Information
Information » FAQs
We want to make this easy for you, so here are our six most common questions.
Can't find your question in these six? Check out the categories below, you'll definitely be able to find what you need there.
Remember to take advantage of our consultation service! It's free! Just give us a call on 01733 898102 and walk us through your project, then we'll advise you based on your aims and your desires.
-
How long will it take to get my books? - Quality takes time. Here are our estimated turnaround times:
Hardback books:
PDF Proof = 3-4 working days
Printed bound proof = 4-7 working days
Full order black and white printing = 15 working days (after proof signed off)
Full order colour printing = 15 working days (after proof signed off)
All Other Products:
PDF Proof = 3-4 working days
Printed bound proof = 3-6 working days
Full order black and white printing = 7-10 working days (after proof signed off)
Full order colour printing = 7-10 working days (after proof signed off)
Unfortunately, we can't offer a fast track service. Sad, I know. But we're fair. Everyone is on the same schedule. Books are delivered the next working day to a mainland UK address through Parcelforce. Deliveries to Scotland and Northern Ireland take 3-4 working days. If you're going further abroad than that, then you're looking at a little longer. Get in touch for an estimate.
As annoying as import and custom charges are, unfortunately we can't help you out with those. You'll have to pay them on receipt of your books. (This only applies to delivery overseas by the way). - How do I pay?
- Four easy steps:
1. Get your quote.
2. Pay for your order (we accept Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Klarna and Bank Transfers)
Now your order is in place. EXCITING. After this, you go through our order process, receive a proof that you LOVE and approve it.
3. Approve your proof.
4. Pay any remaining balance on your order.
After you've approved your proof and paid the balance on your order, we'll get your books into production and to your door as soon as possible. Easy as pie. - How do I know if my files are ready to print?
- The easiest way to do this is to get a Free File Assessment. All you do is submit your file and we'll get back to you within a day or two to let you know if your file is ready to print. Not only that, but if it isn't quite ready yet, then we'll give you feedback on what needs to be done to make it.
Why worry about the little things when we can do it all for you?
(Remember: If you're faced with a problem you don't know how to handle, get in touch. We'll probably be able to help!) - Is delivery included in my quote?
- Most definitely. Delivery to one, UK mainland address is included in your quote. Your books are sent via Parcelforce's Next Working Day Delivery. Please note that depending on where you are, it can take longer than just the 1 working day.
If you're unsure about whether your delivery address is included in your price, or if you want an estimate of how many days it will take for your order to reach you (after it is dispatched), then drop us an email or give us a call. - When will I see my proof?
- Regardless of what product you're ordering, you should receive your proof within 7 working days of you supplying your files to us. If you don't or haven't then give us a call ASAP!
- What happens if I don't like my proof?
- This happens regularly. People want a different paper stock, or a different coloured cover, or they find a typo. It's not a problem. Supply a new file to us and we will send you a new, electronic proof as soon as possible.
Please note: your quote includes one hour of design time. If your amendments exceed this hour then we will let you know first and if you want us to continue, we will need to charge you for additional design time.
Book Design and File Preparation
More info »
Placing an Order with Us
More info »
Production and Delivery
More info »
Klarna
More info »
Questions about Book Design and File Preparation
Let's be honest here. Book Design? File Preparation? It's all a big pain, isn't it. If you're reading this FAQ and it's in one ear, out the other, then it might be worth checking out our Free File Assessment where we can check over your files, tell you what's wrong and help you fix it. Easy as pie.
- What file format should I supply my files in?
- It has to be said, we're not a fan of Word Documents or Adobe InDesign files. I mean, we work with them, but we're not a fan of them. If you can send us a PDF then we'd be super grateful. If you're still stuck on how to supply your files then click here to find out what we recommend (or give us a call if you're really stuck, we won't tell anyone).
- How do I calculate the size of my book spine?
- This one's easy. Use our simple spine calculator and that'll work it out for you. Just don't forget to add 2mm onto the calculation if you're printing a hardback.
- What is 'bleed' and when do I need to add it?
- This is a bit of a longer one. The basic idea is this. If you try to cut out a picture in a magazine, even if you're suuuuuper good at cutting, there is going to be a tiny bit of space outside the picture left when you're done. Either that, or you will have to cut some of the picture off.
The same happens when we're trimming your book. We either have to cut some of your picture off the edge, or you're left with a little white border (which is really ugly). The bleed is this part of the picture that we cut off. Just make sure your page is 2.5mm bigger on every edge and we will do the rest.
Here's an example if you're better with numbers. I want a 210 x 297mm book with a picture going to the edge of the page, so the width of my document is 210mm + 2.5mm (for the left side) + 2.5mm (for the right side) = 215mm. The height of my document is 297mm + 2.5mm (for the top) + 2.5mm (for the bottom). So my final document size is 215 x 302mm. We will take this document, print it off and cut 2.5mm off each edge, leaving just the 210 x 297mm I wanted to keep.
This is tough so don't be put off if you're not quite getting it. You can either use our free file assessment and we'll let you know if you need bleed, or you can give us a call to get another explanation. - How big do my book margins need to be?
- Paperbacks and hardbacks? Make your outside, top and bottom margins 15mm, with your inside edge at 18mm. Booklets and coils? You can get away with 12mm on every edge. Still aren't sure? Download one of our book templates to make it easy.
Placing an Order with Us
We love printing books almost as much as we love our customers. We want to make your dream book into a reality and we like to keep it personal. If you can't find the answer you're looking for here, then drop us an email to [email protected] or give us a call on 01733 898102 and take advantage of our free consultation service. Call us, tell us about your project and we will personalise our advice to what you are looking to achieve. If you're ever stuck during the order process, you can always get in touch with us and we'll be happy to help. We're cool like that.
- How much does it cost to print a book/booklet?
- Truth be told, it just isn't that simple. Your book will vary in price depending on size, number of pages, type of paper and binding; not to mention whether you need a cover design, whether it's colour or black and white, I could keep going... If you want an accurate price, the best way is to get a free online quote here.
Oh, and it's worth keeping in mind that we are a digital printer, so it's more economical for us to print between 25 and 500 copies; ordering less than 25 copies usually isn't very cost effective. But do whatever you like! You're a free soul! - What book sizes can I print?
- We can print and bind anything between A6 and A4. Saying that, there's a little wiggle room if you have a book you want slightly larger or slightly smaller. If you're unsure about your book size or how to price it, give us a bell on 01733 898102, it isn't a problem.
- What are the binding options?
- Perfect binding, hardback binding, stitching and coiling. All are beautiful in their own right and you can find out more about binding options here.
- How do I supply my files?
- We like to keep it relaxed, so there are loads of ways for you to supply files to us. We recommend using your online account to upload files directly to us. If you'd prefer to stick to what you know, then we can also accept files via email or WeTransfer. WeTransfer is free and is pretty much the same as emailing, except that you can send larger files.
If you're not confident with emailing then you can post us a hard copy, a disk or a memory stick instead. Just don't forget to write your name or order number on the package, otherwise we're going to be drowning in files without a clue of who they belong to.
If you're supplying files for a file assessment, then simply fill in the form and upload your files here, and we'll get that file assessment done for you in no time. - What is the difference Between 'Pages' and 'Sheets'?
- It's subtle but it's a very real difference. Grab the nearest book and open it. You open it to one page, that's one side of a sheet of paper. Each sheet has two pages on it. So when you're requesting a quote and we ask for how many pages are in the book, we're not looking for how many pieces of paper are inside it. If you're not sure, get in touch and we'll help you out.
- Does my quoted price include VAT?
- We get this all the time. Your quote doesn't include VAT because most books aren't VAT applicable. However, some are. If you're unsure whether your book is VAT applicable or not, take a look at our VAT guide. No need to worry about it though, our designers will usually notice if your book is VAT applicable and we'll give you a ring or drop you an email.
- Does my quote include a cover?
- Of course! We'd never let your book go without a cover. A full colour cover is included in the quoted price. If you haven't created a cover yet, we have some crazy cool designers on our team who could help out. Our book cover design service is only £50 once an order is in place; make sure to contact us if you're interested.
- How do I re-order?
- We know our books are gorgeous. We know you're going to sell out within seconds. That means re-ordering has got to be easy and so we made it just that. You can re-order a book we have already printed for you at the click of a button, via your online account. Your account will save your past orders so it's just a matter of logging in, typing how many you want and pressing go.
- How long will it take to get my books?
- Quality takes time. Here are our estimated turnaround times:
Hardback books:
PDF Proof = 3-4 working days
Printed bound proof = 4-7 working days
Full order black and white printing = 15 working days (after proof signed off)
Full order colour printing = 15 working days (after proof signed off)
All Other Products:
PDF Proof = 3-4 working days
Printed bound proof = 3-6 working days
Full order black and white printing = 7-10 working days (after proof signed off)
Full order colour printing = 7-10 working days (after proof signed off)
Unfortunately, we can't offer a fast track service. Sad, I know. But we're fair. Everyone is on the same schedule. Books are delivered the next working day to a mainland UK address through Parcelforce. Deliveries to Scotland and Northern Ireland take 3-4 working days. If you're going further abroad than that, then you're looking at a little longer. Get in touch for an estimate.
As annoying as import and custom charges are, unfortunately we can't help you out with those. You'll have to pay them on receipt of your books. (This only applies to delivery overseas by the way). - Why do hardbacks take so much longer than paperbacks?
- Hardbacks take longer because each cover has to be handmade. Beautifully crafted to make sure they last. We want your book to look incredible forever.
Production and Delivery
This is the important bit. Making sure your book is beautiful and that it arrives with you still looking gorgeous.
- How awesome is your paper?
- Really awesome. We use FSC-certified paper. FSC do incredible work in protecting forests around the world. All of their paper is sourced responsibly, and they work closely with the WWF to protect animals and people who call forests 'home'.
- Does my quoted price include delivery?
- Absolutely. Delivery to one UK Mainland address is included in your quoted price. If you're living somewhere abroad, exotic or both then firstly, I'm very jealous and secondly, you'll have to get in touch to find out how much delivery will be. Additional deliveries will usually be charged at £6 per box but it depends on where you're delivering to.
- Do you deliver internationally?
- Yep. We're going to have to charge you a little extra for this though. Send us the full address and we'll be able to give you a price. Unfortunately we can't cover any customs or import charges; you'll have to sort those when your books get to you.
Who is Klarna?
Klarna is a Swedish payment service provider that takes end-to-end responsibility for your payment. Klarna is the provider of Smoooth payments to more than 170,000 online stores. Over 60 million consumers worldwide have trusted Klarna to securely handle their payments
- Will a credit search take place against me?
- Klarna may run so-called unrecorded enquiries (or soft credit searches) that do not affect credit scoring and are only visible to you and Klarna, but not visible to other lenders. Neither Klarna nor Book Printing UK run credit searches against you that could impact your credit rating.
- Is my payment information safe?
- Payment information is processed securely by Klarna. No card details are transferred to or held by Book Printing UK. All transactions take place via connections secured with the latest industry standard security protocols.
- I have been asked to go to Klarna's site. Is this correct?
- If you have chosen to pay with Klarna, Klarna will send you an email with further details on how to pay.
- Do I need to be 18?
- To use Klarna payment methods you must be at least 18.
- I still have questions regarding payment, how can I get in touch?
- Visit Klarna's Customer Service page for a full list of FAQ's, live chat and telephone options.
We have complete confidence in the quality of our books and are more than happy to show them off!
Request A Sample
Keep up to date with everything Book Printing UK with our FREE monthly newsletter.
