Custom Books
We specialize in creating unique books to fulfill your unique vision.
Custom Books
We specialize in creating unique books to fulfill your unique vision.
Turn any book project into a dream book project. From distinctive covers to special papers and techniques, we can help you create books that can’t help but get noticed —and assemble hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind books that will never be forgotten.
Producing custom books is what One Book at a Time is known for. We’ve developed a reputation in the book printing industry as the go-to source for special options and materials, helpful guidance and exceptional attention to detail. When you truly want your book to stand out—go custom. See custom examples.
Popular Custom Options
Check out our portfolio of custom books we’ve produced for other customers.
Personal and business projects can take on a whole new dimension with custom design options and the help of our custom book making team.
Custom Sizes
Print your book any size you want up to 12″ x 18″.
A book’s size can excite, intrigue and even telegraph to readers what to expect inside. Maybe your idea is a special pocket book that’s very, very small. Children’s books engage young minds by coming in a wide variety of sizes. Oversize coffee table books, for instance, are the best way to showcase the colorful visuals of a travel book, art portfolio or company history.
Businesses use books to make big — bigger.
Whether you’re a small business or a large one, a book makes a statement about your business. The books we produce help build credentials for your firm, your people and your projects. Make special events more special, new products more exciting and celebrations of new opportunities and business milestones even larger with your own special book.
Bindings
Our standard binding for hardbound books is a Case Binding. Casebound books refer to books where the cover graphic is wrapped and adhered around the book’s hard cover, then it’s laminated to make it strong and long-lasting. Standard Case Binding can be customized with alternate materials like linen cloth or leather-like materials and textures. See Custom Cover Materials.
Our standard binding for softcover books is called Perfect Binding. Softcover books are also referred to many times as perfect bound books. Perfect bound books are softcover books where the cover and interior pages have been trimmed to the same size with no overhang. Our covers are held in place with the industry’s most durable PUR glue for added longevity.
Perfect bound books can take advantage of cover treatments like debossing, diecutting, or foil stamping (see below). Additional options are available for your Softcover book cover by using a different kind of binding, like Wire-O, which allows you to choose different cover materials, add tabs, etc.
Custom Bindings can add functionality and a distinctive look to your book. We have years of experience creating Lay-flat Bindings for books that need to open fully for easy display of graphics and photos, for instance. Lay-flat bindings are used when you want the book to be able to easily and naturally open back on itself without damaging the spine.
Wire-O Bindings (and Plastic Coil) also allow books to open fully flat for easy viewing. They are a hard working format that’s frequently used for business/sales applications, as well as for educational purposes. These kinds of bindings are also used for annual reports, manuals, cookbooks and personalized notebooks. The flexibility of this type of binding means they can feature custom tabs and a variety of custom paper stocks. Because they are not actually bound to the pages, these books can also feature a variety of unique cover materials —for instance, a heavier weight paperboard, a clear plastic or even a colored vinyl. Wire-O Bindings also offer an especially smooth crossover when turning pages.
A typical Post Binding features a number of “metal posts” which are inserted through holes in the book’s pages. Hardware is used to keep pages in place rather than gluing. This gives the book a look and feel that’s very industrial chic. Post Binding is also chosen because pages can be added or subtracted at a later date.
The 3-Ring Case Bound Binder is a One Book at a Time exclusive. Our 3-Ring Binder comes with a coated case binding wrapped around it that gives it a very professional looking, finished appearance. Each binder can be individually personalized. Similar to a Post Binding, it’s easy to switch out content. These popular binders are ideal for manuals,
cookbooks, or for business presentations.
Saddle Stitch is an economical way to bind your book. Pages are stapled together at the spine, and can only be used for books and pamphlets with fewer than 50 pages.
Compare Bindings
Casewrap
Perfect
Wire-O
Lay-flat
Saddle Stitch
Post Binding
Custom Cover Materials (Hardcover)
Linen-Wrapped
Dust Jackets (Hardcover)
Dust jackets are typically used in conjunction with a case binding to provide protection. They can also give the author space for a biography, reviews or promotional text which can go on the back or the inside flaps. This is especially true if you choose to use a leatherette or fabric cover (see Cover Materials) with gold foil like the example at right. After printing our dust jackets, we apply a gloss or matte lamination which prevents scuffing.
Adding Headbands and Footbands (Hardcover)
Also called head and tailbands, these pieces of colored twine are found on the top and bottom of the spine of quality casebound hardcover books. At one time, they were needed to add strength and support to a handsewn binding. Now they are more about adding a distinctive design flair —but their presence still denotes a book of quality. Headbands and footbands can be created in one or two colors.
Headband
Color and Printed End Sheets (Hardcover)
End sheets refer to the paper sheets that attach the inside pages of a case bound book to its cover. End sheets come standard in white, but numerous customers have asked us to use black and other colors that can complement the specific look of their book. We can also print these end sheets with custom patterns, logos or other graphics.
Printed End Sheet
Inside Cover Printing (Softcover)
Similar to the color and printed endsheets for hardcover books, we can print graphics on the inside front and back cover of your softcover book. Printing can bleed on all edges, and be comprised of solid colors, patterns, logos, illustrations —you name it!
Inside Cover Printing
Custom Interior Paper
Custom paper can excite the senses with texture, color and thickness options. Perhaps you are creating a technical manual that requires fold-out pages? A company history that has translucent interleaf pages over photos or between sections? A family history with textured paper that feels like a diary, or a children’s book that uses bright colored paper? Call and let’s discuss some options.
There are also a number of different finishes which are not normally used for interior pages but which can create a distinctive effect. They can be defined by their unique patterns:
Felt Finish–A soft woven pattern;
Linen Finish–An embossed finish that simulates the pattern of linen cloth;
Vellum Finish–A rougher, toothy finish;
Wove Finish–A fine finish with almost an absence of texture.
“I was nervous about creating this children’s book”
“I was looking for a custom book printer that could offer me flexible options to make my book just how I envisioned it. This book required a custom size, interior gutter bleeds, colored endpapers and heavier weight interior paper with a matte finish. My biggest concern was color reproduction, but it turned out beautiful. Extremely accurate. What a relief, thank you! My previous experience with an online printer was not nearly as good when it came to color accuracy. Overall, a great experience.”
Cover Treatments
Debossing – Create or enhance an image by pressing a metal die in the shape of your desired image into the surface of your book cover. The result is an image that’s been depressed into the cover which creates an elegant, sculptural effect. Debossing makes book covers more textural and exciting, but it can also evoke a sense of importance as when stone or wood is engraved. Debossing can be paired with ink, foil stamp or nothing at all which is referred to as “blind debossing”. Available for both hardcover and softcover books.
Embossing – Embossing is the opposite of debossing. With embossing, a die is pressed from the opposite side of the cover of a softcover book to create a raised surface. For softcover books only.
DieCutting – Diecutting refers to cutting shapes out of paper or paperboard using a metal die. This means book covers can feature one or more “cut-out” windows that reveal a hint of the book’s interior. Diecuts can make your book cover more interesting, help tell a story or create a mystery. The diecut shapes can be irregular – like a word – or simpler, like a rectangle or a circle. Simpler shapes are less expensive to create than irregular ones. For softcover books only.
Compare Treatments
Debossing Plus Ink
Blind Debossing
DieCutting
Foil Stamp
Foil stamping is often applied to our cloth or faux-leather covered books in gold, silver, white, black or clear foil. This look is often coupled with a dust jacket, and adds style to books such as novels, children’s books, poetry, business, history and wedding books. Hint: Highlighting certain elements of your cover with clear foil stamping can create the same dramatic effect as “spot lamination”. Available for both hardcover and softcover books.
