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Art Book Printing

art book printing services
Art Book Printing
print art books
high quality art book printing
art photography book printing
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art book printing services
Art Book Printing
print art books
high quality art book printing
art photography book printing
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A well-curated art book exhibits your work in a format that’s as practical as it is eye-catching. It should be an artwork in its own right.

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

–Pablo Picasso, painter, sculptor, ceramicist, and printmaker

Art books are portable galleries. Exhibiting your artwork between the covers of a premium-quality book elevates its status, attracts public recognition, and may draw attention from curators, collectors, and buyers alike.

At QinPrinting, we produce high-end art books for curators, galleries, and individual artists. Over 25 successful years in the industry, a dedicated team, world-class technology, and unbeatable customer service have built our global reputation as one of the world’s finest independent art book publishers.

To be an artist is to believe in life.”

–Henry Moore, sculptor

Instant Quote

Quantity
We are an offset printer, rather than a digital or print-on-demand service, so we must impose a minimum order quantity (MOQ). We’ve set ours as low as possible, at 100 units. But with offset printing, the higher the quantity you order in a single print run, the lower the cost-per-unit.
Size
Choose preset dimensions from the dropdown menu or click “CUSTOM SIZE” to enter your own custom dimensions.
Please use the format, width x height;
size
so, 216 mm x 280 mm would mean 216 mm wide and 280 mm high.
The possible size range is 95 mm to 320 mm in width and 95 mm to 343 mm in height, allowing for portrait or landscape orientation.
Binding
We use high-quality sewn hardcover binding which gives a “square” printable spine.
hardcover-binding
hardcover-wire-o-binding
Cover
A hardcover book’s cover is printed on one side only; the outer-facing side. The inside front cover and inside back cover are glued to the end sheets.
Full colour printing
Cover Paper
As standard, we wrap the grayboard casing in 157 gsm / 58 lb cover paper. If you need a special material or a solid color paper for the cover, please contact us first to discuss your options.
157 gsm

157 gsm ≈ 58.0 lb Cover Paper

Grey Board Thickness
Lamination
We laminate only the outside of the cover as the inside is glued to the end sheets.
Surface

We offer a comprehensive selection of special surface finishes which we can apply to most covers, with a few limitations. For example, spot UV can only be applied to matte laminated and soft-touch laminated covers.

These options are only suitable for gold or silver foil stamping up to a 5.9″ x 1.18″ area; and embossing, debossing, or spot UV up to a 7.87″ x 1.96″ area. If the special finish area you need is larger than this, please contact us to get a quote.

Besides gold and silver foil, we can foil stamp designs in a range of colors. If you need a special color foil stamp or have specific surface requests, please contact us. We’ll be happy to help.
End sheet
The end sheets connect the hardcover casing and the interior pages when binding the book. So, there are two end sheets, one at the front and one at the back and both glued to the grayboard cover.
blank end sheet
color end sheet
End Sheet Paper
If your book size is 216 mm x 280 mm or less with an interior page count of fewer than 320 pages, then a good option for the end sheets is 140 gsm / 95 lb offset paper.
If your book size is larger than 216 mm x 280″, then 180 gsm / 122 lb offset paper would be better.
If your end sheets will be printed and your book’s interior uses gloss or matte art paper—say, for an art book or coffee table book—to make sure the colors match well, use 157gsm / 58 lb gloss or matte art paper for your end sheets.
1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Text Paper
Inner
Full colour printing
Page Count
One sheet of paper is equal to two pages.
page-sheet
page-sheet
 
The total page count is a multiple of 4. When printing and binding your book, we fold sheets into “signatures”.
If your book is larger, say, 8.5″ x 11″ or A4 size, one signature will have 16 pages. So, the inner page amount should be divisible by 16. Making your page counts match signatures is the most economical solution.
The maximum page count for a hardback book is 800 pages. If your book is more than 800 pages, please contact us for a tailor-made quote.
Inner Paper
Please select your paper choice for your internal pages from the dropdown menu. If you have a special request not listed here, get in touch. We’ll do everything possible to satisfy your needs.
1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Text Paper
Flap Width
inch
Full colour printing
Dust Jacket Paper
1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Text Paper
Lamination
Surface
We offer a comprehensive selection of special surface finishes which we can apply to most covers, with a few limitations. For example, spot UV can only be applied to matte laminated and soft-touch laminated covers.
Besides gold and silver foil, we can foil stamp designs in a range of colors. If you need a special color foil stamp or have specific surface requests, please contact us. We’ll be happy to help.
To other countries, please contact us
Delivery from Shanghai, China to 90063, United State of American
EXW Price
GBP 1000(Save 18%)  GBP 90900
Shipping Cost
Please enter zip code and click “Apply”
*Excluding duty and tax
Total
Calculating
*The price doesn’t include shipping costs.*
Estimated weight:
Back
Quantity
We are an offset printer, rather than a digital or print-on-demand service, so we must impose a minimum order quantity (MOQ). We’ve set ours as low as possible, at 100 units. But with offset printing, the higher the quantity you order in a single print run, the lower the cost-per-unit.
Size
Choose preset dimensions from the dropdown menu or click “CUSTOM SIZE” to enter your own custom dimensions.
Please use the format, width x height;

size

so, 216 mm x 280 mm would mean 216 mm wide and 280 mm high.
The possible size range is 95 mm to 305 mm in width and 95 mm to 343 mm in height, allowing for portrait or landscape orientation.
Cover
The cover is composed of four pages. They are the front cover, the inside front cover, the inside back cover, and the back cover.
Full colour printing
Cover Paper
If you need special paper not shown in the dropdown menu, please contact us.

1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Cover Paper

Lamination
We laminate only the outside of the cover.
Surface
We offer a comprehensive selection of special surface finishes which we can apply to most covers, with a few limitations. For example, spot UV can only be applied to matte laminated and soft-touch laminated covers.
These options are only suitable for gold or silver foil stamping up to a 5.9″ x 1.18″ area; and embossing, debossing, or spot UV up to a 7.87″ x 1.96″ area. If the special finish area you need is larger than this, please contact us to get a quote.
Besides gold and silver foil, we can foil stamp designs in a range of colors. If you need a special color foil stamp or have specific surface requests, please contact us. We’ll be happy to help.
Inner
Full colour printing
Page Count
One sheet of paper is equal to two pages.

page-sheet

page-sheet

 

The total page count is a multiple of 4. When printing and binding your book, we fold sheets into “signatures”.
If your book is larger, say, 8.5″ x 11″ or A4 size, one signature will have 16 pages. So, the inner page amount should be divisible by 16. Making your page counts match signatures is the most economical solution.
Inner Paper
Please select your paper choice for your internal pages from the dropdown menu. If you have a special request not listed here, get in touch. We’ll do everything possible to satisfy your needs.
1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Text Paper
Binding
If your book has 48 pages or fewer, we recommend saddle stich as your binding option.
If you have more pages and choose fairly thin paper, such as 80 gsm /54 lb or 105 gsm / 71 lb text paper, we recommend perfect binding.
If your book has heavier interior paper or the page count exceeds 200 pages, sewn perfect binding will be your best choice.
Wire-O and spiral binding are other options and both of them open flat.
perfect binding
sewn perfect binding
Wire-o bound
saddle stitch binding
spiral binding
Delivery from Shanghai, China to 90063, United State of American
EXW Price
GBP 1000(Save 18%)  GBP 90900
Shipping Cost
Please enter zip code and click “Apply”
*Excluding duty and tax
Total
Calculating
*The price doesn’t include shipping costs.*
Estimated weight:
Back

QinPrinting Rated Excellent on Trustpilot

Custom Art Book Printing Costs

At QinPrinting, we help fine artists to print custom art books of unparalleled beauty every day. But not everyone has the resources of a Damien Hirst or an Arno Gasquet. We understand that if you’re an emerging artist or an independent gallery owner, you’ll need to work within a restricted budget. That’s why we constantly update our work processes and supply chains to make sure we always deliver superlative art books at the most competitive prices you’ll find anywhere in the world.

So, how much will it cost to print an art book with us? You can get an immediate estimate of the budget you’ll need to print a fine-edition custom art book with our at-a-glance pricing charts. Unlike most exclusive artbook printing services — which demand a minimum offset print order of 500 or even 1,000 books — we offer a minimum order quantity (MOQ) of just 100 copies and still with an attractive price advantage. But as you’ll see from the charts, the more copies you order in a single run, the less you pay per copy.

Paperback Art Book Printing Price Chart (210mm x 297mm)

All prices listed in GBP

Quantity 100pcs 500pcs 1000pcs 2000pcs 5000pcs 10000pcs
Page count
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
80pp + 4pp
£5.40
£540
£1.59
£797
£1.06
£1,057
£0.84
£1,675
£0.72
£3,619
£0.68
£6,827
128pp + 4pp
£7.99
£799
£2.40
£1,198
£1.60
£1,602
£1.27
£2,536
£1.11
£5,526
£1.04
£10,444
256pp + 4pp
£14.87
£1,487
£4.56
£2,278
£3.07
£3,074
£2.44
£4,871
£2.12
£10,585
£2.01
£20,112
  • Please note that all prices are EXW our facility and do not include shipping costs.
  • Cover: 300 gsm / 110 lb coated cover paper with matte lamination outside
  • Interior: 157 gsm / 106 lb coated text paper
  • Cover and inner: full-colour printing
  • Binding: perfect binding

Hardcover Art Book Printing Price Chart (210mm x 297mm)

All prices listed in GBP

Quantity 100pcs 500pcs 1000pcs 2000pcs 5000pcs 10000pcs
Page count
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
80pp
£8.99
£899
£2.54
£1,271
£1.87
£1,874
£1.58
£3,151
£1.35
£6,734
£1.29
£12,879
128pp
£12.36
£1,236
£3.52
£1,758
£2.50
£2,498
£2.04
£4,081
£1.70
£8,502
£1.63
£16,264
256pp
£21.37
£2,137
£6.15
£3,075
£4.18
£4,183
£3.30
£6,604
£2.65
£13,243
£2.53
£25,272
  • Please note that all prices are EXW our facility and do not include shipping costs.
  • Cover: 157 gsm / 58 lb coated cover paper with matte lamination wrapped on 2.5 mm thickness greybeard
  • End sheets: 140 gsm / 95 lb uncoated text paper, blank
  • Inner: 157 gsm / 106 lb coated text paper
  • Cover and inner: full colour printing

For a more detailed estimate, try our easy and convenient online Printing Cost Calculator. Just follow the link, drop in your information, and get an instant quote! If you have questions, get in touch and one of our keen, attentive, in-house printing experts will be delighted to help.

Common Art Book Sizes

Art books are showcases for your best work. They must draw the observer into what we think of as a “virtual gallery experience”. A large format edition coupled with faithful reproduction gives your art the best chance to speak. While the exact dimensions depend on your art, the number of images, the length of the text, and the layout and orientation, we print most art books on premium art paper, bound in hardcovers, and from 216mm x 280mm to 228mm x 305mm or larger. A landscape-oriented collection of black-and-white or full-colour art reproductions may be larger than an exhibition catalogue for a touring show, and a souvenir edition may be smaller.

But you’re not restricted to the size suggestions above. At QinPrinting, we specialize in customizing art book printing in any size or format to best suit your needs as an individual. Only remember that extensive customization incurs higher costs and slower turnaround times because there’s more pre-press and setup involved. But for your dream project, a high-end portfolio, or as an adjunct to an important exhibition, the added investment could be worthwhile. The decision is always yours.

portrait art book printing
Portrait
landscape art book printing
Landscape
square art book printing
Square

Custom Art Book Paper Options

As with gallery or museum exhibitions, art books need careful curation. Quality and presentation are vital to the statement you want to make. We recommend printing on premium-quality gloss or matte art paper to get the most lifelike and pleasing results. Gloss and matte both have coated surfaces, ideal for stunning printing that will reproduce your photographs and artwork with faithful colour, perfect contrast, and fine-grained detail. Gloss paper is often best for books with full-colour spreads and less text, whereas books with more text may benefit from matte paper. Matte paper will still give sumptuous colour or black-and-white art reproduction while rendering the text easier to read.

You’ll need to specify at least two kinds of paper for your custom art book: one for the interior pages and one for the cover. You may also wish to include end papers, which could be the same paper as the interior, or you can choose something different; a heavier, coloured or textured paper, for example, may be an excellent choice. End sheet papers not only elevate the quality of your book at negligible extra cost; they provide an ideal space for autographing and adding personal dedications to copies of your book.

Paper for Art Books

Hardcover binding is the most popular option for art books, especially for a high-end, prodigious appearance, perhaps with luxury additions such as an embossed title or metallic foil stamping. Sewn perfect binding—a style of high-end softcover which can lay flat with the pages open without breaking the spine—is an excellent choice for impressive art books that require a more informal style or for exhibition catalogues and souvenirs. We recommend a paper weight of 157 gsm / 106 lb gloss art paper for the interior pages in both cases. It’s beautiful to look at, has a luxury feel, and faithfully reproduces fine art photography.

Sewn Perfect Binding Cover Paper

Hardcover Casing Paper

Interior Paper

End Sheet Paper

Slipcase

Cover Material Options

Cloth Covers

At QinPrinting we offer traditional cloth covers in a vast range of colors.

Fabric-5119
Fabric-5119
Fabric-5403
Fabric-5403
Fabric-5409
Fabric-5409
Fabric-5531
Fabric-5531
Fabric-5411
Fabric-5411
Fabric-5529
Fabric-5529
Fabric-5402
Fabric-5402
Fabric-5135
Fabric-5135
Fabric-5111
Fabric-5111
Fabric-5413
Fabric-5413
Fabric-5103
Fabric-5103
Fabric-5206
Fabric-5206
Fabric-5425
Fabric-5425
Fabric-5219
Fabric-5219
Fabric-5515
Fabric-5515
Fabric-5139
Fabric-5139
Fabric-5522
Fabric-5522
Fabric-5213
Fabric-5213
Fabric-5104
Fabric-5104
Fabric-5526
Fabric-5526

Imitation Leather and Padded Imitation Leather Covers

We also offer imitation leather and padded imitation leather covers for books which need a traditional, superior, and luxury treatment.

DF01-5
DF01-5
DF02-9
DF02-9
DF02-10
DF02-10
DF02-12
DF02-12
Y28-5
Y28-5
Y61-3
Y61-3
Y66-8
Y66-8
Y82-11
Y82-11
Y82-7
Y82-7
Y28-4
Y28-4
Y61-8
Y61-8
Y82-3
Y82-3

Bindings for Art Books

Art books—unlike some “presentation” books—are opened, read, and looked at! So, they must combine elevated aesthetic values with practicality. We recommend “sewn perfect bound” and “sewn hardcover” as our preferred binding styles for art books. Your choice depends on your budget, the style and length of your book, and several other factors. But these two binding options both achieve optimal results, which always impress. You can open both bindings flat with no damage to the spine, too, which makes them ideal for browsing.

We often use this binding style for art books. We collate and print the interior pages in sets called signatures, which are then sewn together and fixed into a wrap-around cover made of heavier art paper or lightweight card stock. This option gives you a truly beautiful book for a minimal outlay.

In this binding, we organize the interior pages into signatures which are then printed, cut, and sewn, and glued into a hard casing covered by a printed sheet which forms the cover. This binding is the most resilient and professional-looking, especially if you add special treatments such as embossed titles, debossed titles, soft touch lamination, gold, black or other colour-gilded edges, and metallic foil stamping; or a custom-made printed dust jacket, a slipcase, marker ribbons, and sewn decorative headbands.

Whichever binding style you choose, we like to make it easy for you to design your artbook. So, you can use one of our ready-made design templates if you wish. And ask us for paper and treatment samples. We’ll drop them to you in the mail. The samples are free, so you need only pay the mailing charges.

Art Book Design and Layout Tips

Printed photographic art reproduction is the core component of all artbooks, along with beautifully formatted typography, decorative dividers, and other flourishes, if you include text. Whether you’re preparing your own layouts or commissioning a professional designer to handle the technical work for you, it’s important to understand how to prepare the finished digital files for high-quality offset printing. You must account for bleed zones, safety margins, trim lines, and borders, for example, and make sure that you’ve set the resolution and the colour space correctly. 

So, here are a few helpful tips to guide you when you’re preparing your digital files for the printing press.

PDF

Export your files as vectors in PDF format for the best results. Our recommended software options for art book design are Adobe InDesign or Adobe Illustrator. These will also allow you to convert your colour space from RGB to CMYK, which you will need to do for offset printing.

300dpi

If you can’t deliver vectors — say, if you’re exporting bitmaps from Photoshop — then make sure the resolution is at least 300 DPI. With vectors, you needn’t worry about resolution, but all other images must have a high definition to tolerate resizing without becoming fuzzy and “pixilated”.

3 mm bleed zone

You’ll need to add a “bleed zone” of 3 mm around all your image pages. A bleed is an extended zone at the periphery of your photo, which falls outside the area that your finished page will cover. Once we’ve printed your pages, we’ll cut them to the exact size needed for your photo book format. This “bit extra” gets cut off and makes sure that the finished image fills the page with none of it being lost. You should mark bleed zones as red lines.

trim line 10mm

Inside your bleed zone, don’t forget to mark the “trim lines”. These will define the final dimensions of the finished page. Make sure that any necessary elements of your images stop at least 10 mm short of the trim line.

along the center crease

If a photograph or artwork crosses over two pages in a “spread” make sure that nothing essential—like the subject’s face or other important details—lies along the centre crease.

If you’re working with a professional designer to prepare your files, they should be competent to make everything “print ready”. But if you’re working alone with design for the first time, these are the crucial points to remember before you submit your digital files. The responsibility for sending “print ready” files rests with you. But please don’t overthink it! We’ll be happy to “hold your hand” through the process, explain what’s needed step-by-step, liaise with your designer when necessary, and manually check everything ourselves to make sure it all goes smoothly and you end up with a perfect print of your custom art book. If we discover any errors, we’ll let you know, explain what the problems are, and help you fix them. We will never set the press rolling until we’re sure everything is perfect and you are 100% satisfied.

To learn more about preparing your artwork, text, and layout for printing, please check out our Pre-press Artwork information page.

Let’s Talk!

Designing and printing your own high-end art book—either as a premium portfolio, catalogue of works, or for distribution and sale—is always as challenging as it is satisfying to complete. But at QinPrinting, we pride ourselves on our customer service and helpfulness as much as our deep knowledge of every aspect of printing technology. Get in touch today to discuss your individual needs or to request a no-obligation quote. We can’t wait to help you make your custom artbook the most breath-taking yet!

Get in touch