Commercial Printing
Art and photography book printing at Renjie is case bound with section-sewn blocks, printed on 150–200 gsm matt art stock, with printed covers, jackets and slipcases. 96 to 320 pages, from 500 copies, proofed on a hard-copy contract proof before the run.
Standard Specifications
Art books are opened flat, held open at a double-page spread and looked at for longer than any other book. A section-sewn block lies flat at 180° and survives that treatment for decades; a glued block eventually cracks at the hinge, exactly where a full-bleed plate is least forgiving. That is why sewn binding is the default here rather than an upgrade.
| Component | Typical options |
|---|---|
| Binding | Section sewn case bound (standard); exposed-spine sewn on request |
| Cover | Printed paper over 2.5–3 mm board, book cloth or buckram, with or without jacket |
| Extent | 96–320 pages, multiples of 8 or 16 for the plate sections |
| Text stock | 150–200 gsm matt art for plates; uncoated 100–120 gsm for essays |
| 4C process, duotone, Pantone metallics, spot varnish; matt lamination | |
| Extras | Rigid slipcase, printed belly band, ribbon marker, printed endsheets |
| Minimum order | 500 copies per title |
Colour
Solid brand colours forgive a small drift; a sky or a skin tone does not. We run a G7-style calibration workflow with spectrophotometer readings on press, checked against ISO 12647-2 tolerances, and we are explicit that this is a process we follow rather than a certification we hold. For a photography title, the practical consequence is a hard-copy contract proof you sign before the run — not a screen PDF. Papers can be supplied FSC-certified with chain-of-custody documents where the project needs them.
FAQ
Three reasons: heavier coated stock, sewn rather than glued blocks, and a larger trim that fits fewer books per sheet. Paper alone can account for a third of the cost at these weights, so a stock change moves the price more than any other single decision.
Sometimes, quoted case by case — the constraint is plate and make-ready cost, not willingness. Tell us the extent and stock and we will say plainly whether 300 copies is rational or whether 500 at a lower unit price is the better answer.
Yes — uncoated text, colourplan-type dyed stocks and textured covers can all be sourced. Uncoated changes how ink sits on the sheet, so expect the proof to look softer than a coated proof of the same file; that is the stock, not a printing fault.
