The final steps of your thesis: Finding the right printing and binding services and choosing the right style for you

One of the best things is the feeling you get when you’ve finished writing your thesis. After months of research and writing, at long last, your paper, thesis, or dissertation is finally done. What’s left to do is the printing and binding of your thesis. But still, you need to find out the best printing and binding services and choose a style that makes you proud of the final result of your work. 

There are a few things to consider when choosing how to print and bind your thesis or dissertation: the quality of the paper, the material, and color of the binding. A few other details can be customized, such as the ribbons and corner protectors. To help you decide, we have selected a few options from our partner, BachelorPrint.

Our pick: Premium Leather book binding

• Page limit: 10 – 370 pages
• Color options: Red, green, blue, black
• Textured, leather-look surface
• Upgrade your leather book:
  • Ribbon bookmark in white, silver, gold, blue or black
  • Corner protectors in black, gold, and silver
  • Customized embossing in gold, silver, and black

BachelorPrint is your go-to expert when it comes to printing and binding your thesis. The online market leader offers a wide range of bindings and will transform your thesis into a work of art. 

The ultimate: with their free express shipping they guarantee that your thesis will be in your hands within a few days!

Leather book binding: a thesis to look like a book

• Page limit: 10 – 370 pages
• Color options: Red, green, blue, black
• Appearance: textured matte (premium bookbinding) or marbled leather-look with a slightly glossy finish (standard bookbinding)
• Upgrade your leather book:
  • Ribbon bookmark in white, silver, gold, blue or black
  • Corner protectors in black, gold, and silver
  • Customized embossing in gold, silver, and black

You’ve made it! You’ve finished writing your thesis. Now all that’s left is printing and binding and knocking your examiner’s socks off! That’s why we recommend leather bookbinding. 

A leather book has the best quality for printing and binding your thesis. Your thesis will look like a classy book. 

Choosing this type of binding will make your thesis stand out from the rest and leave a lasting impression on your examiner. Combine that with additional options such as customized embossing, corner protectors, and a ribbon bookmark, and after that process your thesis you’ll have a one-of-a-kind, sophisticated-looking book.

There are two options available with this leather book: Premium leather book and standard leather book. Whereas the premium leather book has a matte finish, a standard leather book has a glossy finish. However, both are done in leather-look and consist of a solid and sturdy cover. 

Which leather book you choose for your  thesis binding is a matter of personal preference.

Upgrade your binding

Deciding on a leather book when printing and binding your thesis gives you the option to upgrade it to your tastes and create a one-of-a-kind binding. Here are the upgrade options:

Corners protectors:

Adds a touch of class

Prevents the corners from binding

Available in silver, black & gold

Ribbon Bookmark:

Enhance your book’s appearance

Can be used as a bookmark (your examiner will be grateful!)

Available in white, black, blue, silver & gold

Customized embossing:

E.g.: University logo and title of your dissertation on the cover

Embossed spine optional

Available in black, silver & gold

You can use BachelorPrint preview tool see how your dream binding would look like:

Thermal binding: a clean and classic style

• Page limit: 2 – 450 pages
• Color options: black, red, green, yellow, blue, white, gray
• Appearance: transparent front cover, colored, leather-look back cover

Of all the different types of binding, thermal binding is a classic. One of the features is the transparent front cover: it shows off the title page of your dissertation as well as the title of your thesis. This means that attention is immediately drawn to the topic of your dissertation.

Softcover: A thesis for artists

• Page limit: 20 – 150 pages
• Color options: customizable to suit your needs
• Appearance: satin matte, smooth appearance; design and print your cover to your liking (magazine look)
• Cover: 300 g/m² premium paper

Looking to make an impact with your thesis? In that case, the softcover is just for you! You have free reign and can decide what you want your cover to look like: Logos, colors, photos, or different fonts – you’re the one who decides what goes on the cover of your softcover. That is why this type is ideal for more creative fields of study. 

Note: Designing a one-of-a-kind binding that looks super original is tempting, but remember to keep it aligned with your field of studies and professional looking.

Spiral binding: A sleek solution for your thesis

• Page limit: 1 – 300 pages
• Color options for cardboard back cover: black, red, green, gray, blue, yellow or white
• Appearance: Leather-look cardboard back cover, transparent front cover
• Spiral options: Metal or plastic

Of all the different types of binding, spiral binding is the sleekest and simplest type BachelorPrint has to offer. It has a transparent front cover. This allows the examiner to see the topic of your Master’s thesis or dissertation right away. However, spiral binding is better for printing shorter dissertations. 

Some professors will require that you use spiral binding for printing your thesis. If your post-secondary institution has no guidelines regarding printing and binding, then you should make sure that the “packaging” of your thesis matches the contents: If you are looking into printing and binding your Master’s thesis, we definitely recommend the leather book over spiral binding. 

Overview of thesis bindings

Tips from printing experts

It’s one thing to know what thesis binding to choose when printing your thesis. But there are lots of helpful and important tips that you should consider when it comes to printing. We sat down with BachelorPrint to put together some exclusive advice just for you:

Tip #1- Choosing the right paper: Most printing services use 80 g/m² paper by default. However, 80 g/m² paper is relatively thin and as a result, the print on the reverse side will shine through if you are printing double-sided. 

Tip: Remember that printing and binding your thesis is not something you do every day – be sure to use high-quality paper and select 100 g/m² paper – if printing double-sided, we actually recommend 120 g/m² paper. BachelorPrint automatically uses 100 g/m² paper.

Tip #2- Printing single-sided or double-sided: It’s totally up to you whether you print your thesis single-sided or double-sided. Make sure you check the examiner’s guidelines first – if there are none, the choice is yours! 

Tip: When printing double-sided, make sure your page numbers are formatted correctly. Uneven page numbers should always be on the right-hand page, and even page numbers should be on the left-hand page.

Tip #3- Printing in color: It’s up to you whether you print in color or black and white. This depends on your thesis. If your dissertation has lots of charts and photos, color printing would look better. 

Tip: Color printing gives your thesis a classier appearance. But take note! Too much color and your thesis will look less professional.

Tip #4- Number of copies: You can assume that two members of the examination board will read your thesis. Furthermore, the person or organization you did your internship with might also like a copy of your thesis. Last but not least, you would probably also like to own a copy of your dissertation, Master’s thesis, or research paper. 

Tip: Find out beforehand, how many copies you’ll need. We generally recommend making 4 to 5 copies. Of course, the type of binding is up to you.

Tip #5- Cost: The cost of printing and binding your thesis is based on various factors: Paperweight, color printing, and actual printing. Many service providers often add a surcharge when you opt for color printing or thicker paper.

Tip: BachelorPrint printing expert automatically uses 100 g/m² paper, and does not even add a surcharge. The same applies for color printing: whether you choose black/white or color, BachelorPrint charges the same.

Do you need to transcribe interviews for your thesis?