thesis binding
Our Service
Belfast Bookbinding Ltd. will bind your Thesis or Dissertation to the requirements of your University. We regularly bind these for under-graduate and graduate students at Ulster University, Queen’s University Belfast and several other universities.
You can either bring your thesis to us printed and we will sew and bind it, or else you can email us a PDF and we will price the printing for you and then print, sew and bind.
All our work is sewn and full-bound in hard-back or soft-back covering. We do not provide a spiral-binding service, but we can provide a spine-only binding in which the title page becomes the front cover (see binding options below).
Binding Options
HARD-COVER
Our hard-back thesis bindings are hand-sewn, backed with 3mm board, and covered in a quality water-proof buckram. You can choose from a wide range of colours, although your university may specify the colour.
Lettering can be embossed on the spine and/or front cover.
This binding is normally required for a final submission of a Doctoral or Masters thesis.
SOFT-COVER
Our soft-back thesis bindings are hand-sewn, and covered in a quality water-proof buckram. You can choose from a wide range of colours, although your university may specify the colour.
Lettering can only be embossed on the front cover.
This binding is suitable for submission of a thesis for assessment.
SPINE-ONLY
Our spine-only bindings are hand-sewn, and the spine is covered in a quality buckram in the colour of your choice. The title page of your document becomes the front cover. Plastic film on front can be added at no extra cost.
This binding is suitable for submission of a thesis for assessment.
Pricing
Pricing includes spine lettering to university requirements. Front cover lettering is an additional cost.
Prices are for standard A4 Portrait bindings, and apply only to students. Other formats and bespoke bindings will be priced according to materials and time needed. We welcome bespoke binding projects for Art, Photography and Architecture students.
Please allow four hours for the same-day service from payment to collection (five hours if you need front cover lettering).
There is a 5% discount for ordering four or more identical printing and bindings at the same time, and there is a 10% discount for ordering seven or more identical printing and bindings at the same time.
The majority of our customers collect from us. We are happy to post theses to you if required, but will need to charge extra for that, which will be approximately the cost of postage plus £10 for packaging. In that case we will work out the postage after we bind your documents and then ask you to ring us and pay for it.
Hardbound
3-day service – £30.00
24-hour service – £42.00
Same day service – £48.00
Softbound (flexible cover) or spine-only binding
3-day service – £16.00
24-hour service – £21.00
Same day service – £24.00
Printing
Printing costs depend on the quality of printing paper and the number of pages in colour.
Please email your thesis to us in PDF format, or use the submission form below, and we will price the printing and get back to you.
Things to Note
- Allow yourself enough time to proof-read, format, print and email or deliver your thesis to us.
- Please check the requirements of your university regarding the format of binding and lettering.
- Leave sufficient margins around your work, including tables, diagrams and images. Allow an additional 5mm at the spine side for sewing and take into account that there will be a 2-3mm trim at the top, bottom and outside of the pages.
- Always email us a PDF version of your thesis, and check it is formatted correctly.
- A page counts as a colour page if there is any colour in it. You can reduce the cost of printing if you ensure headings, table headers, page numbers, and web links have no colour.
- All work must be in the bindery before 11.00 am for that day to count as one working day.
- If your thesis contains folded pages, please contact us in advance of folding to achieve the best result.
Thesis Quotation
Please use this form if you would like a quotation for printing as well as binding your thesis.