be/Hpp9BvKOX7Q

Case Binding (Hardback) set-up guide

This helpful illustrated page will guide you through the different artwork we need to produce your book.

Watch our quick guide on the case binding process

Enjoy learning about the process of case binding a hardback book

We don't produce Board Books

We can wire stitch, perfect bind or case bind (hardback) children's books. We know the board books you mean but that is not a process we're able to complete. China is still exclusively the go-to for that method of book production.

Can you send me unbound sheets so I can bind the book here?

Many thanks for the enquiry. Unfortunately we don’t supply unbound sheets for external binding. Frustratingly there’s always a disconnect between the artwork people supply to us and how the binder needs the sheets. (Generally this is because the sheets have been trimmed or folded when they shouldn’t have been, the double page spreads don’t match up or some other funky variation on the page layout being in the wrong). We have said “Yes” in previous years and, honestly, it goes wrong every single time. EVERY TIME. If you would like us to print and bind your publication then we’re great at that and we would be more than happy to help! Best of luck with the project.

Can I send you pre-printed covers for you to bind on?

Good question but unfortunately we don’t take in pre-printed work. This is full of risk and the sheets never arrive how we expect them to. Frankly speaking, we would prefer not to take the risk of having to reprint your original work for you.

Bite sized video guides

Why can I not get an instant price?

Hints, tips and money saving ideas

Still undecided about the options?

Grab a G'nT or two and enjoy our video guide on zine printing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAAfKueIJ2s

We detail the options available for size, paper and binding. We showcase illustrated, photography, poetry, skate and music zines and dissect the winning combinations.

For smaller, bite sizes guides, check these out:

Sizing a zine/styling a zine
https://youtu.be/zCQdx6WQwhI

An insightful look into zine pricing, printing and making your project viable
https://youtu.be/TqA6UAzvHOU

Expert advice for printing a wire stitched (stapled) zine or booklet
https://youtu.be/HbfiwjdnHxU

Printing a zine FAQs
https://youtu.be/AhB04-88BA4

What affects the cost?

Size, number of pages and quantity are the factors that have the biggest impact on your price. Increasing or reducing these can stretch your budget. If our price is coming in a little high then printing less pages means less paper, ink and set up costs so will lower the price. Sometimes less is more, so edit your content and save.

Print portfolio

Choose ‘house’ papers to keep the costs down.

Print more and save.

The more copies you print, the lower the unit price per book will be. If you need to hit a target price, for example £4 per book, then let us know in the comments at the end of our Project Builder and we can advise how many copies you would need to print to achieve that target price.

Are you looking to print a landscape book/booklet?

When you open up a landscape book the width of the spread is a lot wider than it is on a portrait book. This is great for showing landscape photography and wider content but does mean your publication will have to be printed on one of our larger presses which has higher set up costs. We can print up to A3 landscape (297mm high and 420mm wide) plus all bespoke sizes up to that size. [COST SAVING TIP] If you are working to a tight budget then make your project more cost effective and stick to A5 Landscape or a size within A4 Portrait. Both of these options can go onto our top of the range Indigo digital machine works out far cheaper.

Help / Resources

12 reasons why you should trust us with your next project

• Refreshingly responsive, friendly and patient customer service.
• Free paper sample packs.
• No minimum order quantity.
• Comprehensive FAQs page to answer all your questions
• The highest quality Indigo digital and litho printing
• Browse through 100s of case studies for ideas and inspiration.
• Free delivery anywhere in the UK. We regularly ship worldwide too.
• 350 superb reviews on Trustpilot.
• Card accepted, plus BACS, online bank transfer and even cheque if you're feeling retro!
• Super informative and helpful video guides showcasing what can be achieved in print
• Step by step print journey to guide you through the process.
• Pssst...we’ll even show how to prepare your artwork for print. You’ll become a genius with our illustrated guides.

What is Full Colour printing?

Full colour or four colour printing is printing using four colour inks of cyan, magenta, yellow and black or CMYK for short. All the millions of colour can be created using precise mixes of the four inks. All commercial presses print in CMYK so at some stage your artwork has to be converted.

Black Printing

Your work will be printed using black ink only. Obviously we can use shades and tints of the black to print greys and subtle tones.

What is Blank & Unprinted?

This is your go-to choice for notebooks if you would like the inside pages to be completely empty for people to write, draw and doodle on. Obviously, this is the cheapest option because we don’t have to print anything :)

Most work will likely be both full colour AND black printing.

Even full colour art catalogues or children's book (for example) have black text or graphics included too. Choose full colour to be safe.

Why can I not get an instant price?

Your go-to print supplier

Hints, tips and money saving ideas

Will my images look like they do on screen?

Unfortunately what is seen on an RGB (red, green and blue), backlit screen is never going to be the same as it appears on paper in CMYK. It's just impossible to achieve that and no printer could. You will have to allow for some difference in the colours between the two mediums but having something tangible in your hands and seeing the images on paper gives the publication a charm that just sending out a pdf wont do.

Printing black and white photography.

Black/white images are always tricky. We prefer to only print b&w images if they have been saved as greyscale or in the black ink channel. If they are saved in CMYK then they might look black on screen but in print they will have a blue or green tinge. That always looks like a mistake but it isn't a print error - it is how they should print from the artwork but it's just never well received.

To achieve the closest reproduction to how your images appear on screen, we recommend printing onto silk or gloss for a sharp, crisp finish rather than uncoated (which tends soaks up the ink and flattens contrast). It is important you understand that unfortunately in print, b&w photography will never have that rich black tone and punch which you can achieve on screen. We'll be honest, a specialist fine art printer could get closer to the screen but they will be many multiples more expensive than our quote for Indigo digital or litho printing.

How can I check if my images are RGB or CMYK?

There is an easy way to check what is RGB at the moment and needs converting by following this:

Acrobat - Open Your File - Choose 'Advanced' menu - then 'Print Production' - then 'Preflight' - Choose 'Sheet Fed Offset (CMYK)'. This runs a check on the file and you want to get rid of all the items that are coming up in the list under 'Object Uses RGB' error. If you click the arrow to open up all the instances and 'Show in Snap' bottom left it will show you where they are. (Bit of a headache i know but it's best for you to change them over so you can check them on screen for any massive alterations in colour).

Bite sized video guides

Help / Resources

No minimum order quantity

At Ex Why Zed you can print any quantity from 1 upwards and the exact number you need. If you'd like 71 zines then we'll print 71 zines!. If your publication is in its infancy then a long print run might be out of reach for Issue One.

Small print runs upto 500 copies

Our digital presses offer the perfect solution with low unit prices on small print runs.

Longer print runs of 500 copies or more

Our litho presses are more cost-effective on longer print runs as well as ensuring you the best possible print quality. Win win!

Case bound, hardback book advice

For print runs of under 20 copies we use our Indigo digital machine to print your books. The set up costs of end paper printing, Winter&Company cover materials, section sewing and foiling are high for a small number of copies.

For runs of 20 - 500 we will still digitally print them (unless you specifically prefer litho) and the set-up costs of foiling and cover materials are less of an impact on the total cost. The end papers will also be printed.

If you would like more than 600 copies we tend to litho print hardback books. This opens up the possibility of section sewing, foiling and premium cover materials all for a more cost-effective price point.

Not sure exactly how many copies to print?

That's ok, select three different quantities from the grid and we'll send over a range of prices shortly. (Once selected, the quantity will display with a green outline).

Can you print one copy first?

Yes, we can print one copy first as test. The cost of this really depends on the spec of your final print run. The first copy will be good for you to check that the layout works and checking the overall feel, then you can make all the necessary changes to the files before the final print run.

Crowdfunding your project to raise funds

An increasing number of our clients have successfully used Kickstarter, indiegogo or Crowdfunder to raise funds, increase awareness and interest in their books. Art books seem to do particularly well on Kickstarter. How great would it be to have your book fully funded before you go to print?! By offering a range of incentives to backers it can provide invaluable funds which could ultimately mean you are able to print more books than originally planned.

Also do have a look at securing financial help through The Arts Council. They also regularly support many of our clients.
We have compiled a super helpful blog post about these ideas and many more.

12 reasons to trust us with your next project

Still just wondering something?

If you're just wondering over something then, just wonder no more, our packed FAQs page has all the answers!

Hints, tips and money saving ideas

Print more and save

What affects the cost?

Single or double-sided printing, the finished size and the number of copies you print are the factors that have the biggest impact on your price. Reducing any of these can lower the overall cost.

Print multiple cover versions

Why aren’t your prices online?

We don't advertise our prices online because we prefer to open up a conversation with you and find out a little bit about the project. Your artwork is unique and bespoke, so in turn, we will provide you a unique and bespoke print quote for your job. I am sure you will take no fun in looking at a boring spreadsheet with rows of bemusing numbers so we don't put you though that.

Help and Tips

Student Discount

As a helpful leg up, we won't charge you for adding extra pages! If you are printing 1 or 2 copies then you can have a wire stitched booklet with up to 36 pages for the same price as we charge for just 12 pages. Choose any number of pages up to 40 and it will be the same price.

If your portfolio or FMP is perfect bound then you can print up to 96 pages for the same price as 40. Any number of pages up to 96 for the same price on print runs of 1 or 2 copies. No, that's our pleasure :)