Question: How can I self-publish a journal that can lay flat and is softbound? I’m trying to get a journal printed and I can’t for the life of me find out where other journals like this are being printed. I would prefer a company that offers print on demand.
Answer:
I’ve done a fair amount of research on this, going back a few years, and have yet to find a solution (assuming you don’t mean spiral-bound).
Your challenge is that you’re asking for some fairly incompatible things:
- Lay flat
- Softcover
- Print on demand
And of course these need to be at a per-unit cost that allows you to sell them at a price people will pay (and earn something for yourself).
Typical lay-flat journal bindings are Smyth-sewn or PUR perfect bound, and these are usually produced with a hard cover. So this conflicts with your softcover requirement.
Likewise, these lay-flat bindings are not available (that I’ve found) for POD. The way that POD is economically viable is by running all projects through a very consistent and uniform system for mass production at high volume. This means primarily traditional perfect-bound paperbacks, which are the simplest and least expensive to produce.
So, the reason you’re not finding anything is because these lay-flat journals are often printed in quantity using an offset press (traditional ink pressed onto paper). The volumes are in the many hundreds or thousands.
Your only option, as far as I know, is to let go of one or two of your requirements. Here’s what I think is best to consider:
- If you’re willing to do a short run (small quantity) printing on hardcover, then Wert Bookbinding is a reputable option.
- If you’re willing to go with a spiral binding, then 48-Hour Books and The Book Patch are a couple to look into. I’ve used 48-Hour Books many times (though not for spiral binding) for thousands of books, and I’ve been very happy with them.
I hope that helps!