Book design, editing, printing, binding, marketing.

Thinking about your book cover...

Book Covers

Paperbacks

The most common cover stock for paperback books is 10 pt C1S. This designates a 10 point card stock. This card stock is also referred to as cover stock delineating it from text stock. Cover stock has more body, it is stiffer and heavier than text stock. The larger the format of the book such as 7’ x 10” and up usually have a better feel if you can use a 12pt or 14pt cover stock. This would also work if the number of pages passes the 350-400 page count. The heavier the weight of the book the more I would tend to recommend a heavier cover stock.

Coatings & Laminations

There are basically 5 treatments that you can choose from in relation to the cover and/or dust jacket for your book.

• No Treatment
• Print Varnish
• Aqueous Coating
• Ultraviolet Coating (UV)
• Film Lamination

No Treatment

Some cover stock (kraft, for example) require no coating. In fact there seems to be no advantage to applying coatings to absorbent surfaces. For those jobs in which, for one reasin or another, cover stocks are given no protective coating, printing inks may be blended with wax to give a degree of protection during manufacturing,

Print Varnish

Varnish is the oldest type of liquid finish. It’s made of oils (modified with daying agent), synthetics, resins, waxes and other compounds. When applied to a cover, varnish provides a thin, transparent, protective film.

The advantages to varnish are that it is economical. It is the least expensive protective finish in current usage. It can be applied during the printing run. It is easy to apply to selected spots. It accepts imprinting, which means you can print over it. It offers some alcohol resistance. Colors are enhanced by a varnish coating. They appear richer or deeper or darker then before the application. Last but not least varnish can be applied over most inks.

The disadvantages are that it will discolor over time. It is the least scuff resistant of the coating in current usage. It requires a good grade of coated paper stock for optimum results.

More on book covers
Back to Articles Index