What are the different types of books?
Studio Proefschrift offers three types of books / covers: paperbacks (softcover), hardcovers (hardbound) and integrally bound. A paperback is usually used to print theses because it has a faster process than a hardcover to produce and it is less expensive. Most paperbacks are printed on cardboard, somewhere between 240 and 260 grams of paper. At Studio Thesis, we use 250 grams of Ensocoat wood-free sulphate board.
Printing your dissertation in a special hardcover edition is a wonderful reminder of one of the most important achievements in your life. Keep in mind that a hardcover has an additional price and that it takes 3 more days to process compared to a paperback. Also the cover for a hardcover has different dimensions as for a paperback. If you are interested in a hardcover edition of your dissertation, please contact one of our staff of Studio Thesis.
Hardbounds (Hardcover)
This is the original way to bind books. With this bond the book has a hard band, which consists of a front plate, a back plate and a back. Between the back and the plates are the nibs, which act as hinges. The back is not attached directly to the book block, leaving space between the book block and the back when the book is open. A bound book can just be kept closed because of that distance.
Paperback (Softcover)
Hereby the books get a 'soft', flexible cover and the pages are glued to it. This way of bookbinding is significantly cheaper and is therefore widely used for books produced in large print. Although there is an adequate Dutch word for this way of binding, the English term 'paperback' is often used.
Integrally bounded
As the only bindery in the Netherlands we still produce completely bound books. An integrally bound book combines aspects of bound books (durability, free back and cross) with those of broken books (no gray board). The result is a bound book with a flexible cover of 220-260 gr. sulphate cardboard.