With our custom printing service we can print your books here at Harvard Book Store. Interested in publishing your novel, printing a family cookbook to present to your relatives, or bringing your previously out-of-print book back into circulation? We can help!

Benefits of printing your book at Harvard Book Store:

• Books are library-quality, perfect bound, acid-free paperbacks, indistinguishable from books produced by major publishing houses.

• Black-and-white interiors can be printed on bright white or cream colored paper. Covers are printed in vibrant full-color with the choice between matte or semi-gloss finish. 

• There are no minimums, so there are no large up-front investments as usually required by self-publishing programs. You print books as you need them.

• The author retains all rights to the printed work, along with complete control over layout, content, and design.

• The author may choose to have his or her work on display and for sale at Harvard Book Store and at harvard.com.

• The author retains rights for non-exclusive distribution and may sell books printed at Harvard Book Store through any avenue they choose.

• The author sets the book price.

• Modifications and alterations are allowed at any time, for an additional fee.

• Personalized service from an established and internationally recognized independent bookstore.

How It Works

You provide us with print-ready PDFs, and we’ll print the books! Print-ready means you give us your book files once they are final–after the writing, editing, design, and layout have been completed, and the files are formatted according to our Submission Guidelines. You can follow our DIY Formatting and Layout Guidelines [PDF] or hire someone to help you; we'll be happy to recommend local freelance editors and designers.

Want to discuss your own custom printing project, or have our printing staff review your files?

You'll need to contact us to schedule an appointment for a consultation with our Print on Demand Manager! Consultations are by appointment only, so please allow a few days for scheduling. 

Watch the heroic custom printing process in action!

Introducing Minimum Paige, Harvard Book Store's first ever comics anthology, printed right here on our in-house book machine. A project this bold — this heroic — could only be accomplished by the most dynamic of duos.

Watch Paige M. Gutenborg in action. . . in the Minimum Paige book trailer!

Watch an introductory overview of the Espresso Book Machine made by On Demand Books in 2008.

You’ll submit two PDF files: one for the bookblock (the interior of the book) and one for the cover.

You must own the rights and/or have permission to use any content or images included in your book.

You may submit your files by email at bookmachine@harvard.com or you may bring them into the store on a USB, CD, DVD, or zip drive.    

Bookblock

The bookblock consists of your interior pages. It includes any blank pages and front or back matter. It will print in black and white.

Minimum number of pages: 40

Maximum number of pages: 700

Trim size dimensions (W” x H”): minimum 4.5” x 5.5”, maximum 8.25” x 10.5”
(trim size is the width and height dimensions of the book)

Determining your page count:

A 300-page book only uses 150 pieces of paper, printed on the front and back. When considering any blank pages, dedications, about the author pages, etc, remember to think of each physical piece of paper as 2 pages in your final book page count.

Cover

For layout purposes, your cover is the back + spine + front of your book, printed as one continuous sheet (a 17”x11” landscape-oriented rectangle).

Nothing can print on the interior side of the front or back cover.

Cover requirements:

Maximum cover dimensions = 16.75” x 10.75”

Cover must be centered vertically and horizontally in landscape-oriented 17” x 11” document

No crop / registration marks

¼” bleed on all sides

Before designing your cover, you must know your spine width. To calculate this, you’ll need your number of book pages (front, core, and back matter) and the PPI (pages per inch). The PPI measurement is specific to the thickness of the paper you’re using. Harvard Book Store's standard PPI is 434 (for Springhill Opaque 60lb cream paper).

To calculate spine
Spine width = number of pages ÷ PPI

Note: number of pages here refers to the double-sided page count you use when you describe the length of your book. Remember to include all front and back matter, as well as any blank pages, in your final page count.

Keep in mind that the appropriate trim size for your book depends upon the number of pages & your spine width. The more pages you have, the larger your spine width will be, and the smaller your overall trim size may need to be for the cover to print properly on the 17” x 11” page.

Cover Template Sample:

Please note, you will need to supply your own image for the cover. Image in sample cover template is display for placement only.

Sample Cover [PDF]
 

Copyright Page Sample:

Sample Copyright Page [PDF]

Additional Formatting Guidelines

Read our expanded DIY Formatting and Layout Guidelines [PDF].

Set-up Options:

This is the initial, one-time fee you pay prior to printing through Harvard Book Store. We offer an option to suit every project and budget!

$10 – Basic Set-Up

• No proof copy.
• Your book files are stored in our servers for one year.
• Additional print-runs are subject to a $5 surcharge per order. 

$50 – Advanced Set-Up

• One free proof copy. 
• Your book files are stored in our servers for two years.
• No additional charge for subsequent print-runs.

 $75 – Pro Set-Up

• One free proof copy. 
• Your book files are stored in our servers indefinitely.
• One free revision.
• No additional charge for subsequent print-runs.
• Option to distribute your book in-store and on harvard.com.

 $125 – Premium Set-Up

• One free proof copy for each revision.  
• Your book files are stored in our servers for two years.
• Three free revisions.
• No additional charge for subsequent print-runs.
• Option to distribute your book in store and on harvard.com.
• Book listing on Amazon Marketplace. 

*Unless otherwise stated, adjustments and revisions subject to additional fees (see below).

After the initial setup, each book is printed on a price-per-page fee:

40-100 pages – $6 for the first 40 pages, plus $0.05 per page for pages 41-100

100+ pages – $9 for the first 100 pages, plus $0.02 for each additional page

Cover & Interior Layout Adjustment Fees:

Cover adjustment (including spacing and spine adjustment, text alteration, PDF formatting, etc.) – $10

Basic Cover Design (text based) – $20

Premium Cover Design (custom layout, and graphics/photos) - $75

Interior PDF adjustment (including content adjustment, page resizing, and reformatting) - $10

Revision Fees:

When you submit a revision, you're giving us a completely new set of files for your book. We'll remove your current edition from our servers and replace it with the updated version. 

Basic & Advanced Set-Ups - $20 per each revision.

Pro Set-Up - First revision is free, $15 per each subsequent revision. Proof copies can be supplied for the cost of the book. 

Premium Set-Up - First three revisions are free, $10 per each subsequent revision. Proof copies are supplied for each revision at no additional cost. 

Bulk Purchase Discounts

50+ copies | 10% off each book

Please note that all fees are subject to change.

Contact Caitlin Bechtel, our Print on Demand Manager, directly with questions or to schedule an appointment.

E-mail: bookmachine@harvard.com

Call: (617) 661-1424 ext. 8 Monday-Thursday, between 12pm and 5pm.

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