Printing

Dolman Scott provides you with the widest range of book printing options available. We print using Digital, Litho and Web presses enabling us to print just about every type of book be it in full colour, black & white or requiring specialist finishing.

Book printing services include paperback and hardbacks, full colour as well as black &  white, from only 50 copies upwards (30 copies of paper backs) to tens of thousands. Turnaround times vary from 7 days for a short run digital book (paperback) to 2-3 weeks for a litho run of up to 10,000 copies.

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Printing

Printing

At Dolman Scott we offer a wide range of book printing options including: as a private publication (not for sale), a print on demand book, or a one-off print for as many copies as you require for selling and distributing. Our services also include proof reading and editing manuscripts, along with typesetting and book cover design. We welcome all genres, and we print in hardback or paperback, black and white or full colour, and in a wide range of sizes.

Whatever your requirement we can take your print ready PDFs or other file types, or design your book for you. We have the resources and skill sets to manage both simple and complex projects. We also have a range of printing options to print high quality books at the most competitive prices coupled with excellent service.

If you wish to take advantage of new technology and distribution we will create an E book and an Audio book from your manuscript for worldwide distribution.

Printing Options:


Very Short Run Digital – Typically for review copies

From 50 copies upwards to about 500 copies depending upon page extent. Available in paperback and case bound in full colour as well as black & white.

Short Runs

Usually from 250 copies upwards and printed either digitally or litho depending upon the specifications. Turnaround usually two weeks after approval of proofs, though this can be shorter for digitally printed books. Available in paperback and case bound, and in full colour as well as black & white.

Longer Runs

From 2,000 copies upwards, printed litho. Available in paperback and case bound, and in full colour as well as black & white. Turnaround times from two weeks depending upon run size.

Web Presses

Ideal for books in two standard sizes: ‘A’ and ‘B’. Our web prices are highly competitive for long run popular paperbacks.

World-Wide Sourcing

Dolman Scott also sources book printing in other countries where prices may be more competitive but not at the expense of quality or ethical standards.

View Frequently Asked Questions for this page

We can accept a range of file types for printing books but our preference is to receive print ready PDF ideally to PDF-X/1a standard with crop and trim marks shown. We recognise this is not always possible so we do accept files ranging from ready formatted MS Word files to applications such as Quark and Indesign. If files other than print ready PDF are submitted there will be a charge for converting them to PDF. (Please check with us as to what other design applications are supported)

Q. Do the number of pictures and images in the book affect the printing price?
A. Yes, they can do as we may need to print using a more suitable paper for reproduction.
Q. How many books should I print?
A. Excluding books for promotional purposes you should not print a single copy more than you can sell unless, of course, it is for family or private distribution.
Q. Which is better for my book – digital or litho printing?
A. There is virtually no difference in quality today between our digital and litho printing today. Digital is ideal for short run books (Both black & white and full colour) from 30 copies up to 300 – 600 copies at which stage litho printing generally becomes more cost effective.
Q. Do I need an ISBN?
A. The ISBN is an International Standard Book Number. If you want to sell your book through major bookshops and Internet outlets, you need to have an ISBN for their ordering systems. The ISBN also provides access to bibliographic information and your title details can be disseminated widely to booksellers and libraries in more than 100 countries.
Q. How do I get an ISBN?
A. You can buy one from us for print on demand books or you can buy direct from the ISBN agency in your country.
Q. How do I get my book listed on Amazon and other on-line book stores?
A. For your book to be listed on Amazon and other on-line outlets it needs to be registered with Nielsen BookData (The UK ISBN agency is part of Nielsen BookData). If you are using one of our ISBNs we do this for you.
Q. What size (dimensions) should my Book be?
A. We will advise you on the most cost effective size for manufacturing your book taking into account you’re your preferences and requirements. The printing method (litho or digital) may also have a bearing on the dimensions.
Q. What is a Page?
A. One leaf equals two pages. So a 200pp book would have 100 leaves. Please remember to quote number of pages.
Q. How should I supply you with my Book In Word?
A. Preferably formatted to the dimensions you would like for your book and spell-checked, proofread and with a consistent layout. Alternatively we can format your book for you and will confirm the charge for this on sight of your manuscript.
Q. What should I do about a cover design?
A. You can supply images and text and we will make up the complete cover artwork for you including the spine. Alternatively, we will brief one of our cover designers to design your cover from scratch. If you wish to make up your own cover artwork, ask us for the spine width.
Q. What if I need help with the layout and typeface for my book?
A. We can supply you with a standard template for the text for you to work within the template. Please note that we are not able to provide support beyond this as it is assumed you have the technical skills. Alternatively, one of our designers can do the layout and typography for you.
Q. Can I have a few books printed as hardbacks?
A. You can have as few as 50 copies of your books printed and bound as a hardback with or without a dust cover and with a range of cover materials.
Q. What are the specifications for PDFs?
A. The PDFs should have all fonts and images embedded and (for non PoD books) should have crop marks and trim boxes showing. If for mono text, the PDF should be in greyscale though we can convert on press. If for colour then the text must be in greyscale and any images or photographs in CMYK not RGB (RGB is the default Windows setting) Please supply one PDF for the cover and one PDF for all the text pages. Cover – Paper back: Please allow an extra 3mm all around (top, bottom, left and right) over the trim size – this will be trimmed off when the book is bound. Any text or important graphics must be at least 3mm inside the trim size unless you want it trimmed off. Text – The PDF should be supplied as one page up to view NOT as double page spreads (Printer’s pairs). If for a colour book with images that bleed off the page, include the 3mm extra for bleed.