About Custom Printing
With our custom printing service we can print your books here at Harvard Book Store. Interested in publishing your novel, printing a family cookbook to present to your relatives, or bringing your previously out-of-print book back into circulation? We can help!
Benefits of printing your book at Harvard Book Store:
- Books are library-quality, perfect bound, acid-free paperbacks, indistinguishable from books produced by major publishing houses.
- There are no minimums, so there are no large up-front investments as usually required by self-publishing programs. You print books as you need them.
- The author retains all rights to the printed work, along with complete control over layout, content, and design.
- The author may choose to have his or her work on display and for sale at Harvard Book Store and at harvardsquarebookstore.com.
- The author retains rights for non-exclusive distribution and may sell books printed at Harvard Book Store through any avenue they choose.
- The author sets the book price.
- Modifications and alterations are allowed at any time, for an additional fee.
- Personalized service from an established and internationally recognized independent bookstore.
How It Works
You provide us with print-ready PDFs, and we’ll print the books! Print-ready means you give us your book files once they are final–after the writing, editing, design, and layout have been completed, and the files are formatted according to our Submission Guidelines. You can follow our DIY Formatting and Layout Guidelines [PDF] or hire someone to help you; we'll be happy to recommend local freelance editors and designers.
Want to discuss your own custom printing project, or have our printing staff review your files?
The first step:
You'll need to contact us to schedule an appointment with our Print on Demand Manager!
Watch the heroic custom printing process in action!
Introducing Minimum Paige, Harvard Book Store's first ever comics anthology, printed right here on our in-house book machine. A project this bold — this heroic — could only be accomplished by the most dynamic of duos.
Watch Paige M. Gutenborg in action. . . in the Minimum Paige book trailer!
Watch an introductory overview of the Espresso Book Machine made by On Demand Books in 2008.
Submission Guidelines
You’ll submit two PDF files: one for the bookblock (the interior of the book) and one for the cover.
You must own the rights and/or have permission to use any content or images included in your book.
You may submit your files by email at bookmachine@harvardsquarebookstore.com or you may bring them into the store on a USB, CD, DVD, or zip drive.
Bookblock
The bookblock consists of your interior pages. It includes any blank pages and front or back matter. It will print in black and white.
Minimum number of pages: 40
Maximum number of pages: 700
Trim size dimensions (W” x H”): minimum 4.5” x 5.5”, maximum 8.25” x 10.5”
(trim size is the width and height dimensions of the book)
Determining your page count:
A 300-page book only uses 150 pieces of paper, printed on the front and back. When considering any blank pages, dedications, about the author pages, etc, remember to think of each physical piece of paper as 2 pages in your final book page count.
Cover
For layout purposes, your cover is the back + spine + front of your book, printed as one continuous sheet (a 17”x11” landscape-oriented rectangle).
Nothing can print on the interior side of the front or back cover.
Cover requirements:
Maximum cover dimensions = 16.75” x 10.75”
Cover must be centered vertically and horizontally in landscape-oriented 17” x 11” document
No crop / registration marks
¼” bleed on all sides
Before designing your cover, you must know your spine width. To calculate this, you’ll need your number of book pages (front, core, and back matter) and the PPI (pages per inch). The PPI measurement is specific to the thickness of the paper you’re using. Harvard Book Store's standard PPI is 434 (for Springhill Opaque 60lb cream paper).
To calculate spine width:
Spine width = number of pages ÷ PPI
Note: number of pages here refers to the double-sided page count you use when you describe the length of your book. Remember to include all front and back matter, as well as any blank pages, in your final page count.
Keep in mind that the appropriate trim size for your book depends upon the number of pages & your spine width. The more pages you have, the larger your spine width will be, and the smaller your overall trim size may need to be for the cover to print properly on the 17” x 11” page.
Cover Template Samples:
Sample Cover 1 [PDF]
Sample Cover 2 [PDF]
Sample Cover 3 [PDF]
Sample Cover 4 [PDF]
Sample Cover 5 [PDF]
Sample Cover 6 [PDF]
Copyright Page Sample:
Additional Formatting Guidelines
Read our expanded DIY Formatting and Layout Guidelines [PDF].
Fees
Set-up Fee Options:
$15 – initial setup (revisions and proofs not included; files will not be retained)
$70 – initial setup, plus one free proof copy, one round of revisions, and unlimited copies thereafter based on price per page fees
$100 – initial setup, plus one free proof copy, one round of revisions, unlimited copies thereafter based on price per page fees, and the option to distribute and promote your book at Harvard Book Store and harvardsquarebookstore.com
After the initial setup, each book is printed on a price-per-page fee:
40-100 pages – $6 for the first 40 pages, plus $0.05 per page for pages 41-100
100+ pages – $9 for the first 100 pages, plus $0.02 for each additional page
Cover & Layout Fees:
Adjustment of Pre-Designed Cover, or Basic Text Cover – $10
Basic Text Cover with Color or Photo – $20
Cover from Existing Template – $30
(view Cover Template Samples in our Submission Guidelines)
Personalized Cover Layout – $60
Basic PDF Alterations to Interior – $10- $20 depending on level of complexity
Bulk Purchase Discounts
30+ copies | 10% off
75+ copies | 15% off
Alteration Fee
Any time after the initial setup and printing, alterations may be made for an additional $25 fee, plus the cost of an additional proof copy (based on price-per-page fee).
Please note that all fees are subject to change.
Contact Us
Contact our Print on Demand Manager directly with questions or to schedule an appointment.
E-mail: bookmachine@harvardsquarebookstore.com
Call: (617) 661-1515 Monday-Friday, between 9am and 5pm.
Shipping & Delivery
Choose "Saver Shipping"
on your order over $50
for free shipping
throughout the U.S.
Digital Books
Introducing Kobo, our new eReading partner. Kobo is the best way to read eBooks while supporting Harvard Book Store.
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