Coffee table books are large, well designed format of showcasing visually interesting content. Mainly concerned with anchoring photography-based, art-based and/or design-based projects, these books need to be produced to the very highest standards.
If you plan on printing a coffee table book for personal use or a business, here is how you should go about it to have the best looking result.
Choose the Right Book Format
Coffee table books come in all shapes and sizes, but generally share a few key format qualities:
- Oversized dimensions. Standard sizes are 10×12 inches or greater, but 12×12, 14×11, and other larger landscape or square pictures are great as well. This is perfect for large-scale imagery, that is, imagery that is big and unapologetically bold.
- Premium paper. Coated paper stock especially with a smoother surface delivers clear and rich quality of colors and details. Use 100# weight paper or above.
- Layflat binding. Sewn binding causes no hinge or gutters in the middle of pages making the book to spread out well used for spreads.
- High page count. Expect at least 60 to 80 pages to be able to have sufficient space to tell the story and still keep the physical weight of the book manageable when opened.
From the very beginning, nail image quality was a key factor.
The best coffee table books boast better photography and bright, sharp illustrations. When preparing your files:
- Photographs with high resolution. The end format for a coffee table book requires a 300 dpi files at the actual print dimensions—something way beyond that normally used on the web or on screen.
- Work in CMYK color mode. This makes it possible to control for colour in printing rather than RGB that is used in display media.
Maintain a physical online image gallery and crop image to save as high quality TIFFs to avoid watermarking. TIFF works well with CMYK and high res more than performs the JPEGs does. Keep files uncompressed.
However, the use of images should not be overdone and should be enhanced in a way to capture the attention of the target group. Brighten, contrast, crop, etc., enhance, but do not over-process the image so that when printed, its quality will be lessened.
Focus on a Cohesive Layout
In the case of coffee table books, the layouts of the books cannot just be posters: their physical structures must pop.
- Create a key grid that will ensure equal spacing across all the spreads. Everything, starting from the columns, margins, images, and captions, to the others should be aligned.
- AE’s rule no. 1 for designing with images is to give images plenty of white space to breathe. This is the main reason why you should also avoid placing several visuals in the same page or area.
- The fonts should be classy and the typography organization should also be correctly arranged in a hierarchical form. When it comes to the contrast, we have a very large display type that looks super elegant along with super elegant body copy.
Use of Master pages and templates. This makes it easy for you to change the look of layout component throughout the book instead of have to fix each spread individually.
Selecting the right partner for printing
Coffee table books are high profile and not every printer can meet the high standards expected of them this is not the right time for an online company printer. Seek out an expert book printing partner with:
- A keen eye for color. Ensure that your printer knows something about color management, and if at all you are to use CMYK then you are sure your images will be as clear as you intended them to be.
- Bindery experience. Choose a printer that can give options for layflat binding and that can accommodate the large trim sizes so typical of coffee table books. Do not use those that closer can only perfect bind.
- Luxury material sourcing. Your printer should be able to obtain thick, 100# paper stock with coatings and a textutre worthy of an art book.
- Hands-on proofing. At sizes common for coffee table books the mistakes may be quite obvious, therefore choose a printer that offers hard copy proofs prior to a large scale production.
Plan for Special Handling
The production differences between coffee table books and standard books also impact shipping and storage processes:
Pack books flat. Bring additional cardboard backing and padding to prevent book bending during transportation without having to pay extra for shipping. It is recommended to supply heavy lifting equipment. Provide allowances for these books, which can weigh more than 10 pounds, for safe distribution by your printer as well as your retailers and end users.
Think about shelf life and storage issues. Bulk affects shelf life and the different paper thickness and lay flat binding affect shelf life when laying flat.Thick paper shelving should stand vertically in order not to warp when laid flat.
Finally, apply any special touches that reflect the luxury status of these books:
- Envelopes with satin, gloss or spot varnish on the outer side. It simply provides luster and depth.
- Metallic, foil stamping or embossing, on the cover. This results to an ultra long and classy appearance.
- Artistic book jackets. As extra protection, get jackets with artistic work or photographer where people are involved since it adds onto the finished product.
From enhancing every detail of your image editing to selecting premium printing materials and applying post-press finishing effects, our coffee table book printing services ensure that every element meets uniformly high standards. The result is a stunning production worthy of showcasing artistic works or adding a touch of elegance to any modern home decor. Whether it’s for art collections, photography, or design, our expert approach ensures that your coffee table books make a lasting impression.