The book
How a photo book is printed, from upload to doorstep
When you order a Paper Chain book, nothing comes off a shelf. The book doesn't exist until you ask for it. Here's what happens between the button and the letterbox.
1. A print file is made
Your photos, captions and notes are laid out into a single PDF: the cover as one wide sheet (back, spine and front together), then every inside page at exact size with a few millimetres extra around the edge, called bleed, which is trimmed off after printing.
You can open this file from the order screen before you pay. It's the same file the printer receives.
2. It goes to a printer near the address
We work with a print network that has presses in many countries. The order is sent to the one nearest the delivery address. A book for Auckland is printed in New Zealand; a book for Manchester is printed in the UK.
That matters for three reasons: it's quicker, postage is domestic, and where the printer is in the same country or customs area, nothing is held at a border. We print in 15 countries and deliver to 40; the delivery page lists which is which.
3. Printing
Books like this are printed on digital presses, which lay down toner or ink directly from the file with no plates to set up. That's what makes a single copy affordable. Pages are printed on both sides of heavy silk-coated paper.
4. Binding and finishing
- The pages are gathered into a block and glued along the spine.
- The cover is printed separately and given a matt laminate, which protects it from scuffs and fingerprints.
- For a softcover, the cover is wrapped around the block and glued. For a hardcover, the printed sheet is wrapped around stiff boards first.
- The three open edges are trimmed square.
5. Packing and posting
The finished book is packed flat and handed to a carrier. We show you the delivery estimate before you pay and email you when the order is placed.
Why a minimum of 28 pages?
A glued spine needs a certain thickness to hold. Below 28 pages there isn't enough paper for the glue to grip, so that's the shortest book the printer will bind.
Printing one copy at a time means nothing is wasted. No stock, no pulped leftovers.