An art book is not just any book. With an art book, the final look ‘n feel takes precedence. The end result should be a gem and our experts know how to do that. We will make the most of the bookcase for you and shower you with creative ideas to make your art book an extension of your works. Feel free to look around below and discover how we worked our magic on other art books.
Tina De Souter – Bookdesigner
David Legrève – Photographer
Samuel Vanhoegaerden – gallery owner
The wrapper was created to protect expensive (linen and leather) hardcovers from damage, dust and sun. Today, it has a much broader purpose and can be a real design element.
In this design by Tina De Souter, the wrapper was made of a pink uncoated paper and was perforated with a hole in the center and foil and blind embossed. This wrapper is really part of the book.
Foil reflects light. Walking near it, the image shimmers in the corners of our eyes, making it seem to move. Foil draws a passerby’s attention to itself and it’s pretty too!
Want to have foil printed on linen? Then pay close attention because linen does not hold all films. Our experts do nothing more than guide you in this choice.
Are you going for hardcover and want foil with clear tactile relief in the cover? Then we print the film on it after your cover was glued around the cardboard. Do you prefer the film to have little relief? Then we press the film on before it is glued around the cardboard. It’s all in the details…
The binding of your book has a big impact on character. Do you want your art book to look artistic, artisanal, sturdy or just very fine? Check out the different options here.
There is something fun to do with every side of a book, including the cut (the edges of the pages). You can color them gold or silver or you can print an image or text on them.
Gold on cut once originated with two functions: to give the book a luxurious look and to provide protection from light. For the slightly less expensive books, they used color-on-cut. Fun fact: gold on cut also provides defense against bookworms because they cannot easily bite through the gold layer.
Ink behaves differently on each carrier. For example, you notice that ink soaks into the paper easily with uncoated paper. As a result, you notice that colors become softer. On a coated or glossy paper, colors show more intensely.
Embossing is a technique in which your printing is printed upward. Think Braille. Debossing is the opposite, then downward pressure is applied. In both printing techniques, a counterstamp is used, and so you will also see this stamp on the back of your print. Be sure to consider this in the design of the verso side of the page.
To make your book a real gem, it is helpful to understand how a book is put together. A printing sheet contains 8 or 16 pages each. These printing sheets are first individually folded into a bundle. We call that bundle a “quire. All the sections are then sewn or glued together to form a book block.
If you want to play with different papers, the previous point about “quires” is important. Several pages are mounted together on one printing sheet. That is, you need to think by section when choosing your paper. An example for a book with sections of 16 pages. Page 1 to page 16 are on the same printing sheet in this case, then you cannot choose different paper for both pages. But then again for pages 17 through 32.
Did you know that a capital binding was created to reinforce the spine in the hollow space between book block and cover? Because it was a sturdy and wide strap, the bottom of the spine would thus be less likely to wear out on the bookshelf.
Yarn, capital bands and reading ribbons are an ideal way to implement a spot color in your design. They are available in dozens of colors. There are even striped capital bands to add some extra pigment.
Endpapers connect the interior (book block) to the cover. You can use endpapers printed or unprinted. What is often done is to choose a colored paper. A budget-friendly option is to take a (cheaper) white paper for the endpapers and have a colored area printed on it, but this creates the risk of transferring ink to the opposite page.
Suitable grammages for endpapers range between 120g/m2 and 180g/m2.
Want to give your book extra body, but don’t have that many pages? Then you can do several things: add blank pages or title pages, or you can go for a hardcover book: the cardboard of the cover is 2 x 3 mm and thus immediately makes your book 6 mm thicker.
You can also choose a thickening paper. Thickening is the ratio of paper thickness to paper weight. Paper with higher bulk has relatively more air between the fibers which provides more body. So it feels thicker.
Would you like to have an art book printed? Contact Jesse Marynen, our art book specialist, or make an appointment.
In addition to that new corporate identity, we make sure your brand is seen, recognized, sticks and encourages purchase. The experts in our creative studio have a combined 650 years of experience. You’ll notice it right away.
Tell us what you have in mind. Since every business is different, it is important in the first stage to get to know each other well.
We shower you with inspiration and work with you to make the best decisions for your identity.
Is there a click? Then we will make you an offer.
Woohoow! Time for the real thing! Had you always wanted to walk around a print shop? Then feel free to stop by during the production of your printing.
It doesn’t stop at “printing.” Finishing, delivery, distribution, installation…. You name it, we do it. You may ask us EVERYTHING.
Contact our specialists or make an appointment.
