Capabilities
PRINTING BOOKS
Congratulations! You’re ready to see your book in print. Whether you are a self-publisher, author, small press, experienced publisher, or anyone else who needs book printing services… we want to help! Our cutting-edge digital technology plus decades of experience adds up to a quality, affordable book. And we are so confident your book project is a good candidate for Total Printing Systems, we’ve created an interactive pricing tool which challenges you to find an area where we may not be the ideal print partner for your current project. No gimmicks. No pushy salesperson. No tedious request for quotation submittal. Get your results in an INSTANT… introducing Instant Quote.
BOOK INTERIORS
TPS offers various trim sizes from very small to fairly large. Certain bind styles have some limitations on minimum and maximum sizes that can be produced efficiently, however, we are willing to go outside of our comfort zone and try to find a way to get you the final trim size you desire. If you can dream it, we can do it!
The majority of the interiors printed at TPS will be produced using the latest digital inkjet web presses which are considered text book quality. Our Truepress Jet520HD Mono is used for single color black interiors. Unlike earlier digital presses which tended to produce gray-looking ink, the Truepress Jet520HD Mono is widely considered the best digital press on the market and it produces deeper, richer blacks. For Textbook Quality that requires superior color or B&W photos printed high res TPS has installed a Canon Océ ProStreamTM web press. The ProStream is design engineered from the ground up to print on commodity-grade offset coated and uncoated papers. It features the latest generation piezo drop-on-demand 1200 x 1200 dpi printhead, multilevel droplet size, and a new polymer pigment ink set that provides vibrant color – with smooth shadings and ultra-fine details, even in dark tones – all at full rated press speed of 1,140 pages per minute. For projects that require our very best quality, we print on our Canon ImagePress C8000VP 4-c digital sheetfed presses. These presses produce coffee table quality with vivid color comparable to offset printing.
BIND STYLES
To insure the lowest price and highest quality, Total Printing Systems has a complete in-house bindery department that includes saddle stitch, perfect binding, case binding (adhesive and side sewn), mechanical binding (spiral/wire-o/comb), loose leaf, 3-hole drill, lay-flat, and PUR binding. Take your pick from the various bind styles we offer. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, please ask.
SADDLE STITCH
Saddle stitching, or “booklet-making”, is common for small booklets, calendars, catalogs and some magazines. Several sheets of paper are printed, folded (the fold becomes the spine of the booklet) and two or more staples are placed in the fold. This can be done as a self-cover using the same paper as the interior pages or a cover can be applied to the interior pages (the cover is typically a heavier grade of paper). We are able to saddle stitch up to 116 pages of 50lb paper + cover in a single pass. Saddle stitched books must have a paper count divisible by 4.
PERFECT BINDING OR ADHESIVE BINDING
Perfect binding is commonly referred to as a paperback. Many magazines also use perfect binding. It usually consists of various sections or book blocks being assembled with a cover made from heavier paper. These book blocks are notched on the spines to allow adhesives to penetrate the pages and attach them to the covers. *** We also offer PUR binding for those customers that want their books to lay flatter when opened and when printing on a coated stock. The books are bound similarly to a normal perfect bound book but with a PUR (Poly Urethane) adhesive. In some cases PUR is used as a less expensive solution for Ota-bind and lay-flat binding. We are comfortable perfect binding from 1/8” to 2.50”, however, we have been known to bind smaller and larger when asked.
MECHANICAL BINDING
Workbooks & notebooks use this method because they need to open completely flat. The sheets are punched with round, oval or slotted holes on the binding edge. Then wire or plastic coils or rings are inserted through the holes keeping the book together. Examples are plastic spiral coil binding, wire-o, and comb binding. We can also produce semi-concealed coil bound books that allow for a printed spine for display on bookshelves. We are able to mechanically bind up to 3/4” automatically and up to 3” manually.
ADHESIVE CASE BINDING
Adhesives have come a long way and work great for binding hardcover books for normal use. Adhesive case is a style of hardcover binding where the signatures or book blocks are glued instead of sewn. Covers can be printed on coated stock or different materials can be used including Rainbow and Ecological Fibers’ materials. These materials can be foil stamped, embossed, etc. The book blocks are notched and roughed for glue penetration into the paper and reinforcement cloth is applied to add strength to the binding. This bound book block then has head and tail bands applied, if desired. It is then married together with the case, or hard cover, that has been produced separately. This type of case binding works well and is great for a lower cost alternative to Smyth sewing. PUR Adhesive can also be used to create an even greater flexibility to the spine. We can easily produce up to a 2.25” thickness for adhesive case bound products. If your book will be larger than this, that’s okay; we’ll do our best to find a way to produce it as well.
DUST JACKETS
Dust jackets are typically used in conjunction with case binding. They are usually printed and laminated or UV coated and applied loosely over the case bound book. This prevents the book from being scuffed and gives the author space for a bio or advertising on the back or inside flaps.
BOOK COVERS
BOOK COVER STOCKS
You may choose one of the following stocks on which to print your book cover.
- 8 pt C1S
- 10 pt C1S Popular choice for paperbacks
- 12 pt C1S Popular choice for paperbacks
- 80# Gloss Cover
- 80# Matte Cover
- 100# Gloss Cover
- 100# Matte Cover
- Gloss Text 100#
PRINTERS
Your book cover will be digitally printed on either our Konica Minolta C1100 4-C Digital Sheetfed Press, Kodak Nexpress SX3300 5-C Digital Sheetfed Press, or OKI Pro930 4-C Printer.
The Kodak Nexpress is a toner based digital press which delivers spectacular true, vibrant colors. It has the ability to print duplex for printing inside covers as well as the ability to print variable information. This press can print up to 3300 sheets an hour and features a dimensional clear option that will add more tactile finishes to book covers without having to go through the time and expense of embossing or running textured stocks. We also employ a Konica Minolta C1100 4-C Digital Sheetfed Press which produces smooth unmatched clarity and precise color output at high resolution and is especially adept at printing solids.
BOOK COVER STOCKS
You may choose one of the following stocks on which to print your book cover.
- 8 pt C1S
- 10 pt C1S Popular choice for paperbacks
- 12 pt C1S Popular choice for paperbacks
- 80# Gloss Cover
- 80# Matte Cover
- 100# Gloss Cover
- 100# Matte Cover
- Gloss Text 100#
LAMINATION
Lamination is used to enhance, protect, and provide durability. TPS offers gloss lamination for a shiny effect or our premium soft touch matte lamination which has a smooth, velvety feel.
CASE BOUND COVERS
Case bound covers can be wrapped with various materials including, cloth, printed paper, Rainbow products, and Ecological Fibers materials.
MATTE VARNISH/SPOT GLOSS
TPS offers matte varnish/spot gloss. This is yet another option to highlight specific areas of your cover. Typically, most of the cover is coated with a matte varnish except the portion you want to see pop, which is left glossy. The glossy areas capture the light and bring life to the cover.
EMBOSSING / DEBOSSING / STAMPING
TPS uses a Kluge EFH 14×22 sheetfed press to achieve embossing, debossing, blind embossing, and foil stamping to enhance the appearance of your book cover.
The Kluge uses a custom die (created from your art) under high pressure and heat to make an impression on the surface of the cover material. This effect allows you to feel the design…raised for embossing, depressed for debossing.
Blind embossing does not include the use of ink or foil to highlight the embossed area. The raised area is the same color as the material.
Foil stamping is the fusion of metallic foil to your cover or jacket using a heated die. Foil stamping adds eye-catching shine to specific areas on your cover. We offer many foil colors as standard options. Stamping can be used on Perfect bound or Case bound covers or dust jackets.
If you’re interested in making your book stand out we recommend adding one of these beautiful finishing options.
PRINT-ON-DEMAND
HOW IT WORKS
Print-On-Demand is a just-in-time manufacturing model that allows for a single book to be manufactured at a time. When a book is purchased from an internet site, an order will be automatically generated and sent directly to our POD facility. The print-ready files to create that book are downloaded from the cloud and a single copy of the cover and the interior will be printed on one of our toner-based devices. The cover and text is then perfect bound and 3 knife trimmed. Now it is ready to be shipped directly to the purchaser… usually the same day.
IT’S THAT SIMPLE!
In order for us to implement your POD account, the costs associated require a minimum of about 50 titles.
WAREHOUSING & SHIP-ON-DEMAND FULFILLMENT
Worried about where you are going to store your books? Worry no more! You do not have to send them anywhere. Your books can stay right here in our dedicated fulfillment center ready to ship-on-demand. Total Printing Systems offers tiers of fulfillment services from a simple monthly storage option to automated seamless order generation via integration with your online marketplace’s shopping cart(s).
SIMPLE STORAGE
Simple storage is as low as $3 per month for a shelf location or $20 per month for a pallet location. Books are packed in cartons and then stacked on pallets in our temperature-controlled warehouse.
WEB PORTAL
Most customers utilizing our fulfillment services input orders directly into our inventory management system via a web portal. It is protected by 128-bit encryption and can be accessed with any device capable of operating a standard browser and connecting to the internet. The cost for shopping cart integration requires analysis and assessment on an individual basis as each circumstance requires customized mapping. Ask your account representative about our manual and automated options that are also available.
PICK & PACK AND KIT ASSEMBLY
PACKAGING AND SHIPPING
PACKAGING
Our standard packaging for your books incorporates a corrugated carton or envelope where appropriate. If you’d like a sturdier option our 275# cartons are popular with many of our publishers.
In order to protect your books during shipping we recommend shrink-wrapping in singles or various quantities. Please make us aware of your packaging needs when estimating your project.
We are routinely supplied custom cartons, but please be sure to check in advance for the respective dimensions needed.
SHIPPING
Our strategic Midwest location reduces shipping times to most destinations within the continental United States. Total Printing Systems can deliver books in a radius that reaches Toronto, New York, Minneapolis, Orlando, Dallas, and Denver, under the most economical tier available with delivery in three days or less via UPS or FedEx. It is very helpful to be informed at the outset of a production where your order will be shipping and the number of locations as well as any other special instructions.
Do you have a dock or know a business with a forklift where you can retrieve your shipment? If so, you may take advantage of our steeply discounted contracts with Less-Than-Truckload carriers. These are negotiated on our high volume of inbound and outbound shipments annually. This is yet another area of savings you can enjoy by choosing Total Printing Systems as your print partner.
If you prefer, we invite you to arrange for pickup by a carrier of your choice. Better yet, consider retrieving your shipment from our facility in person if at all possible. We would love to take you on a tour of the facilities if your time permits.
eBOOKS
OPTIMIZED ePUB
reflowable content, meaning that an ePub reader can optimize text for a particular display device. Optimized ePUB is suitable for all eReaders/devices.
FIXED LAYOUT PDF
can be used on any device but the pages are fixed, meaning the content does not flow from page to page. Fixed layout is a good option for projects such as comic or children’s books so the text stays with the corresponding art.
