Finishing Options

Printed inserts let you add extra story to your book – your artwork and message. They can be printed on uncoated (matching the pages of the book block) or on coated (glossier) paper. You can add a single leaf (one double sided page), or a series of additional pages in multiples of 4. These can appear at the front and/or back and/or between book sections. You can also print on the end sheets, which are the pages at each “end” of the book. An end sheet is the first spread you see if you open a book from either end. It is glued onto the inside of each cover, joins the book block briefly, and extends to form the first and last leaf in the book.

The book block is essentially the pages of a book – everything between the covers. – and what makes a book a diary or a notebook, or something else. While an expensive option, this does offer the chance to create a completely unique book with your colours and your design.

Reminiscent of gold leaf and with a high shine finish. We offer foils in gold, silver and black*. Foils are great for impact and an extra layer of texture to a design. Foils are applied with a combination of heat and pressure, and are completely opaque – you cannot see through a foil. Foils are completely flat, and are not suited to extremely fine detail.

* for quantities over 250, you can choose from a wider range of foils – availability dependent.

A design, text, or pattern is pressed into the surface of a material, creating an indented or recessed effect. Unlike embossing, which raises the design above the surface, debossing pushes it below the surface. We use a thermo deboss process with some of our cover materials for a deeper emboss.
Designs are typically simpler and bold to ensure clarity after the debossing.

Silkscreen printing is an option for printing directly onto material covers. Prints are typically very opaque and cover dark fabrics well and produce vibrant, solid colours. Silkscreen printing can handle small details, but it’s not ideal for extremely fine lines or tiny text—especially on textured fabrics—since the mesh limits how precise the print can be. For sharp, intricate designs, other methods like digital printing may be better.

For a softer, premium feel, rounding the corners of your book is hard to beat. Both the cover and the book block (the pages) are rounded on the outside edges. This is a fairly unique offering in South Africa on a fully custom, locally produced book. Many books in our Retail range also have a rounded corners

A durable material loop to hold your book closed. These closure bands can be a colour accent, or lend some old school style to a notebook. Available in eleven standard colours. Custom colours can be arranged for high volume orders at an extra cost.

All of our books include a ribbon. The standard ribbon colour is silver, but custom colours can be sourced on request.

A durable material loop bound and riveted into the back cover – great for making sure the other important part of a diary or notebook is always close to hand.

Available in eleven standard colours. Custom colours can be arranged for high volume orders at an extra cost. You can have a pen loop without a closure band.

An old favourite, mainly used for diaries with a material cover. They protect the corners of your book, and have a certain vintage charm. Gold and silver.

We’ve added a new option from our hospitality offering – a wider, more substantial metal corner with more geometric lines. These are available in silver only.

Adding a custom colour to the page edges really elevates a book. The page edges form an extra panel of colour, which can be used as a branding colour, or to match a pen loop or closure band. These books tend to stand out. Available on larger quantities.

A printed presentation band used around the outside of a book for presentation purposes. It can be a complete band, or it can tuck inside the front and back covers horizontally or vertically like a short dust jacket. These can be used for additional impact, or we could even add unique names to each one for a very personal corporate gift.

For a very premium presentation. While we think our books look amazing on their own, a presentation box does elevate a corporate gift. We offer three tiers from affordable to premium.