When you think of a chapbook, you might think of a stack of 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheets of paper folded in half and stapled, maybe with a color cover. But that’s not the kind of chapbook printing we do at Bookmobile! Our ability to durably bind as few as 16 pages, our high-quality short-run digital printing, and our affordable and competitive pricing mean that you’re no longer limited to a copy machine and a stapler for your chapbook or zine.
Chapbook Printing at Bookmobile
Step up away from 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″! We print any trim size from 3″ x 4″ to 12″ x 12″ at Bookmobile, and odd trim sizes are no problem for us. For example, Yalta Stunts from Sagging Meniscus Press, pictured below, is 4-1/4″ x 10″ and 74 pages.
We can perfect bind a very small page count—successfully and durably—with as few as 16 pages. We don’t print in signatures either, so a page count of 18 or 50 is no problem. we used to be generals from Further Other Bookworks, pictured below, is only 54 pages. It’s 4-3/4″ x 6-1/4″ with a black-ink-only Carnival vellum yellow cardstock cover, with registered debossing.
The above books’ covers were printed by Bookmobile, but we do accept letter-press covers from publishers. We need 20% overs for bindery set-up, and we supply you with a cover template to make sure the spine and bleed dimensions are correct. Anomalous Press provided the covers for Body Split, pictured below. Body Split is two books in one: turn When Tongue was Muscle upside-down and flip it over and you get I Wanted Just to Be Soft!
Can My Chapbook Have Printing on the Spine?
Perhaps! Titles can usually have type on the spine, even chapbooks and poetry titles, but of course it depends on the page count.
- There must be at least 1/16” on either side of the spine’s type (for spine width of 3/16”, type on the spine is 1/16” high/wide).
- For a printed interior of 60 lb. cream trade book at 436 PPI, 82 pages are required for spine width of 3/16″.
- Type can be printed on a spine that is less than 3/16” wide, and the type can be higher/wider than 1/16”, but it may shift to the front or back cover while binding.
- There is a 1/16” tolerance for finished titles (and a 1/8” tolerance for bound galleys and ARCs).
- You can calculate your spine width at Bookmobile here.
Interested in what Bookmobile can do for you? Contact me!