Hardcover book printing
Our hardcovers are case-bound with an adhesive case wrap: your full-colour printed cover is wrapped around rigid boards, and the book block is attached with adhesive and end sheets. Add a printed dust jacket if you want one. Hardcover is the format readers expect for gifts, reference works and books meant to last.
It costs more per copy than paperback, and the difference is largest at small quantities. This page covers what drives the price and how the cover file differs.
How our hardcovers are built
- The interior is printed and the page block is bound with adhesive.
- Boards are cut to the book's height and width, slightly larger than the trimmed page block.
- Your printed cover, finished in gloss, matte or soft touch, is wrapped around the boards and turned in at the edges.
- The page block is attached to the case with end sheets, which match your interior paper.
- If you chose a dust jacket, it is printed separately and wrapped around the finished case.
What drives the hardcover price
- Page count. More pages means a thicker block, more paper, and a wider spine board.
- Trim size. Large formats need larger boards and a larger case wrap, and they use more paper per copy.
- Paper and interior. Heavier and coated papers, and full-colour interiors, cost more per page. Hardcover on 80lb Satin or 100lb Matte also takes longer to produce.
- Dust jacket. A separate printed piece with its own dimensions, wrap and lamination.
- Quantity. Case-making has a real setup element, so at 50 copies each book carries far more of it than at 1,000.
Lay-flat and sewn bindings
A case-bound book does not stay open on its own. For a novel that does not matter; for a journal, workbook or cookbook it can. We do not currently offer lay-flat, spiral or Smyth-sewn bindings, so if your book is designed to be written in, talk to us before you choose the format.
The cover file is different
A paperback cover is one spread wrapping around a spine whose width comes from the page count and stock. A hardcover is not that:
- The case wrap is printed artwork wrapped onto the boards, so it has a turn-in allowance where it folds inside.
- The board adds thickness on all three outer edges beyond the trimmed page block — a hardcover is slightly larger than its trim size.
- A dust jacket is a completely separate piece with its own dimensions, wrap and lamination.
So the order is fixed: choose the binding, finish the interior, get the page count, then build the cover. A cover built before the page count is known cannot have a correct spine, and for hardcover the case dimensions depend on it too.
Hardcover or paperback?
| Choose | When |
|---|---|
| Hardcover | Gifts, launches, reference works, cookbooks, art books, and titles expected to be handled heavily |
| Paperback | Novels, memoirs, general non-fiction — cheaper, and what readers expect at that price |
| Both | A small hardcover run for events and reviewers, with the main run in paperback. Separate ISBNs for each. |
What hardcover costs per copy, against paperback
The same 200-page, 6 x 9 in black-and-white book on 60lb natural paper with a gloss cover, priced in our calculator. Hardcover is the adhesive case wrap.
| Copies | Paperback, per copy | Hardcover, per copy | Hardcover costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $13.92 | $19.82 | $5.90 more |
| 100 | $8.70 | $15.21 | $6.51 more |
| 500 | $7.79 | $12.68 | $4.89 more |
Printing only. Shipping and sales tax are extra. Price your own book in the book printing calculator.
Book dust jackets
A dust jacket is the removable printed paper sleeve over a hardcover. It protects the case, carries the cover art and gives you flaps for the blurb and the author biography. Our hardcovers are case-bound with an adhesive case wrap, and a printed dust jacket is optional. Jackets have their own dimensions (cover, spine and flaps), so a jacket order is quoted individually and confirmed by our team before printing: ask for a hardcover quote with a dust jacket. Read about paperback vs hardcover and binding types.
Still deciding who should print your book? Book printers compared: the types, what to ask each one, and what printing costs.
Frequently asked questions
What is hardcover book printing?
Our hardcovers are case-bound with an adhesive case wrap: your printed cover is wrapped around rigid boards, and the book block is attached to the case with adhesive and end sheets. It is far more durable than a paperback and the format expected for gift editions, reference titles and books intended to be kept for years.
How much more does hardcover cost than paperback?
Hardcover costs more per copy because of the boards, the case-making and, if you choose one, a dust jacket. For a 200-page, 6 x 9 in black-and-white book on 60lb natural paper, Harmony's printing price per copy is 25 copies: $19.82 hardcover against $13.92 paperback ($5.90 more); 100 copies: $15.21 hardcover against $8.70 paperback ($6.51 more); 500 copies: $12.68 hardcover against $7.79 paperback ($4.89 more). These are printing prices from the calculator, before shipping and sales tax; page count, trim size, paper and colour change them, so price your exact book in the book printing calculator.
What is the difference between case binding and perfect binding?
Perfect binding glues the page block directly into a flexible card cover — this is a paperback. Case binding wraps a printed cover around rigid boards and attaches the page block to it — this is a hardcover. The two need different cover files: a paperback cover is a single wrapping spread; a hardcover case wrap has a turn-in allowance and possibly a separate dust jacket.
What is the difference between a book jacket and a book cover?
The cover is printed on the case itself: the boards wrapped in your printed cover. The dust jacket is a separate printed paper sleeve that goes over the case, with flaps folded inside the front and back. It carries the cover art, plus the blurb and author biography on the flaps, and a reader can remove it. A hardcover can have a printed case with no jacket, or both.
What size is a book dust jacket?
A jacket is flat-printed as one piece: the back cover, spine and front cover, plus a flap at each end and a small bleed. Its width is the front and back widths, the spine, both flaps and the bleed, so it depends on the trim size and on the spine width, which comes from the page count and paper. Do not design a jacket until the page count is final. We confirm the exact dimensions when we quote your jacket.
Can I have a dust jacket?
Yes. A printed dust jacket goes over the printed case wrap and is a separate piece with its own dimensions. Orders with a dust jacket are confirmed by our team before printing.
Does a hardcover book lie flat?
No. A case-bound book does not stay open on its own, which matters for journals, workbooks and cookbooks. We do not currently offer lay-flat, spiral or Smyth-sewn bindings, so if your book is designed to be written in, talk to us before you choose the format.
Does a hardcover need its own ISBN?
Yes. An ISBN identifies one edition in one format, so a hardcover and a paperback of the same book need separate ISBNs. You can print both — often a small hardcover run for launches and reviewers alongside a paperback main run.
What page count works for hardcover?
Hardcover handles both thin and thick books better than paperback, which has a practical minimum. Very thin books can look insubstantial in a case, so spine width matters aesthetically as well as structurally. The book printing calculator shows the page range for your trim size and paper.
Should I print hardcover or paperback?
Paperback is the right choice for most novels and general non-fiction — it is cheaper and what readers expect at that price. Hardcover suits gifts, launches, reference works, cookbooks, art books and anything expected to be handled heavily. A common approach is a small hardcover run for events and reviewers with the main run in paperback.
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