--- title: "Frequently asked questions | IN TEMPO" description: "The questions people ask before having a book printed, and a first answer to each." url: "https://www.intempo.fr/en/questions-frequentes/" lang: "en" --- # Frequently asked questions The questions people ask before having a book printed, and a first answer to each. ## Choosing ### Paperback or hardback? The cover is what sets them apart. A paperback has a flexible cover, a single sheet of card with or without flaps; a hardback has a rigid one, made of boards wrapped in printed paper or cloth. A paperback is lighter, costs less and is quicker to make. A hardback takes extra steps, such as endpapers and casing-in, so it is a choice to make early, when you ask for a quote. See also - [Paperback](https://www.intempo.fr/en/glossaire/format-broche/) ### Mass-market paperback or paperback? Both are paperbacks: a flexible cover on a glued spine. The mass-market edition is the small, cheap one (thin paper, tight margins, a long run) and is often a reissue of a title first published in a larger format. A first edition, an illustrated book or a text that needs room on the page is usually a trade paperback. See also - [Paperback](https://www.intempo.fr/en/glossaire/format-broche/) ### Coated or uncoated paper? Coated for what is looked at, uncoated for what is read: that is where to start. Coated stock holds the ink on its surface and keeps photographs crisp; uncoated, softer to the hand and free of glare, is kinder to the eye over hundreds of pages. A text with a handful of photographs can have both, with a plate section on coated paper. See also - [Coated paper](https://www.intempo.fr/en/glossaire/papier-couche/) ### Perfect bound or sewn? Either way the spine is square; what differs is what holds the pages in. Perfect binding relies on glue alone, while a sewn book has its sections stitched together with thread before the cover goes on. The first is enough for most novels and costs less. The second earns its price on a book opened wide, kept for years or heavy in the hand. See also - [Sewn binding](https://www.intempo.fr/en/glossaire/dos-carre-cousu/) ## Preparing your files ### RGB or CMYK for print? CMYK. A screen builds colour from red, green and blue light; a press builds it from four inks, and some on-screen shades are beyond its reach. An RGB file will be converted anyway, so it is better done by you, with the profile your printer supplies, so that you see what becomes of the brightest colours before the proof. See also - [CMYK printing](https://www.intempo.fr/en/glossaire/quadrichromie/) ### What is bleed, and why do printers ask for it? Bleed is the extra image or colour carried past the edge of the page so that it falls away when the book is trimmed. Trimming is never accurate to the last millimetre, and without that margin a picture meant to run off the page can end on a thin white line. Every printer’s file specifications say how much to allow. See also - [Bleed](https://www.intempo.fr/en/glossaire/fond-perdu/) ### What should I check on a proof? Everything that can no longer be put right afterwards: page order, the last typos, each picture and its caption, the cover and its spine width. Once you sign it, what it shows is your responsibility rather than the printer’s. Where colour matters, judge it on a certified contract proof under standard lighting, never from a monitor. See also - [Printer’s proof](https://www.intempo.fr/en/glossaire/bon-a-tirer/) ## Costs and lead times ### How much does it cost to print a book? The price depends on the print run and the page count, the trim size, the paper, colour or black only, the binding and the cover finishes. The run matters most: on an offset press the make-ready is paid once, so each copy costs less as the quantity rises. For your own book, the figure comes from a quote made to measure. See also - [Contact](https://www.intempo.fr/en/contact/) ### How long does it take to print a book? The clock starts when the proof is signed, and the time varies with the printing method, the binding, the finishes and the season: printers are busiest in the run-up to book fairs and the autumn publishing season. Sewing, foil blocking or a dust jacket each add a step. See also - [Contact](https://www.intempo.fr/en/contact/) ## Working with IN TEMPO ### How do I get a book printed with you? Tell us about your project: format, paper, finishing, print run. Write to us or call, and we will answer within 24 hours with a quote made to measure. See also - [Contact](https://www.intempo.fr/en/contact/) ### What is the smallest print run? The minimum depends on the printing method. Digital printing makes short runs sensible because it needs almost no make-ready; offset pays off as the run grows. See also - [Contact](https://www.intempo.fr/en/contact/) ### Do you print in France? We work only with French and European partners, and printing in France is a commitment we have made. See also - [Contact](https://www.intempo.fr/en/contact/) ## Can’t find your question? Ask us directly, by email or by phone. [Ask us your question →](https://www.intempo.fr/en/contact/) ## Need us? We are here to help. We want to know exactly what you need so that we can propose the right solution. Tell us what you are looking for and we will do our best to help. [Get in touch →](https://www.intempo.fr/en/contact/)