Linen Wrap Hardcover

Our Linen Wrap Hardcover books represent the best short-run books available. Every cover is handmade to order, so they fit your book’s contents correctly. We stock over 25 fine book cloth options and are happy to order you custom material if needed. Decoration options include foil stamping, dust jackets, inset images, and more.

Interior Papers

Our books are printed on high quality papers made by trusted and environmentally responsible American paper mills. We have chosen papers from Neenah, Mohawk, and Domtar which print beautifully on our presses and help to create strong and reliable bound books. Many of the papers we use are manufactured using renewable energy, and all are FSC certified.

Super Smooth Uncoated
This paper is great for art, photography and illustration books. The super smooth surface and bright white base allow for accurate and vivid color reproduction. We stock this paper in two weights, 100lb text weight (148gsm) and 80lb text weight (120gsm). The page count of your book will dictate which weight will be used.

Matte Coated
Matte coated paper is another excellent option for art, illustration and especially photography books. It offers the print quality benefits you get from coated paper — rich detail and vibrant color — without the high gloss finish of some coated offerings. Matte coated is a good choice for designs that feature solid color graphics and backgrounds. We stock this paper in 100lb text weight (148gsm).

Smooth Uncoated
We suggest using this paper for books which are primarily text, such as poetry, fiction and memoirs. This paper is slightly rougher and toothier than our photo & art paper described above. Color images still print very nicely on this stock, though it feels more appropriate for text based books. We stock this paper in 80lb text weight (120gsm), though lighter weights are available for books with high page counts. 

Natural Tone Uncoated
This paper is identical to the paper described above, but with a pleasing warm white color. Natural tone papers are considered to be easier on the eyes than bright white papers, and are frequently used for poetry books, novels, and any other text based book which does not contain many, if any images. Color images will not print accurately on this stock as the paper base is not a true white.  We stock this paper in 80lb text weight (120gsm), though lighter weights are available for books with high page counts.

Vellum Uncoated
We have added this luxurious vellum paper to our line in response to our customers request to have a more toothy paper for their books. This is a bright white paper with good opacity and thickness. The vellum surface texture appears slightly more matte than the smoother papers we offer. Color images print well on this paper, though blacks will not print quite as dark as they would on the super smooth uncoated or matte coated papers described above. We stock this paper in 80lb text weight (120gsm) only.

Endpapers

All hardcover books have endpapers. Their function is to hold the bound book block into the cover. One side of the sheet is glued onto the inside of the cover, while the other is bound to the book block. These sheets are effectively the first and last sheets in your book. We currently stock black, gray, white and natural endpapers.

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Linen and Book Cloth

We stock over 25 different colors of book cloth, in both coated and uncoated varieties. These are some of the highest quality materials available, and are suitable for fine art and collectible books of all sorts. We are happy to review you cover design to help determine which cover material is best for your book. If you are interested in ordering a custom color or material, additional options may be available. Custom materials will add cost to smaller orders. Additional material options can be viewed on our primary supplier's website, LBS Bind. For more information on custom options and pricing, please contact us directly.

Uncoated

We stock various colors of VERONA®, a high quality, fine linen. It is our most popular cover material due to its natural textured linen surface. This uncoated linen foil stamps well, however very large or intricate foil designs will retain more detail on one of the coated linen materials below. 

Coated

ALLURE® is a poly-cotton blend book cloth with an aqueous acrylic coating and linen texture. It is very strong with great durability. It takes foil stamping very well and wipes off easily if dirty. We recommend using coated book cloth for best foil stamping results. Elaborate and large foil stamping designs may require the use of coated book cloth.

Excess Cover Materials

Below is a list of excess material we have in stock at this time. You’re welcome to contact us with questions or to request that we mail you a sample swatch if you’re interested in using something you see below. When filling out the order form, choose ‘other’ from the linen color menu, and explain your choice in the notes provided on that page. Please note that we have very limited amounts of these materials, and may not have enough for larger orders. Additional excess materials that are not pictured here may be available for small order quantities.

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Our hardcover books are truly custom made, no preset sizes.

Finishing Options

Whether you are designing a family history or an artist's monograph, we are confident we'll be able to decorate your cover beautifully with our comprehensive range of traditional book finishing options. Our linen hardcover books can be foil stamped with your design, wrapped in a full color dust jacket or decorated with a beautifully printed inset image set into your books cover. Visit our specifications page to learn more about finishing options and limitations.

Foil Stamping
This traditional cover decoration can be added to our linen wrap hardcover books. The process is age-old and involves making a custom copper die from your digital files, heating the die and then pressing an impression into the cover material. Blind embossing is the same process, but without the foil. Foil stamping is a finicky medium, and some foil colors do not stamp well when certain designs are combined with particular book cover materials. If we find that the foil color or finish you have chosen does not stamp well on your book, we will contact you to suggest an alternate option.

Inset Cover Image
For out inset images, we use a metal die to apply 20 tons of pressure in order to create an indented frame for your cover's image. This allows us to safely glue the cover image into the recessed area. Inset images are printed, then either gloss, semi-matte, matte or soft touch matte laminated. The result is both beautiful and functional. 

Dust Jackets
Our dust jackets are printed in full color, then either gloss, semi-matte, or soft touch matte laminated. They are creased and trimmed by hand after the book is made in order to ensure proper fit. This classic cover protector is also the best way to add a full color image to your linen book’s cover. The folded flaps on our jackets are generally 4″ wide and can be used for text or imagery.

Custom Finishing Options
We offer a variety of additional custom finishing options. They are considered on a case by case basis, as some of these finishing options cannot be applied to certain book types. For more information, questions and pricing, please contact us directly or see our specifications chart. The additional options for Linen Wrap Hardcovers include:
• Custom Printed Endpapers
• Gatefolds
• Vellum Inserts

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