Your manuscript and design are ready. You’ve taken the time to choose the perfect trim size, paper weight, and cover art. But there’s still one more major decision to consider: how to bind your book. Binding combines durability, cost, and feel — and surprisingly, it’s one of the first things a reader notices when they hold the book in their hands. Take a moment now to learn more about binding options for your book, as well as how to choose the right one. Here’s what to know:
Binding: your book’s handshake
OnPress Book Printing offers several binding styles, each with its own unique strengths and trade-offs. Knowing which one to choose lets you match the binding to your book’s goals, budget and audience. Here’s what to know about each type:
Perfect binding
Perfect binding is a common choice for the majority of authors. The paper and cover are glued together at the spine and then trimmed, resulting in a clean look with crisp edges. It’s ideal for books that are anywhere from 30-200 pages, including memoirs, novels, business guides and so on.
Hardcover binding
Hardcover binding adds more durability and heft to your cover. If you want your book to feel like a keepsake — something that will stand the test of time — hardcover binding is an excellent choice. We offer casewrap hardcover and hardcover books with a dust jacket. With a casewrap hardcover, the cover design is printed directly on durable material and then wrapped around and laminated or finished. It gives your book a clean, modern look.
Smyth sewn binding
When you need to show off the spread or layout of your book but still want it to be durable and long-lasting, choose Smyth sewn binding. This method is also known as section-sewn and lets the book lay flat while being durable enough to handle frequent opening and closing. It’s especially good for art books, textbooks, cookbooks, or portfolios where you have numerous images across spreads.
What to keep in mind when choosing your binding
Sometimes, even when you know what options are available, it can still be a challenge to decide which binding is right for you. To help make your decision easier, keep these points in mind:
Page count and size
For medium-length books around 30-200 pages, perfect binding hits the sweet spot between cost and quality. Once the page count gets larger, you’ll want something that can handle the stress of being opened and closed often, like Smyth sewn or hardcover. More demand is placed on the binding with wider formats, thicker paper or several hundred pages which could harm the durability of the book.
Durability and handling
Is your book going on store shelves, or will it be used and re-used (like a textbook, manual or workbook?) If that’s the case, choose binding that can handle the wear and tear, like Smyth sewn. For books that will be read once or occasionally, softcover with standard binding offers plenty of strength.
Aesthetics and feel
Hardcover gives your book a sense of weight and impact. Dust jackets add a layer of sophistication and let you broaden your design creativity a bit. For art books or photo-heavy books, letting spreads lay flat is a big plus. Binding that opens well without straining the spine, such as Smyth-sewn, can make a big difference.
If you’re concerned about cost, softcover books with premium lamination or gloss can still look sharp and be affordable.
Budget and turnaround time
Perfect binding is generally less expensive than hardcover or Smyth sewn. Keep in mind that upgrades, like the dust jacket, or special finishes, add to the cost. Decide how much you want to spend per copy. Sometimes, spending a bit more on binding pays off by increasing the perceived value of the book, and that in turn affects sales, reviews, and even opens the door for possible collector’s editions or other limited-time runs.
When it comes to turnaround time, softcover/perfect binding tends to be faster. Hardcover, particularly if it has more complicated binding or finishing, adds time to the schedule. You can use our free estimate tool to get a clearer cost for your book based on your binding style and the quantity you want to order. If you have a particular deadline constraint such as submitting your book for academic use or a launch event, factor in your binding lead in time. When speed matters, not all bindings are created equal.
Getting started with the right binding
Binding is just as much a part of your book as the story or examples within it. It shapes how your book is perceived, how it feels in your readers’ hands, and more. It strengthens everything, from the design to the content. That’s why it’s so important not to just skip over the binding question.
With this in mind: When planning out your printing project, think about how much use your book will get and what kind of feel you want it to have. Consider your budget and then choose the binding that’s the right match for all of those points. With OnPress Book Printing as your book printing partner, you’ll have the precise templates and direction you need to make the right choice every time.
Ready to start creating? Get your free quote today and see how different binding, paper, and other options affect the price. We look forward to helping you bring your book printing vision to life!