Lookbook Printing

lookbook printing services
Lookbook Printing
print fashion lookbook
Custom Lookbook Printing
printing lookbooks
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lookbook printing services
Lookbook Printing
print fashion lookbook
Custom Lookbook Printing
printing lookbooks
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Create your own high-quality, professional lookbook with our exceptional custom offset printing services and take advantage of unbeatable prices, too!

Lookbooks can play a vital role in your success as a business, entrepreneur, or independent creative. Whether you’re an artist, a model, a designer, a craftsperson, or you work in the fashion, automotive, or real estate verticals, you’ll need a beautiful lookbook that stands out in a competitive commercial environment. A professional lookbook is more than a portfolio of images and samples; it’s an ambassador for your brand and your personality, and it needs to highlight what’s unique about your offer. It must be eye-catching, attention-grabbing, and eloquent.

At QinPrinting, we love elevating the profiles of creative artists, designers, and engineers—amateur or professional—with stunning custom lookbooks. 25 years of success in the industry, an expert team, state-of-the-art technological wizardry, and unrivaled customer service  sustain our first-class reputation in the creative industries worldwide. Let us help you to make a lookbook that’s both beautiful and effective.

Instant Quote

Quantity
We are an offset printer, rather than a digital or print-on-demand service, so we must impose a minimum order quantity (MOQ). We’ve set ours as low as possible, at 100 units. But with offset printing, the higher the quantity you order in a single print run, the lower the cost-per-unit.
Size
Choose preset dimensions from the dropdown menu or click “CUSTOM SIZE” to enter your own custom dimensions.
Please use the format, width x height;
size
so, 5.5" x 8.5" would mean 5.5" wide and 8.5" high.
The possible size range is 3.74" to 11.69" in width or height, allowing for portrait or landscape orientation.
Cover
The cover is composed of four pages. They are the front cover, the inside front cover, the inside back cover, and the back cover.
Cover Paper
If you need special paper not shown in the dropdown menu, please contact us.

1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Cover Paper

Lamination
We laminate only the outside of the cover.
Surface
We offer a comprehensive selection of special surface finishes which we can apply to most covers, with a few limitations. For example, spot UV can only be applied to matte laminated and soft-touch laminated covers.
These options are only suitable for gold or silver foil stamping up to a 5.9" x 1.18" area; and embossing, debossing, or spot UV up to a 7.87" x 1.96" area. If the special finish area you need is larger than this, please contact us to get a quote.
Besides gold and silver foil, we can foil stamp designs in a range of colors. If you need a special color foil stamp or have specific surface requests, please contact us. We’ll be happy to help.
Inner
Page Count
One sheet of paper is equal to two pages.
page-sheet
page-sheet
 
The total page count is a multiple of 4. When printing and binding your book, we fold sheets into “signatures”.
If your book is larger, say, 8.5" x 11" or A4 size, one signature will have 16 pages. So, the inner page amount should be divisible by 16. Making your page counts match signatures is the most economical solution.
Inner Paper
Please select your paper choice for your internal pages from the dropdown menu. If you have a special request not listed here, get in touch. We’ll do everything possible to satisfy your needs.
1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Text Paper
Binding
If your book has 48 pages or fewer, we recommend saddle stich as your binding option.
If you have more pages and choose fairly thin paper, such as 80 gsm /54 lb or 105 gsm / 71 lb text paper, we recommend perfect binding.
If your book has heavier interior paper or the page count exceeds 200 pages, sewn perfect binding will be your best choice.
Wire-O and spiral binding are other options and both of them open flat.
perfect binding
sewn perfect binding
wire-o binding
saddle stitch binding
spiral binding
EXW Price 
Calculating
*The price doesn’t include shipping costs.
Estimated weight:
Quantity
We are an offset printer, rather than a digital or print-on-demand service, so we must impose a minimum order quantity (MOQ). We’ve set ours as low as possible, at 100 units. But with offset printing, the higher the quantity you order in a single print run, the lower the cost-per-unit.
Size
Choose preset dimensions from the dropdown menu or click “CUSTOM SIZE” to enter your own custom dimensions.
Please use the format, width x height;
size
so, 5.5" x 8.5" would mean 5.5" wide and 8.5" high.
The possible size range is 3.74" to 11.69" in width or height, allowing for portrait or landscape orientation.
Cover
A hardcover book’s cover is printed on one side only; the outer-facing side. The inside front cover and inside back cover are glued to the end sheets.
Cover Paper
As standard, we wrap the grayboard casing in 157 gsm / 58 lb cover paper. If you need a special material or a solid color paper for the cover, please contact us first to discuss your options.
157 gsm

157 gsm ≈ 58.0 lb Cover Paper

Grey Board Thickness
Lamination
We laminate only the outside of the cover as the inside is glued to the end sheets.
Surface

We offer a comprehensive selection of special surface finishes which we can apply to most covers, with a few limitations. For example, spot UV can only be applied to matte laminated and soft-touch laminated covers.

These options are only suitable for gold or silver foil stamping up to a 5.9" x 1.18" area; and embossing, debossing, or spot UV up to a 7.87" x 1.96" area. If the special finish area you need is larger than this, please contact us to get a quote.

Besides gold and silver foil, we can foil stamp designs in a range of colors. If you need a special color foil stamp or have specific surface requests, please contact us. We’ll be happy to help.
End sheet
The end sheets connect the hardcover casing and the interior pages when binding the book. So, there are two end sheets, one at the front and one at the back and both glued to the grayboard cover.
blank end sheet option
color end sheet option
End Sheet Paper
If your book size is 8.5" x 11" or less with an interior page count of fewer than 320 pages, then a good option for the end sheets is 140 gsm / 95 lb offset paper.
If your book size is larger than 8.5" x 11", then 170 gsm / 115 lb offset paper would be better.
If your end sheets will be printed and your book’s interior uses gloss or matte art paper—say, for an art book or coffee table book—to make sure the colors match well, use 157gsm / 58 lb gloss or matte art paper for your end sheets.
1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Text Paper
Inner
Page Count
One sheet of paper is equal to two pages.
page-sheet
page-sheet
 
The total page count is a multiple of 4. When printing and binding your book, we fold sheets into “signatures”.
If your book is larger, say, 8.5" x 11" or A4 size, one signature will have 16 pages. So, the inner page amount should be divisible by 16. Making your page counts match signatures is the most economical solution.
The maximum page count for a hardback book is 800 pages. If your book is more than 800 pages, please contact us for a tailor-made quote.
Inner Paper
Please select your paper choice for your internal pages from the dropdown menu. If you have a special request not listed here, get in touch. We’ll do everything possible to satisfy your needs.
1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Text Paper
Binding
We use high-quality sewn hardcover binding which gives a “square” printable spine.
Sewing and hardcover
EXW Price 
Calculating
*The price doesn’t include shipping costs.
Estimated weight:

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Custom Lookbook Printing Costs

At QinPrinting, we help creatives of all stripes to print lookbooks of unequaled quality. But we also understand that everyone must work within their budget. That’s why we strive to deliver superb quality lookbooks at the most attractive price point you’ll find anywhere. Whether you’re an independent creative who wants to print a world-class lookbook for self-promotion or an industry professional seeking to elevate your brand, we put our expertise at your disposal at a price you can afford.

But we don’t ask you to take that on trust. Look for yourself! You can get an immediate insight into the cost of printing your custom lookbook by checking our at-a-glance price charts. Unlike almost all offset printing services — which have a minimum print order of 500 or even 1,000 units—we offer a minimum order quantity (MOQ) of just 100 copies and still with a very appealing price tag. But as you see from the charts, the more lookbook copies you order in a run, the less you pay per unit.

Saddle Stitch Lookbook Printing Price Chart (8.5” x 11”)

All prices listed in USD

Quantity 100pcs 500pcs 1000pcs 2000pcs 5000pcs 10000pcs
Page count
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
24pp + 4pp
$2.66
$266
$0.75
$373
$0.48
$480
$0.35
$707
$0.29
$1,471
$0.26
$2,644
32pp + 4pp
$3.10
$310
$0.88
$439
$0.56
$561
$0.42
$845
$0.36
$1,781
$0.33
$3,278
40pp + 4pp
$3.69
$369
$1.05
$526
$0.68
$682
$0.51
$1,016
$0.43
$2,139
$0.39
$3,884
  • Please note that all prices are EXW our facility and do not include shipping costs.
  • Cover: 200 gsm / 74 lb coated cover paper with matte lamination
  • Interior: 128 gsm / 87 lb coated text paper, full color printing

Paperback Lookbook Printing Price Chart (8.5” x 11”)

All prices listed in USD

Quantity 100pcs 500pcs 1000pcs 2000pcs 5000pcs 10000pcs
Page count
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
64pp + 4pp
$5.46
$546
$1.56
$779
$1.00
$997
$0.76
$1,522
$0.64
$3,220
$0.60
$6,032
80pp + 4pp
$6.50
$650
$1.86
$930
$1.20
$1,204
$0.92
$1,840
$0.78
$3,913
$0.73
$7,322
128pp + 4pp
$9.60
$960
$2.80
$1,398
$1.82
$1,824
$1.41
$2,818
$1.19
$5,937
$1.12
$11,161
  • Please note that all prices are EXW our facility and do not include shipping costs.
  • Cover: 250 gsm / 92 lb coated cover paper with matte lamination
  • Interior: 128 gsm / 87 lb coated text paper, full color printing
  • Sewing and perfect binding

For a precise quote for your project, try our helpful online Printing Cost Calculator. Just fill in the form and click for an instant quote! If you have questions, get in touch and one of our enthusiastic in-house team members — not a robot or a call center operator! — will be happy to help.

Common Lookbook Sizes

The dimensions of your lookbook will depend on the photographs you include, the number of images, the text, layout, and orientation, among other factors. A landscape-oriented portfolio-style lookbook of full-color art photography will be larger, for example; while an artisan jeweler may opt for a smaller, more intimate format suggestive of the qualities of handmade crafts.

  • Common sizes for many of the lookbooks we print are 8.5″ by 11″, 5.5″ by 8.5″, 148 mm x 210 mm, 6″ by 9″ and 9″ by 6″.

Smaller sizes are practical if you need to mail out a lot of copies. Larger sizes make a stronger impression. You’re not limited to the suggestions above. At QinPrinting, we specialize in creating unique, custom lookbooks in any size or format you desire. Just remember that extensive customization will mean higher costs and possibly slower turnaround times, as we’ll need to do additional pre-press and setup work. But for many clients, the investment in making something that really stands out often proves be worthwhile. It’s always your decision.

Lookbook Paper Options

While almost all lookbooks include text, the images and photographs are the obvious focus of your design. So, we advise to print on gloss or matte art paper to get the best photographic reproduction. Gloss and matte have perfect surfaces for vibrant color or black-and-white printing that render photographs and artwork faithfully with excellent color, perfect contrast, and fine detail. Gloss paper is a must for lookbooks which include full-color spreads and less text, whereas lookbooks with more text may benefit from matte paper. Matte paper still allows eye-catching color or black-and-white reproduction but makes larger blocks of text easier to read.

You’ll need two paper specifications for your lookbook: one for the inside pages and one for the cover. If you’re going for a really luxurious, high-class look with a hardcover binding, include end papers, which may be the same paper as the interior, or you can choose something different; a heavier, colored or textured paper, for example.

Paper Stock for Lookbooks

Sewn perfect binding—a style of paperback binding which can lay open with the pages flat without breaking the spine—is a popular choice for high-quality lookbooks. This binding style needs the spine to be at least 3 mm thick. Standard perfect binding, saddle-stitching and spiral binding are other options. Clients may also choose hardcover binding, especially for a super-professional, high-end look and feel. If the interior page count is less than 32 pages, we recommend a paper weight of 200 gsm / 135 lb gloss art paper for sewn perfect binding. If your interior page count is over 32, then you may also opt for 128 gsm / 86 lb or 157 gsm / 106 lb paper. It’s beautiful to see and touch, faithfully reproduces your original photography, and has good durability.

Cover Paper

Interior Paper

Hardcover Paper

Bindings for Lookbooks

While we’ll make your lookbook in any shape and size you like, the choice of binding matters, too, for reasons of appearance and durability alike. Let’s look at the most common, professional-looking options. You can open all the following bindings flat.

We use this binding style for standard paperback lookbooks. We collate the interior pages into a block, glued together, and then glued into a wrap-around cover made of heavier art paper or lightweight card stock. For lookbooks with a higher page count, this is a great option.

We use this binding style for a lot of lookbooks we print. We collate the interior pages into sets called signatures, which are then sewn together and fixed into a wrap-around cover made of heavier art paper or lightweight card stock. For lookbooks with a moderate page count that need to lay flat, this is a great option.

To saddle stitch your lookbook, we fold the printed interior sheets and stack them inside the cover sheet before stapling them together down the curved edge. Saddle stitch is only possible with a page count divisible by four, up to a maximum of 64 pages. But to make sure the lookbook is neat and lies flat, we recommend a limit of 48 pages or fewer for this style of binding.

This binding is another popular choice for lookbooks destined to “do the rounds” presenting examples of work to potential clients, for its practicality and flexibility. We punch or drill holes into the pages down one side and then bind them with a plastic coil which spirals through the holes. We crimp the coil at both ends so the pages don’t come loose. You can turn the pages of a spiral-bound lookbook through 360° and also lay the open lookbook completely flat. We can laminate the pages to make them extra-resistant to UV light.

In this binding, we organize the interior pages into signatures which are then printed, cut, and sewn, and glued into a hard casing covered by a printed sheet which forms the cover. This binding is the most durable and high-end, especially if you add a dust jacket, end sheet papers, and a marker ribbon, for example.

Whichever binding style you choose, we like to make it easy for you to design your lookbook. So, you can use one of our ready-made design templates if you like. And please ask us for paper samples. We’ll be happy to send them to you in the mail. The samples are free, so you need only pay the mailing charges.

Lookbook Design and Artwork Tips

Whether you’re creating your lookbook design yourself or outsourcing to a professional, third-party graphic designer, you need to understand how to get all your files “print ready”. You’ll need at least a basic understanding of bleed zones, safety areas, trim lines, and borders, for example, and check that the image resolution and the color space are all correct. With that in mind, here are helpful tips to help you when you’re preparing your lookbook files for the printer.

PDF

Export your files as vectors in PDF format for the best results. Our recommended software options for lookbook design are Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign. These will also allow you to convert your color space from RGB to CMYK which you will need to do for offset printing.

300dpi

If you can’t deliver vectors — say, if you’re exporting bitmaps from Photoshop — then make sure the resolution is at least 300 DPI. With vectors, you needn’t worry about resolution, but all other images must have a high definition to tolerate resizing without becoming fuzzy and “pixilated”.

3 mm bleed zone

You’ll need to add a “bleed zone” of 3 mm around all your pages. A bleed is an extended zone at the periphery of a photo, which falls outside the area that your finished page will cover. Once we’ve printed your pages, we’ll cut them to the exact size needed for your lookbook format. This “bit extra” gets cut off and makes sure that the finished image fills the page with none of it being lost. You should mark bleed zones as red lines.

trim line 10mm

Inside your bleed zone, don’t forget to mark the “trim lines”. These will define the final dimensions of the finished page. Make sure that any necessary elements of your images stop at least 10 mm short of the trim line.

along the center crease

If a photo crosses over two pages in a “spread” make sure that nothing essential—like the subject’s face or other important details—lie along the center crease.

spiral bound margin

For a spiral bound lookbook, leave an added margin of at least 15 mm on the edge that we’ll bind the lookbook to allow for the holes

If you engage a professional designer to create your files, they should know what’s needed to prepare “print ready” files. But if you’re working with design software yourself for the first time, these are the crucial tips to consider before you send us your files. The responsibility for sending “print ready” files is yours. But please don’t worry! We’re happy to “hold your hand” each step of the way, explain what’s required, liaise with your designer if you have one, and manually check everything ourselves to make sure it all goes smoothly and you end up with a perfect print edition of your lookbook.

To learn more about preparing your photographs, text, and layout for printing, please check out our Pre-press Artwork information page.

Let’s Talk!

If you’re an independent creative professional or work for an agency or corporation and you want to print a lavish lookbook of unrivaled quality and at an unbeatable price, we should talk. Get in touch today to chat through your needs or to ask for a no-obligation quote. We can’t wait to help you make your lookbook the best!

Get in touch