Anatomy of a Coffee Table Book: Cover Production

When it comes to choosing the right treatment for your book’s cover, you may be faced with some new terminology. Our project managers and designers are here to guide you through the selection process, but if you’d like a head start on the conversation, this blog post is for you!

Cover embellishments

The options for cover embellishments are almost endless, from fabrics to foils to all sorts of casings. While we love it when our clients dream big, we understand that budget restrictions might come into play. Here are some of our favourite affordable embellishments to help bring a book to life.

Lamination/varnish

Lamination – often referred to at Hyphen as ‘lam’ – is a printing process where a thin layer of plastic is applied to the book’s surface. Common types are gloss, matte or silk. This layer adds a protective barrier to the cover and enhances the overall appearance. For someone with a tight budget, this is a great starting point.

Varnish – a thin liquid coating –  applied to the surface of the cover produces a similar effect. It is a great middle ground between gloss and matte lam.

Spot UV

A spot UV is a clear glossy varnish applied to specific areas of a printed surface. We often use it to highlight text or big block shapes. We can also apply spot UV to create texture. An effective way of doing this is by mimicking natural patterns found in the cover image, such as grass or dirt, and applying the spot UV over highlighted areas.

Deboss/emboss

Debossing is when a design is pressed into the surface, while embossing raises the surface. Both offer a similar tactile effect, giving the cover greater depth. All-over embosses create a textured feel over the whole cover.

Foils

A slightly more expensive option, foil stamping uses heat and pressure to apply metallic material to the printed surface. Unlike metallic inks, foil stamping has a more limited colour range, however they can provide greater accuracy and vibrancy than inks. And while we describe them as foils, they aren’t limited to metallic colours.

Materials/fabrics

You can cover a book with anything from paper to leather to cloth. Playing with materials is a great way to bring your brand’s personality to a book’s cover. We recently completed a book for Thomas Cook as they celebrated their 100^th year. Leather was an obvious choice for the cover of this one, and a hot deboss resulted in a beautiful stamped look.

Extras

Beyond the cover, there are many other ways to elevate your book’s appearance.

Head and tail bands

Nothing says considered like a colour-coordinated head and tail band. While seemingly insignificant elements of a book’s cover, they help reinforce the binding and add a satisfying pop of colour to the spine.

Ribbon

Another pop of colour can be added through ribbon – or several ribbons for that matter! Of course, ribbons double as page markers too, and it’s possible to even have your logo stamped onto the end of the ribbon for an extra touch of something special.

Dust jacket

A dust jacket is simply a protective, removeable paper cover for your book. However, there are many ways to enhance the role of the dust jacket: it gives the option of a secondary cover design; the inside flaps can store extra information; and if you trim it down, it can add greater dimension to the book’s cover, adding layers of information.

Slipcase

A slipcase is a protective cover that fits snugly over a book or set of books. It is both practical and aesthetic, and a great way to say this book is special!

Choosing just one or two of these embellishments can give your book a more eye-catching, tactile and interactive finish.

– Jane Heriot, junior designer