OFFSET BOOK PRINTING

Offset book printing is the highest quality book printing available.  It is by far the most efficient method for printing a large volume of books and is certainly the most cost effective. 

Our offset printing prices are often very competitive for runs as small as 500 books.  As the run size increases, it is very difficult for digital printers to compete with the prices that offset printing can provide. 

The Specifics of Offset Printing

The most important thing you need to know about the offset printing process is that your book is actually printed in groups of pages called signatures.  These signatures are all printed at the same time, one after another.  They are usually in groups of 16, 32, or 48 pages.  The first signature is printed, then the second signature, etc.

Each signature has a plate, which is created so that the ink can be transferred from the press itself to the paper rolling through it.  If you do offset printing, your book must equal the number of pages that a group of signatures would be.  For example, a 5-signature book with 32 page signatures would have 160 pages.  If the book was designed to have 152 pages, there would be 8 blank pages in the back of the book.  It is quite common for books produced in this manner to have blank pages at the end. 

The signatures are then moved to the bindery where the pages are cut and bound together to create the book.  It is the efficiency of this process that makes offset printing the best value available for larger book runs.

While offset printing is the most affordable option for large print runs, digital printing is best suited for small orders (less than 500 books).  Learn more about digital printing and POD printing options on our digital printing page.