Hi All,
Can anyone help me find a reputable book printer for a bigger book. 13" x 13" I’m just struggling because I have a good printer but they don’t print that size and seems to be a lot of scammers out there.
Thanks so much!
A good printer will print 13" x 13", making me suspect that you’ve been working with an online gang printer. Your statement about scammers makes me even more suspicious that you’re trying to find a cheap online printer. I can’t help you there because I try not to work with them. Instead, I prefer working with local printers because I like dealing with them in person and visiting their printing plants, and, when the situation warrants it, dropping by for a press check.
You didn’t mention quality in your post. Quality comes with a price. Are you willing to pay for quality, or are you expecting a great printer that’s as inexpensive as an online gang printer? What about binding? Do you want a printer that is also a bindery? Is this a hard- or soft-cover book? Stitched binding or perfect bound? How many pages? What kind of paper stock are you thinking about? Is it four-color process litho, or are you looking for a short-run digital printer? Any spot colors? Varnishes or other media coatings?
Choosing a printer isn’t a matter of one size fits all. Choosing the right printer means selecting the right one that specializes in similar jobs to yours. Even then, it’s often a matter of choosing the three printers you think are up to the task and getting bids from them.
If you provide a bit more information and your general location, someone here might be able to point you in the right direction.
Thank you for your quick response. I am absolutely not trying to find a cheap online printer. We have a big budget for this job. This week I have been working with a book printer and asked a printer to give me a professional quote and he then ghosted me. Then I tried to find out more about the company and the address went to a nail business in NY. So that is what made me worried. These books are going to cost over $20 grand so I need to be careful. I am a graphic designer and a print broker. I have been buying printing for over 20 yrs and have managed a big printing company. There are no local printers that print this type of printing. Here are the specs on it.
COFFEE TABLE BOOK - SIZE 13” X 13”
COPIES - 300 and 350
PAGES - 400
INSIDE PAPER - 80# GLOSS TEXT
COVER PAPER - 100 PT
COVER COATING - HI GLOSS LAMINATE
CASE BINDING (STITCHING PREFERED)
Thanks, I appreciate all the help I can get. I’m located in Northern Colorado.
Great to find this forum.
Gretta
Oh, and I have a great book printer but they don’t print that size. But shout out to
48 Hour Books in Akron OH. There are amazing.
Then you probably know more about printers than I do because I’m not a print broker. If I came across abruptly, I apologize. The subject is complicated, and many new forum members don’t realize everything involved.
At 300–350 copies, it’s a short-run job, so you’re probably looking at digital printing unless you specifically want offset, but I’m sure you already know that.
48-Hour Books is a company specializing in self-published books, so yeah, they’ve got a routine set up for speed and cost that depends on keeping the options limited. They sub out all their offset work. I think these print-on-demand companies have put quite a few traditional book printers out of business. In addition, outsourcing book printing to east Asia has taken its toll.
Anyway, I’ve got to think there’s a good printing company in the Denver or Fort Collins area, but I’m unfamiliar with them. I live in Salt Lake, and if I were facing the same problem as you, and given my preference to work with local printers, I’d get bids from Hudson Printing and Paragon Press here in town.
Hudson is a large commercial printer, and I’ve used them for dozens of things — from high-quality, long-run glossy magazines to booklets and brochures. Their quality has always been excellent, and their bids competitive. They do both offset and digital work. However, I’ve never had them print a book, but I know they do print them. They might sub out hard case binding; I’m not sure. Given what I’ve come to expect of them, I’d be confident about trusting the quality.
Paragon Press is a smaller printer, but since I started in this business 40 years ago, they’ve been the go-to printer for high-quality work, including books. However, they’re rarely the lowest bidder, so I haven’t used them as often as I might have liked. I have no reservations about their quality, though. They’d be my first choice if the job demanded something unusual or of an artisan nature, such as tipped-in photos mounted into a debossed cover or adding a sewn-in ribbon page marker.
I do a lot of book design work and the print is usually procured by the publishers in Italy or China (I’m in the UK). And is usually very large run stuff. Recently, I had occasion to look at doing at a bespoke short-run art book (I am starting it today, as it happens) which is to be over-sized and I was surprised at how difficult it was to find a printer to do it. Then again, I was looking at a fair bit larger size. There were a good few who could do the size, but not section-sewn.
To that end, it might be worth you contacting production departments in book publishing companies there. They may just know someone who can do specialist short-run stuff.
I will write to one of my clients here, as they often Co-Ed books in the States, on the off chance they know of someone who can help. Chances are they won’t, because, as I say, their print runs are usually many thousands, rather than hundreds, but worth a shot. I’ll let you know if I come up with anything.
Similar to @sprout
I’ve outsourced to likes of Spain/Italy/China - and I’ve gone to printers in Spain and Italy to press pass the print work.
It’s been a while though.
The company my sister works for outsources their work to a printer in Ireland (she’s not sure who it is.)
Everyone take a step to the left, LOL!
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Hey! No! Not abrupt at all!!! The info is great for sure. It is a crazy printing world out there. I really would like to keep the project in the US. I know the outsourcing of book products to Asia has really totally changed the market.
I think the problem I’m having is the book size (13" x 13"). And my customer is adamant about that size. I have more options for even 12" x 12". I sent a request for a quote to Hudson and Paragon Press. Thank you so much for this referral. Very much appreciated. I’m excited to see if they can help me. You are AWESOME! Thank you and thanks also for the links making it easy to get to their websites. BTW Love Salt Lake! I go there every couple of months and often have to visit the Blue Iguana! haha! Thank you again so much. I love this forum.
When I worked downtown, I probably ate lunch at the Blue Iguana every couple of weeks. There’s also the Red Iguana that lots of people like better, but I prefer the basement atmosphere of Blue Iguana.
I hope the quotes are reasonable. I’m sure they’ll be more than 48-Hour Books, but if the client is adamant about a custom size, they need to expect for it to cost more.
I have heard about the Red Iguana. I love the atmosphere also at the Blue (Basement haha).
Well, I talked my client into going with size 12" x 12"! Which more printers can accommodate so that is positive. So I already heard from a sales guy at Hudson Press. Wonderful guy. And got some info for another printing project. So GREAT connection thank you so much! You are the BEST!!!
Oh wow that is cool! Ireland you would think that shipping would be crazy! I have never heard of that. But very cool. Thank you for the response. Yay! 
That is amazing. I know China does a lot of books. I think out of the country is out for my client. She wants it like tomorrow. haha. Like all clients. haha. 
Hi! Thank you so much for all your help. That is what I’m running into with hte short run and with the size of it I wanted to have it section-sewn. It is 400 pages and feel like it will bust at the seams. What a cool project. This too is an art book. It has been so fun to design. I actually know the artist so that made it even more fun. I would love to see that book that you are designing. Awesome. I’m so glad I got on this forum. It is so awesome! Gretta
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I’m not a huge fan of 80# gloss text. I worked in a print shop shortly and while it made the job easier, I liked when I was able to use thicker papers. The book being 300-400 pages would definitely add some weight to the book if the paper was any heavier
… especially for an art book. I’d go at least double the weight. The one I’m doing now is spec’d on 170gsm.
That’s very odd. Unless they need distribution in Ireland.
Be interested to know more and who.
But there’s 1000’s of printers in Ireland, and some do specialise in different things.
Hey! I haven’t been on here. This book the corrections were massive and crazy. Hours and Hrs of work of course. I did end up contacting a few companies that were in Europe and actually the pricing wasn’t bad even with shipping. We actually decided to change the size of the book to 11" x 11" and printing in US.
It is going to print on Monday. I just will need a beer after this gets to the printer. haha
It is going to be so heavy that is for sure. My client is stuck on the gloss. But I think for this project i would rather have matte. Just for the feel. It has such beautiful art in it. Thanks so much for your reply. Happy FriYay!!!
@Smurf2
I asked sis about the Irish print company. It was actually a book division of the company she worked for at the time (big pharma) and their press rates in Ireland were less than anything out of house in the US. 
They no longer print books.