Frequently Asked Questions

What is the turnaround time on my order?
What are your payment terms?
How much does it cost to print a book?
Which tax rates will apply to my order?
Should I make an appointment before visiting the showroom?
Do you have a location downtown?
Do you accept returns?
What is your minimum print run?
Do you provide ISBN numbers?
Do you ship to the USA?
Do you quote over the phone?
It is my first time having a book printed. How can I ensure a successful result?
What other services does Sure Print & Design provide?
What type of binding do you recommend for a hardcover book?
What are the standard specifications for a paperback?
What are the dimensions for a novel book?
What type of bindings do you offer?
What is perfect binding?
What types of books can I print?
What is a hardcover book?
What is a softcover book?
What does ‘saddle stitch’ mean?
What is wire-o binding?
What is flexibound vs paperback?
How do I place my order?
Why is my book slightly smaller than the original size?
What is considered an oversize foil, deboss/emboss or spot UV artwork?
What is the difference between Hardcover Gluebound vs Hardcover Smyth Sewn?

What is the turnaround time on my order?

Short-run printing is typically ready for pickup in 7-10 working days on softcover books and 10-14 working days on hardcover books after proof confirmation. Large orders (generally orders over 500 units) take approximately 13 weeks after proof confirmation. Turnaround is always specified with your quote.

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What are your payment terms?

We accept cash, company cheque, interact, email money transfers, international wire transfers and all major credit cards (3% surcharge). If you pay via the short-run online calculator the 3% credit card charge is waived.

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How much does it cost to print a book?

The price of book printing depends on the quantity of books, trim size, number of pages, whether cover and interior pages are in color or black and white, the type of binding and shipping location. For print runs under 500 copies softcover books or 250 copies hardcover book, please use our online price calculator.

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Which tax rates will apply to my order?

Books are subjected to GST, which is 5% for Canadian customers. There are no taxes or duties for out of country shipments. Speak with your account representative for further information.

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Should I make an appointment before visiting the showroom?

Yes, in order to provide you with the best service we encourage all our customers to make an appointment before visiting our showroom. Appointments are available from 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday, and you can request it by email or phone call.

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Do you have a location downtown?

Currently we have one office in Richmond Hill, Ontario. We have plans to expand to new locations in the near future.

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Do you accept returns?

Due to the nature of any custom printed products, they are non-resalable, therefore we are unable to accept returns. If there are proven errors created from our end we will reprint the job to your satisfaction.

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What is your minimum print run?

1 book.

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Do you provide ISBN numbers?

You don’t need an ISBN number to print, but if you require an ISBN number for your publication, we can send you a link for registration, and it’s a very simple procedure. ISBNs are registered by the author, and once an ISBN number is obtained and sent to us, we are able to provide a corresponding bar code free of charge.

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Do you ship to the USA?

Yes, we do. In fact we ship to all major cities in the world. For specific delivery inquiries, please consult your account rep or visit our shipping page.

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Do you quote over the phone?

Because of the complexity of our pricing system, it is impossible to calculate the cost of books over the phone. Quote requests must be submitted to our online quote request link, and we generally get back to you within 24 hours.

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It is my first time having a book printed. What do you suggest to ensure a successful result?

Download this free ebook “Self Publishing Guide – All You Need To Know To Publish A Book“. Inside, you will find guidance and a proven roadmap to take your work from concept stage to a professionally published book.

After finish writing your book, it is vital to proof read your manuscript to make certain that grammar, spelling, artwork and all other aspects of your document are perfect – just as you wish to see them in the final printed version. We do our best to catch or avoid obvious errors, but it is up to you to ensure that the material that you provide to us matches your vision. We strongly suggest that you order a printed proof to make certain that you get an idea what you will be getting before printing the bulk order.

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What other services does Sure Print & Design provide?

In addition to book printing Sure Print & Design also offers book cover design and layout formatting. Other customized products include restaurant menus, packaging, manuals, journal and magazines. We also offer special varnishing on our printed products including glossy varnish, matte varnish, embossing, debossing, foiling, flocking, shrink wrapping and spot varnishing etc.

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What type of binding do you recommend for a hardcover book?

We usually recommend case bound binding with Smyth sewn as this is the most common and preferred binding, although other options are available. With case binding Smyth sewn, pages of the books are actually printed two pages to a sheet and folded, grouped in small sets called signatures and sewn together. The final stitched internal book is then trimmed, attached to the head & tail band (soft cloth at each tip of the spine edge) and a hard cover (leather, cloth or vinyl) is attached to the printed internal document.

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What are the standard specifications for a paperback?

A paperback is characterized by a thick paper or paperboard cover, often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. The standard specifications for a paperback are as follows: Text pages: Digitally printed with 1/1 black ink on 50lb uncoated white offset paper. Cover: Digitally printed 4/0 color outside on 12pt coated cover. Cover Finishing: Glossy lamination, Matte lamination or Soft-touch silk lamination.

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What are the dimensions for a novel book?

5 1/2″ (width) x 8 1/2″ (height) is probably the most popular size, however 6″w x 9″h is also recommended. Memoirs are similar sizes. We recommend that longer novels move up to a size of 8″w x 10″h to avoid becoming overly bulky.

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What type of bindings do you offer?

We offer a full range of bindings including hard cover case bound, saddle stitching, perfect bound, flexi bound, board book binding, OTA bind, thread stitch binding, smyth sewn, side sewn, lay-flat, glue binding, coil bound and wire-o bound. Visit our binding options page for more information.


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What is perfect binding?

Perfect binding is the type of binding found on most softcover books on book store shelves. The pages and cover are glued together at the spine and the other three sides are then trimmed so that you end up with perfect edges. It has a very professional appearance and is relatively inexpensive to produce however it does not allow pages to layflat. The square spinal edge allows the book’s title and related information to be printed on the spine providing highly visible branding of the document.

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What types of books can I print?

If you have seen it on book store shelves – then generally we can print it. Our world class printing equipment and expert knowledge ensures that you not only get a result of the highest standard but that you have access to all the options necessary to ensure your project reaches it’s full potential.

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What is a hardcover book?

A hardcover book also known as casebound is a book bound with unbending protective covers. They may have flexible, sewn spines which allow the book to lie flat on a surface when opened, or have glued spines. Following the ISBN sequence numbers, these types of books are abbreviated by Hbk. Covers are usually made of grey board covered with cloth, heavy paper, buckram, or leather. Hardcover books are often printed on acid-free paper, and are more durable than paperbacks. There are also some other hardcover books besides casebound, that includes Board Book, Hardcover Wire-o, Conceal Wire-o and Binders.

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What is a softcover book?

A softcover book, also known as paperback is a type of book characterized by a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue, coil/wire, or staples. The binding for softcover book includes Perfect Bound, Coil or Wire-o Bound, Saddle Stitch, Thread Stitch and Flexibound. Compared to case bound books, softcover books are lower cost books thanks to the use of cost-effective paper, less labor intensive, and without the use of grey board material. The most common softcover book is perfect bound, with all pages stack together and glue along the spine edge with a very strong and flexible glue. After the pages have dried, a heavier stock paper is glued to the spine as a cover. Since there is no folding (except the cover) the pages are easy to line up and the edges of the finished book are very clean.

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What does ‘saddle stitch’ mean?

Saddle stitching refers to a standard book binding method in which folded sheets are grouped together one inside the other and then stapled through the fold line with wire staples. The staples pass through the folded crease from the outside and are settled between the centermost pages. Two staples are commonly used but larger books may require more staples along the spine.

By its nature, saddle stitching requires the book’s page count to be in multiples of four. Keep this in mind when preparing your book layout to avoid any unplanned blank pages. The saddle stitching bindery operation occurs after the pages and cover have been printed, partially folded and settled together. After being joined by staples, the cover and pages of the book are folded tighter together. Some thicker saddle stitched books are trimmed along the edge opposite the spine to keep the pages uniform and neat in appearance. Saddle stitch is most commonly used in:

  • Programs
  • Wall calendars
  • Booklets
  • Newsletters
  • Pamphlets
  • Direct mailers
  • Comic books
  • Thinner magazines
  • Catalogs

The saddle stitch method is most effective for binding booklets and publications with approximately 64 pages or less. Books with more pages may not fold properly and may not lay as flat as desired when saddle stitched. Also, when laying out your book it is important to follow our file specifications for margins and text safety. 

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What is wire-o binding?

Wire-o binding is a popular method for joining the pages and cover of a bound document. Wire-o binding offers many of the same benefits as spiral coil binding, but is more sophisticated in appearance. It also can accommodate pages and inserts of varying thicknesses, including dividers or index tabs made from heavy cardstock.

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What is flexibound vs paperback?

Flexibound book is similar to Casebound except the cover will be wrapped over a cardstock instead of a rigid greyboard. Flexibound offers a higher perceived value than a traditional paperback and has better protection for the inside text pages. It is commonly bound with Smyth sewn for layflat ability. The main difference compare to paperback is the Flexibound book cover has a bigger cover than the interior pages, it requires endsheets to bound the book cover and interior pages together, it can put on head/tail bands on the spine, specialty covers like leather or cloth can be used on the cover, and the spine can be created in a round shape. While paperback doesn’t offer any of those features. Most of the journals or planners are consider Flexibound book.

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How do I place my order?

For ordering quantities under 250, you can use our online ordering system: https://sureprintanddesign.ca/short-run-book-printing-calculator. Once payment and order details go through our system you will receive an email with your customized file specifications and a link to upload your files. For custom quotes and quantities over 250, we will send customized file specifications and a link to upload your files once the order is confirmed. To request a custom quote please follow the link: https://sureprintanddesign.ca/content/book-printing-quotation-0.

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Why is my book slightly smaller than the original size?

For all digitally printed books, due to limitations of the pre-press process, all 5.5″w x 8.5″h, 6″w x 9″h, 8.5″w x 11″h, and 9″w x 12″h books will be 1mm to 3mm smaller after binding and trimming compared to the original artwork. If this is a concern, please contact us for consultation before production begins.

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What is considered an oversize foil, deboss/emboss or spot UV artwork?

When the artwork exceeds the area of 4″x6″ or 6″x4″, it is considered oversize. Additional charge may apply to foil, deboss/emboss, spot UV when the area is exceeding that dimension.

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What is the difference between Hardcover Gluebound vs Hardcover Smyth Sewn?

While both books use a premium printing and binding process there are minor differences between the two. Hardcover gluebound uses glue to bound pages together which does not allow the book to lay flat; compared to Smyth sewn which uses thread stitch to make it layflat. Other features that Smyth sewn offers are: more cover material options such as leather, cloth and linen, more foil stamping color, deboss/emboss finishing, wider size range, and printed endsheets. We recommend going with gluebound if you want to be more economical while Smyth sewn for a greater customized book.

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