Which durability specs are worth writing into a tender?
Name the binding (PUR or section-sewn), the text stock weight and opacity, the cover board weight and lamination type, and require a bound production dummy before award. Those five lines separate a book that lasts the year from one that does not — and they are all checkable on a physical sample.
What quantities make sense, and how does unit cost behave?
Education runs typically start around 5,000 copies per title and climb into the tens of thousands, which is routine work for us. Offset setup is fixed, so unit cost falls steeply through 10,000 and keeps easing until paper dominates the bill. For a series, printing titles together compounds the saving through shared paper buying and freight.
Two-color or full color?
Full color earns its cost where photographs, maps and color-coded pedagogy do real teaching work — science, geography, early grades. For language drills and mathematics practice, two-color is often just as clear at a markedly lower sheet cost. We price both so the budget decision is made with numbers, not habit.
What perforation and numbering options are available?
Micro-perforated tear-out worksheets and answer sheets, sequential numbering for controlled-distribution editions, and printed unit or lesson tabs. Perforation is positioned clear of the spine so removed pages do not loosen the rest of the block.
Can you supply dummies and documentation for procurement?
Yes. We produce bound dummies in the specified materials within 3–5 days, alongside paper specifications, binding descriptions and copies of our FSC, BSCI and ISO 9001 certificates — the set most ministry and institutional tenders ask to see before award.
How do we make sure books arrive before term starts?
Work backwards: production is 15–25 days after proof approval, and sea freight adds roughly three to six weeks depending on destination port. For a September start, files should be final by late spring; for January terms, by October. We build this schedule with you at quotation, and air-freight advance copies where a launch cannot wait.
