Printing and Output Services: Bookbinding
Advanced Output Center
Sullivan Center
36 S. Wabash Ave., suite 1232A
Phone: 312.629.6688
advancedoutput@saic.edu
Location: Service Bureau, 37 S. Wabash Ave. Room 1111
The Service Bureau has 3 different kinds of binding available
 Wire Bound |
 Saddle Stitch |
 Perfect Bound |
Wire bound
Wire binding is a simple way to bind lots of papers quickly
Expected time: 24 hours
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Wire Length | Max 11" |
| Wire Type | Black Metal |
| # of Pages | Max 100 |
| Add | |
|---|---|
| Binding Only | $1.50 |
| Binding w/ Cardstock Covers | $2.00 |
| Binding w/ Clear Covers | $3.00 |
| Binding w/ Clear Cover and Cardstock Back | $2.50 |
Saddle Stitch
Saddle Stitch Binding folds an 8.5"x11" or 11"x17" paper in half to make a book. Good for zines, short comics, or small pamphlets.
Expected time: 24 hours
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Printers | Canon 9075 or B&W Laser |
| Size | Either 5.5x8" or 8.5x11". Books are folded along the long edge |
| Paper | Hammermill Bond, Sterling Gloss Text, B&W Laser Paper, or B&W Colored Papers* |
| File Preparation | Single pages (NOT spreads). The # of pages must be divisible by 4. |
| File Type | |
*You can print your cover on one kind of paper/printer and the body of your book on another (i.e. a color cover w/ b&w text inside)
| Add $.03 to the price of printing |
Perfect Bound
The Service Bureau makes soft cover books, like Blurb.com and Lulu.com.
Expected time: 6 days
Perfect bound books take 6 days, with a proof in 3 days and the finished book(s) 3 days after that, not including weekends. If you do not want a proof, your book(s) will still take 6 days.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Size | Any size you want, so long as the page and crop marks fit onto a 13"x19" piece of paper Most books are 8"x10" or smaller. Anything larger will take longer and cost more. See Oversized Books, Inkjet Covers, and Lamination below. |
| Paper | Hammermill Bond or Sterling Gloss Text for the body; Hammermill Cardstock, Sterling Gloss Cover You can supply your own paper or prints as well, but some papers won't work in our printers or binder, so check with the Service Bureau first. |
| File Preparation | 2 separate files: a file for the cover, and a file for the body of the book. Both files need crop marks and bleed marks. The cover file should be a spread of the back cover, spine, and front cover. Refer to the table below to estimate how wide the spine will be. The body of your book must be single pages, not spreads. |
| # of Pages | Spine Width in Inches |
|---|---|
| 100 | .465" |
| 90 | .4185" |
| 80 | .372" |
| 70 | .3255" |
| 60 | .279" |
| 50 | .2325" |
| 45 | .2093" |
| 40 | .186" |
| 35 | .1628" |
| 30 | .1395" |
| 25 | .1162" |
| 20 | .093" |
| 15 | .07" |
| 10 | .0465" |
| For books 8" x 10" portrait size or smaller, NO Inkjet cover, NO lamination. Anything else see Oversized Books, Inkjet Covers, and Lamination below. | |||||
| # of Pages | price/page 1-9 Copies | price/page 10-50 Copies | Binding Fee | Cover Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-20 | $.30 | $.28 | $5 | $2 | |
| 21-40 | $.29 | $.27 | |||
| 41-60 | $.27 | $.25 | |||
| 61-80 | $.26 | $.24 | |||
| 81-100 | $.24 | $.23 | |||
| 101-120 | $.23 | $.22 | |||
| 120-150 | $.22 | $.21 | |||
| 151+ | $.21 | $.20 | |||
Oversized Books, Inkjet Covers, and Lamination
If you're thinking about printing a large book, or adding finishing touches like lamination to your book, here is some information you need to know.
Oversized Books
Expected time: 6 days
This turnaround time only applies if you supply your own cover
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Cover | You can supply your own cover or get an Inkjet Cover made. (see Books with Inkjet Covers below) |
| Paper | Hammermill Bond for books larger than 11x17" Hammermill Bond or Sterling Gloss Text for books smaller than 11x17" |
| Size | An Oversized Book is anything larger than 8x10". The biggest we can print is 12"x18". |
| Price per page doubles for Large books. |
Books with Inkjet Covers
Required for oversized book covers, available for any size books.
Expected time: 8 days
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Paper | All Inkjet Papers are available. Recommend: Epson Enhanced Matte If you are laminating your cover (highly recommended) the surface of the paper does not matter. |
| Printers | Epson 9800, Epson 11880, or Epson 9900. See Inkjet Printing (below) for more information on these printers. |
| Instead of the $2.00 cover fee, normal inkjet printing prices are added to the cost of the book. For more on inkjet printing prices, see Inkjet Printing |
Lamination
Recommended for Inkjet Covers, available for all papers and sizes.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Types | Glossy or Matte |
| Benefits | Laminating your cover protects it from general wear and gives the book a professional look. Highly recommended for Inkjet covers, which are more likely to scratch. |
| Adds $5.00 |
