It’s time! You have finished writing and your PhD thesis is ready to be printed. You have found the right printer to bundle your ‘baby’ into a book: your very own PhD thesis! But what should you do now? What will be the next step? Having a PhD thesis printed is not something you do every week, do you?
How do I send all my files? What files does the printing company need and in which format should they be delivered? What specific requirements should the files meet?
You can find the answers to these and other questions in this blog:
- Which files do I need to provide?
- In which formats do I need to deliver my files?
- Are there any specific requirements for a good PDF file?
- Sending the final PDF files
Want to know more about printing techniques, paper types and binding methods?
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Which files do I need to send to the printing company?
Your PhD thesis consists of a number of ‘standard parts’:
- – The cover;
- – The interior;
- – The invitation / bookmark (optional);
- – The propositions (optional).
All ‘parts’ are printed separately. Each on a different machine and on a specific paper type. You can imagine that the cover is printed on a thicker paper than, for example, the inside. After everything is printed, the different ‘parts’ are bound into a book.
Which file formats can I send?
We can be quite short on this: everything must be delivered as a PDF file. A separate PDF file of each ‘part’ and preferably with the correct dimensions. For example, the PDF of the interior should preferably have the page size of 170×240 mm.
Are there any specific requirements for a good PDF file?
Absolutely! For example the PDF of the interior must consist of so-called ‘single pages’. We hereby mean that all pages must be placed one below the other and not next to each other (on spread like a correct cover).
Furthermore the PDF files should, preferably, be provided with crop marks and at least two millimeter bleed on each side. Bleed is some extra margin where the image extends to the edge of the page. For example with a figure or with a tab in which the chapter number is indicated. This applies to the PDF of the interior, the cover, the invitation and, if applicable, the PDF of the propositions (160×230 mm).
Depending on the software used for the layout of your PhD thesis, this may mean that the format of the PDF changes to, for example, 174×244 mm. That is the format of your PhD thesis, including the required extra bleed of 2 millimeter. The PDF of the cover and of the invitation/bookmark must also be provided with this 2 millimeter bleed.
Please make sure when creating the PDF files that you opt for a high resolution-setting. Usually such an output is predefined in the program itself under the name ‘printing’, ‘high resolution’ or ‘press quality’.
Sending the PDF files
Sending the final PDF files can be done in different ways. Wetransfer.com is the most used. You can easily and securely send large PDF files by wetransfer. If the PDF files are not too large (max. 10Mb), they can also be send to us by e-mail.
Free handy information book
For a smooth process it is important that your PDF files meet a number of specifications. We have also collected these for you in our information book. It contains tips and tricks that you should pay attention to before, during and after sending your PDF files. You can request this book for free or download it as a PDF file. Please use the button below.
Good luck and if there are any questions please let us know!
