“Expensive-looking” art book production is a desired quality. It means your customers are willing to pay a premium for your book. There are several high-end features that cost significantly less than the value they add to your book project. Here is a partial list of ideas that we recommend to create high quality book printing:

Hard cover

A hard cover binding is the most obvious example of a moderate increase in investment with a large return.

Page dimensions

It is not always true that a larger page size adds proportional value to a book. We produce small books (7”x 9” and smaller) that are truly exquisite. However, if your art demands a large-scale presentation, it is good to explore larger sizes. Ask us to address different sizes in your proposal. You may be surprised to learn that a larger page size does not always translate into a larger budget!

Printed endsheets

Plain white end sheets, while common, are uninspiring. In contrast, a colored end sheet says “timeless elegance”. We can match any Pantone color to compliment the book design. Most often we print a solid color wash, but you can print any pattern or halftone. Simulating marbled endpaper can be very effective in both traditional and modern layout.

Ribbon marker

Allow your collectors to enjoy the art in your book over several sittings to avoid sensory overload! Ribbon markers, which are available in many colors, are probably the most overlooked option in art books but for the low investment of $.15 – $.18 they are a wonderful addition.

Transparent fly sheet

A transparent flysheet screams “deluxe”.  Usually placed between the end sheet and page one of the interior, a flysheet can be blank or printed in one, two or four colors. If carefully designed, a flysheet can elevate the design to a whole new level.

French flaps and french folds

French folds (for a hardcover jacket) and French flaps (for a soft cover) add a distinct touch of quality and care to a cover or jacket at a very reasonable cost.

Please visit our portfolio to see examples of these options. If you have ideas not listed here, please contact us!

Producing art books is our business and our passion. For our typical client, art is their passion, but it is also their business.

“A delicate balance” is probably what best describes our approach to a new project. On one hand, our clients demand that their book reflects the unique beauty of their art. Just as it is near impossible to put a rational price tag on art, a great art book entails infinitely more than ink and paper. On the other hand, as connoisseurs of the art of bookmaking, our priority must be to find the absolute highest value for each dollar invested. Before we present a budget, each enhancement is carefully discussed, quoted and cataloged to make an educated, tight budget for a wise investment.

An art book publisher who is strictly shopping for the cheapest price is generally not a good match for ArtBook Printing. Yet, our clients have to be secure in knowing we have found the very best price for each ingredient in their book.

From the graphic designers to the managing director, everyone at ArtBook Printing thoroughly understands print manufacturing. We are masters at sourcing premium quality at the lowest price and we always contract direct with manufacturers who have proven to meet our standards.

As the talent of a fine artist blossoms and their skills mature, the demand on their tools naturally increase. Only specific brands of quality brushes, paints and canvasses are allowed in their studio. At ArtBook Printing, it is no different. We have identified certain papers and processes that meet the needs of the most judicious clients, both from a quality and cost perspective. We create value by combining these quality materials with manufacturing efficiencies to give us a distinct cost advantage.

Significant purchasing power, skillful selection of available resources and a truly artistic approach greatly benefit our clients, but there is no room for shortcuts or compromise when it comes to the art of producing an art book.

Designing an art book is like hanging an exhibition. Nothing is left to chance.

In modern graphic design, as in modern art, rules are made to be broken. Creativity cannot be stymied by archaic ‘dos and donts’. But the rules (like the tools and media) must be mastered before they can be challenged creatively and effectively. For example, Michelangelo had a better understanding of human anatomy than most medical doctors do!

Design of an art book is entirely different from publication or advertising graphic design. The principles summarized below did not come from a college textbook. They were distilled from actual comments from our clients whose vision we helped make reality.

1. The design never competes for attention with the featured art. It must only compliment it.
2. For the art to speak, we force the text to step backwards. Using grey text instead of black generally helps create an elegant environment for the images.
3. We avoid exuberant fonts. Page numbers, headers and footers must be unobtrusive or absent. Type does not run over images.
4. We want every page spread to be a new experience, building on the previous spread and inviting the reader to discover treasures waiting on the following spread.
5. We respect white space. It is a critical design element.
6. We generally do not place more than one art image per page and sometimes just one image per spread. We often see too many works featured in a book.
7. We do not bleed art images across the fold or off the edge of the page, unless such image is used as a section intro or a detail close-up.
8. We do not crop images unless specifically requested by the client.
9. We do not date images if the art is by a living, active artist.
10. We make sure our design is error-free and truly print-ready.

Once these rules are diligently applied, it is time for creativity to be unleashed!

ArtBook Printing finds great economy by limiting the options for the various “ingredients” of a book. For example, we offer five high quality interior paper choices and three hard cover board calipers. We do not offer a standard size for a coffee table book. We can make any size!

“Size” is expressed first by the dimensions of the text pages, not the dimensions of the cover. For example, a 6” x 9” book has a page size of 6” wide by 9” tall. If the book has a hard cover, the physical size of the book will be larger due to the cover overhang.
Orientation can be portrait, landscape or square. The decision to make a book portrait or landscape is usually determined by the orientation of the art that is featured.
In printer lingo, the horizontal dimension is always listed first, followed by the vertical dimension, as you would hold the book to read the text. A 10” x 8” indicates a landscape format and 8” x 10” a portrait format. If economy is an issue, it is best to use a standard size, such as 8.5” x 11”, 9” x 12”, 11” x 11” or 12” x 12”.

In Asia, paper is custom cut for each book, giving us a larger range of options. A half-inch larger or smaller is easy to do. However, most printing presses for full color book printing allow for maximum size of 28” x 40”, with a “live” area of 26” x 39”. This is why the preferred page count in a book is either a multiple of 8 (for landscape and portrait) and a multiple of 12 (for a square book).

A book is a three-dimensional object. Thickness, the third dimension, is a very important consideration. Naturally, the number of pages is the most important determining factor, but the caliper of the paper makes a large impact. 157gsm (100#) paper is our standard, but stepping up to 180 gsm or 200 gsm can give a book with lower page count a boost in perceived value at a relatively small extra investment.

We are happy to explore several sizes and formats to determine the best size for your book during the quote process. Then, when your preference is locked in, we provide you with a complete paper dummy to those specs so you can touch and feel the exact book before you commit to production.