Specialist finishing

We offer a range of finishing options on the University Online Shop. All timescales are available at the time of booking your job in.

If timescales are tight, for an additional fee, you can access some finishing while-u-wait at our Herbert Manzoni Building counter service. This service is subject to counter activity.

Wire binding

A continuous series of wire loops run through punched slots along the binding side of a booklet.

Wire binding is a quick and efficient method of finishing coursework. Our front of house staff punch holes through the left hand or top edge of the printed work and then thread through a wire which holds the book together.

This method normally takes 5-30 minutes depending on the volume of pages, and work can be re-bound for a small fee if you find that you need to add or exchange pages. For larger jobs we may need additional time to process the binding. The Online Shop will calculate this for you, but rush jobs can be negotiated at our counter service if your timescale is tight, and we have capacity within our production schedules. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Lamination

A thin transparent plastic sheet (coating) applied to usually a thick stock (covers, post cards, etc.) Providing protection against liquid and heavy use.

We provide a cold laminate service up to 104cm wide to any length of your choosing. This service is available on the University Online Shop for all poster products. Rush jobs can be negotiated at our counter service if your timescale is tight, and we have capacity within our production schedules. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Encapsulation

Where a printed matter is sealed inside a plastic coating providing a rigid, watertight covering.

Encapsulating printed materials ensures they are made more hardwearing and waterproof so long as the plastic coating is not pierced.

To ensure best results, material supplied for encapsulating should be as flat as possible (no thicker than 160gsm with layers kept to a minimum). We use a hot encapsulator meaning there is a small risk that items may be damaged during the encapsulation process. All encapsulating services are therefore provided at the customer’s own risk.

This service is available on the University Online Shop for all poster products. Rush jobs can be negotiated at our counter service if your timescale is tight, and we have capacity within our production schedules. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Perfect binding (4 working day turnaround)

Also referred to as adhesive or soft binding. A type of binding in which the pages of a book are held together at the binding edge by glue or a synthetic adhesive.

This glue binding process provides a high quality and cost-effective method to bind your thesis work. The spine of the book is coated in glue and then the work is wrapped with a thin card cover. The book is clamped overnight while the glue sets, and then trimmed the following morning. We have a range of colours available for the cover.

This service is available on the University Online Shop. Rush jobs can be negotiated at our counter service if your timescale is tight, and we have capacity within our production schedules. Please contact us to discuss your requirements. Please note that printing costs and timescales are calculated per job, and printing will add additional working days to the turnaround time.

Case binding (14 working day turnaround)

A hardback book made with a stiff outer cover. Case bound books are normally covered with an outer cloth, vinyl, leather, or hardwearing synthetic fabric.

Normally used for presentation copies of PhD theses, hard binding is a traditional and attractive finishing option. Our bookbinder carefully stitches and glues the spine of the book, and then attaches a hard cover bound in buckram (a hardwearing synthetic fabric). The covers can be finished with traditional lead typesetting to display the title and author of the work. We stock a range of colours for the buckram cover, with samples available at the print services counter.

This service is available on the University Online Shop. Rush jobs can be negotiated at our counter service if your timescale is tight, and we have capacity within our production schedules. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Sublimation print (3 working day turnaround)

Sublimation printing is transferring specific or sublimation dyes to a transfer sheet that are then imprinted or “sublimated” into textiles or other compatible materials by adding heat.

We provide sublimation print at A4 and A3. We do not heat press the final transfer.

This service is available on the University Online Shop. Rush jobs can be negotiated at our counter service if your timescale is tight, and we have capacity within our production schedules. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Envelope printing

A specialist service using purpose made envelopes that have heat resistant glue and windows to go through our machines.

We can print any size envelope; with any design you would like. Corporate styles will be designed by our Design Team incorporating the University pre-paid postage identifier. Get in touch and our team can advise on the best options