Printing Books in China:
What are my Creative Options?

Offshore Printing Services

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People involved in print buying & design tend to live in a box, creatively. Why? Although equipment and cutting-edge technologies are invented in America, cost confinements have caused many to abandon creative differentiation for price. In addition to that, many creative options in the United States are only considered if they can be done in-line at a relatively high speed, or not at all.

For the creative publisher dreaming of anything requiring hand work or labor-intensive add-ons, domestic printing is definitely out of the question.

	Hardcover Books: Expect more Hardcover with Hidden Wire...

Unfortunately, sales can suffer because of such cost-conscious decisions. Books, which deserve some of the most creative efforts, are instead conceived in this box where little or no marketplace differentiation exists.

On the other hand, overseas printing can enable more creative solutions. And they fall within budget! By taking a book project to China, for example, On the Mark has not only saved money but also expanded the possibilities. During the planning stages, more creative options are now on the table:

"How about two rivets - right where the eyes go?"

"What about including an elastic band on the back cover?"

"If we want it to lie flat, how about hardcover with hiddent wire binding?"

These kinds of questions, usually thought of as ridiculously expensive and summarily dismissed, can now be considered!

	Custom Binders: Loose Leaf with a Flair Hidden Wire-O Binding: The Art of Binding

Additional questions might be:

"Would printing eight PMS colors on the front cover communicate color more clearly?"

"How about French folds for inside pages?"

"Can we affordably laminate, spot UV, and foil stamp the cover?"

"How about leather binding?"

If creativity is important, the most critical question becomes, "Does my printer think creatively?" No matter how much planning and design resources are applied, having a printer understand (and even recommend) creative options is absolutely a must. And this, by the way, is true for overseas and domestic printing!

Below are some of these creative options you might want to consider for your next book project. Printing books in China doesn't mean losing control, it means gaining creative options.

	Wire-O & Spiral Bound Books VERY impressive... French Folded Binding