After at least four years of research, it is so far: your dissertation is finally finished. Now it’s time to print the thesis. It is customary to do that in the form of a booklet. You can send your thesis online to the print operator. They check your dissertation-pdf and advises you on choosing the paper and the printing and binding method. In this article you will find more information that you can help with printing your thesis. After all, publishing your own book is not something you do every day!

Printing methods:

There are several ways to print your thesis:

Offset printing – A technique used for books, magazines and newspapers. The ink is applied to a rubber blanket via an aluminum plate. Then it presses the ink onto the paper. Most of the times your thesis is printed this way.
Digital printing – This is similar to how you print a photo at home, only with the professional printer at the printer. This technique is more economical with a low run, because no technical action is required before printing can be started.

Do you want to print your doctoral thesis in an edition that exceeds 150 pieces? In that case it is more economical to choose offset printing.

Format of the thesis

The most common thesis format is 17 by 24 centimeters. These are the dimensions of one page. If you want to deviate from it, you will have to take extra costs into account.

Printing costs thesis

If your circulation fluctuates around 150 pieces and you are not sure which format to choose, you can request a quotation from both printing techniques.

Printing thesis: which paper?

You want to print your thesis, but which paper is the best to choose? Most printers offer different types of paper. When choosing, pay attention to the following points:

Thickness – The thickness of the paper is expressed in the number of grams per square meter. The heavier the paper, the less transparent. Moreover, heavier paper feels more upscale.
Coated – Coated paper has been treated with a chalk layer, which makes the surface smoother, it does not absorb the ink and the letters and images are brighter. Uncoated paper can appear duller.
Wood-free – Paper becomes more yellow under the influence of air. That yellowing is mainly due to the wood fibers. When using wood-free paper it will become less yellow.

Binding methods

There are several ways for binding your dissertation:

Sewn bend – Groups of pages are cleverly folded and stitched together. This results in a durable and smooth book. This method is quite expensive.
Milled glued / Perfectbind – The folding sheets are milled loose and the pages are glued together as separate sheets. The disadvantage of this technique is that pages are released more quickly than is the case with the other two techniques.

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Front

Most PhD students have the cover of their thesis laminated so that the ink does not give off or gets damaged. You can usually choose from gloss or mat laminate. Gloss laminate makes the colors richer, but mat laminate looks – especially in the heavier subjects – more professionally.

In addition, with spot UV varnish you can give a part of your cover extra shine. The title of your thesis pops off the cover in this way. Praegen is a technique to apply relief in the cover. This is especially good for classic letters. Do you want to print your thesis? Then we would like to help you with this. When you decide to print your dissertation with us we can print the invitation for your PhD ceremony in the form of a bookmark.

Issuing your dissertation as a book

Your thesis is printed as a book, now it would be nice if the book is subsequently available. A good first step is to request an ISBN number, so that your book can be found in all catalogs.