Material sample kit
You cannot judge paper on a screen
So hold it instead. Every paper stock printed with the same test image, all eight linen colourways, all four foil finishes, and a fold-out card showing every trim size at full scale.
- Four paper stocks — silk, uncoated matte, mounted board and cotton rag — each printed with the same reference image so you can compare like for like
- Linen book cloth in all eight colourways, plus full-grain leather
- Gold, copper, white and blind foil, stamped so you can see them catch the light
- A fold-out size card — hold all seven trims against your shelf
- A bound corner showing each of the three bindings in section
- Printed on the same presses and papers your book would be, this month
$9
Posted free, anywhere in the world
Nine dollars, once, and the swatches are yours to keep. Cheaper than getting a book wrong, and it is the only way to know what 310 gsm cotton rag actually feels like.
- Posted free, anywhere in the world
- Usually arrives within a week
- A couple of emails about making your book, then nothing. One click to stop.
Or skip it entirely
Start a book first and we will print one real spread of your own photographs, on the actual press and paper, and post it to you flat — free, once per account. That tells you more than any swatch can.
Free press proofWhy we charge for it
Because “free” has to come from somewhere
Plenty of printers post free sample packs. The cost of doing that does not vanish — it goes into the price of the books, which means the people who order are quietly paying for the packs sent to the people who never do.
We would rather keep the book prices honest and let the kit stand on its own. Nine dollars covers the materials and the postage and nothing else — there is no margin in it for us, and no hidden cost in your book because of it.
What nine dollars buys
- The materials — four printed paper stocks, nine cover cloths, four foils and a bound binding sample.
- The postage, anywhere in the world, tracked to your letterbox.
- Nothing else. There is no margin in it, which is exactly why it is not free.
It is yours to keep, whether or not you ever order a book from us.