Enhance Your Book Cover

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Does anybody actually follow that rule when browsing for a new book?

In the world of print books, you only have a few quick seconds to impress potential readers.  You ultimately want to stand out from the crowd (or in this case, the other books on the shelf) and grab the reader’s attention. A great cover design and the right finishing touches make that goal attainable.

At CHG, we offer a variety of finishing options that can take your printed book from ordinary to extraordinary. We’re here to help you through every step of the way. To do that, we’ve outlined some of our services that will help you enhance your book cover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foil Stamping

Foil stamping is a traditional cover decoration that can be added to hardcover or softcover books. The process involves making a custom metal die, heating the die and then make an impression into the cover material. Foil stamping can add shimmer and texture to highlight specific text or images on your cover. This process can also be combined with embossing to create a more striking 3D image. 

Embossing and Debossing

Embossing and debossing are two techniques used to imprint impressed or depressed images onto paper. Embossing is a raised design – a logo or other graphic image, for example – that is pressed into paper or card stock from underneath. The raised area can have ink or foil applied, or it can be left unprinted/unfoiled. When an emboss is not printed or foil stamped it is referred to as a blind emboss. Debossing is the opposite of embossing. With debossing, the imprinted design causes depressions in the material, leaving a depressed (debossed) imprint on the image of the paper. Both embossing and debossing can be used in combination with offset printing or foil stamping to add depth and impact to a design. Dies can be sculpted as a single-level, multilevel, sculptured or with beveled edges to create striking, multi-dimensional designs.

Dull/Gloss
To achieve a combined look of dull and gloss on the book cover, a layflat gloss film lamination is applied to the cover or dust jacket and then a matte over-coating is applied on press to the areas of the cover that are intended to have a matte finish. CHG applies the matte over-coating on an offset printing press, giving us the ability to achieve very tight registration. This treatment does not work for all cover designs but can be a very effective way to highlight a particular title or image within the printed piece.

When considering these cover embellishments, it is important to carefully evaluate the appropriateness and value that each of these might bring. For example, if your book is going to be primarily sold online, investing in cover embellishments may not be best for you. But these could add great value if sold in retail stores where buyers will be engaged by the look and feel of your book.

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