Catalogue Printing

Cliffe Enterprise provides independent catalogue printing and print management for businesses and organisations throughout the UK.

Rather than requiring your catalogue to fit the equipment of a particular printing plant, we start with the catalogue itself: quantity, finished size, pagination, paper, binding, finishing, quality requirements, schedule, mailing and budget.

We can then determine an appropriate production route and select a manufacturing partner whose equipment and capabilities suit the specification.

Whether you already have a complete catalogue specification or are still deciding how your catalogue should be produced, involving us before everything is fixed gives us the greatest opportunity to improve production efficiency and control cost.

Already have a catalogue specification? Ask us to price it.

Still planning your catalogue? Talk to us before you finalise the specification.

Catalogue Printing Built Around Your Specification

There is no single best way to print a catalogue.

A short-run catalogue that changes frequently may require a very different production solution from a 100,000-copy product catalogue containing hundreds of pages.

The most economical production route can change according to the interaction between quantity, finished size, pagination, paper, cover specification, binding, finishing, quality requirements, schedule and distribution.

That is why we don’t begin by deciding which printing press should produce your catalogue.

We begin by understanding what you need the catalogue to do.

Once the specification has been established, we can determine an appropriate production method and source suitable manufacturing capacity.

What Type of Catalogue Are You Printing?

The purpose of the catalogue should influence its specification.

A product catalogue used regularly by trade customers has different requirements from an image-led lookbook designed to present a premium brand.

We manage the production of:

• product catalogues;
• trade and wholesale catalogues;
• sales and retail catalogues;
• technical and specification catalogues;
• product guides;
• price catalogues;
• seasonal catalogues;
• lookbooks; and
• other multi-page sales and marketing publications.

Understanding how the catalogue will be used helps determine sensible choices for paper, binding, durability, size, finishing and production method.

A catalogue expected to sit on a buyer’s desk for twelve months, for example, may justify a different specification from one supporting a short seasonal campaign.

How Should Your Catalogue Be Printed?

Catalogue production can involve digital printing, sheetfed lithography, web offset or specialist production methods.

There is no universal quantity at which one process automatically becomes better than another.

Digital catalogue printing

Digital production can be particularly useful for shorter runs, frequently updated catalogues, multiple versions or projects where producing only the quantity currently required is more important than achieving the lowest possible unit cost at a much larger volume.

Sheetfed lithographic catalogue printing

Sheetfed lithography can provide an efficient solution for many medium and longer catalogue runs and offers access to a broad range of papers, formats and finishing options.

Web offset catalogue printing

For suitable higher-volume, higher-pagination catalogue work, web offset can provide significant production efficiencies.

But quantity alone doesn’t determine the answer.

Finished size, page count, paper, binding, finishing, schedule and the equipment available to individual manufacturers can move the economic crossover between production methods considerably.

That is why we don’t publish an arbitrary rule such as “digital below 500 copies, litho above 500”.

The right answer depends on the catalogue.

Catalogue Size and Print Efficiency

Catalogue size is both a design decision and a manufacturing decision.

A4 (210 × 297mm) and A5 (148 × 210mm) are common catalogue formats, while square and bespoke formats can also work extremely well.

But a familiar finished size is not automatically the most economical size for every production route.

Finished dimensions determine how pages impose onto the sheet or web used during manufacture. Even a relatively small change can alter paper utilisation and the range of presses capable of producing the job efficiently.

This becomes increasingly important on long runs and high-pagination catalogues because a small amount of waste per copy can become substantial across an entire production run.

Bespoke sizes should therefore ideally be considered before artwork is created.

If the dimensions are flexible, we can examine the relationship between finished size, paper utilisation and likely production route before the design is locked.

Catalogue Pagination

For most conventionally bound catalogues, finished pagination will normally work in multiples of four because each leaf creates two pages on each side.

But multiples of four are only the starting point.

Commercial printing presses work with imposed sections containing multiple pages. Depending on the press format, paper, binding and production route, one pagination can fit the manufacturing configuration much more efficiently than another.

Pagination can influence:

• paper consumption;
• press efficiency;
• binding options;
• spine width;
• finished weight;
• mailing cost; and
• overall production cost.

So don’t add four pages merely because somebody has told you catalogues “must be in multiples of four”.

If the design is still flexible, ask us what works efficiently with the proposed manufacturing route first.

Choosing Paper for Catalogue Printing

Catalogue paper affects image reproduction, readability, opacity, handling, bulk, binding, finished weight, postage and cost.

The correct choice therefore isn’t simply the heaviest paper the budget permits.

Coated or uncoated?

Coated papers such as silk and gloss are frequently used for product catalogues where photography, colour and fine detail are important.

Uncoated papers provide a different tactile and visual character and can work particularly well for brand-led catalogues and lookbooks.

Neither is inherently superior.

Grammage and bulk are not the same thing

Grammage — expressed in gsm — tells us the mass of the paper.

It does not tell us how thick that paper is.

Paper bulk also matters.

Two stocks with similar grammages can produce different spine widths and handling characteristics.

This is particularly important on high-pagination catalogues, where an appropriate lower-grammage stock with sufficient opacity and bulk may reduce the finished weight while still producing a substantial catalogue.

Cover and text paper

Catalogues can be produced as self-cover, where the cover and text use the same stock, or with a separate heavier cover.

A heavier cover can add durability and distinction while a lighter text stock controls bulk, weight and cost.

There is no universal cover/text combination that is right for every catalogue. Pagination, binding, paper characteristics and intended use all matter.

Mailing weight matters

If the catalogue will be posted, paper should never be specified without considering the finished mailing weight.

A small increase in gsm multiplied across perhaps 100, 200 or 300 pages and thousands of copies can have consequences far beyond the paper price.

For mailed catalogues, we therefore consider paper and postage together.

Catalogue Binding

Binding should be selected according to pagination, paper bulk, spine thickness, durability, appearance, quantity and intended use.

Saddle stitching

Saddle stitching uses wire stitches through the fold and is an economical solution for thinner catalogues.

The practical maximum page count is not a single fixed number. It depends heavily on the thickness and bulk of the chosen paper.

Perfect binding and PUR binding

Adhesive binding produces the square spine commonly associated with thicker catalogues.

PUR adhesive can be particularly useful for demanding coated papers and publications requiring a durable adhesive binding solution.

A perfect-bound cover must be created around the actual spine width of the chosen text stock and pagination.

Do not guess the spine width from gsm alone.

Thread sewing and specialist binding

Thread sewing can be considered where longevity, construction or the intended use of the catalogue justifies it.

Other specialist binding methods may also be appropriate for particular projects.

The important point is that binding follows the catalogue specification.

We don’t decide on a binding method independently of pagination and paper.

Catalogue Covers and Finishing

Finishing can change both the appearance and durability of a catalogue.

Options can include:

• matt, gloss and specialist laminates;
• machine and UV varnishes;
• foil blocking;
• embossing and debossing;
• die-cutting;
• specialist cover materials; and
• other decorative or protective finishes.

The question is not simply what can we add?

It is what does the catalogue need?

A protective laminate may be sensible for a catalogue that will be handled repeatedly. Foiling, embossing or specialist finishing can add value to a premium brand publication.

The same treatment may add unnecessary cost to a short-lived trade price catalogue.

Finishing can also influence manufacturing partner selection, so it should be considered as part of the production specification rather than added as an afterthought.

Supplying Catalogue Artwork

For most catalogue projects we require print-ready PDF artwork supplied as individual pages in reading order rather than printer’s spreads or imposed pages.

The precise artwork requirements depend on the production route, but catalogue files will normally need:

• the correct finished page size;
• appropriate bleed where images or colour extend to the trimmed edge;
• high-resolution images suitable for commercial print;
• correctly prepared colour;
• fonts properly embedded or handled within the PDF;
• a consistent page box and orientation; and
• a cover file constructed to suit the final binding specification where applicable.

For conventional four-colour catalogue printing, photographic and process-colour content will normally be prepared in CMYK rather than RGB.

Where spot colours, special inks or colour-critical reproduction are required, these should be identified before production.

For perfect or PUR-bound catalogues, do not finalise the cover spine until the text paper and pagination are confirmed. Spine width depends on the actual thickness of the paper as well as the number of pages.

If you’re uncertain about the artwork specification, ask us before creating the final files.

Correcting the production specification before artwork is completed is much easier than rebuilding finished catalogue artwork later.

Catalogue Proofing and Colour Control

Proofing requirements depend on what needs to be approved.

A proof used to check content, pagination and positioning performs a different function from a calibrated or contract colour proof intended to predict colour reproduction.

For a catalogue containing product photography or brand-critical colours, that distinction matters.

Before production we establish the appropriate approval route for the project and ensure the approved artwork and production specification are clear.

The objective is simple:

resolve uncertainty before thousands of catalogues are manufactured, not afterwards.

Sustainable Catalogue Printing

Environmental considerations should form part of the catalogue specification rather than exist as a separate marketing claim.

Options can include responsibly sourced and recycled papers, lower grammages, formats that improve paper utilisation and production routes that minimise unnecessary material or transport.

Cliffe can source FSC-certified and recycled paper options where appropriate.

But sustainability decisions also need to consider the purpose of the catalogue.

A catalogue that fails prematurely and has to be replaced is not automatically a better environmental solution simply because a lighter stock was selected.

Likewise, specifying more paper than the product needs creates unnecessary material, weight and potentially distribution cost.

Our approach is therefore to consider paper source, material use, manufacturing efficiency, durability and distribution together.

What Determines Catalogue Printing Cost?

There is no meaningful standard price for catalogue printing because specifications vary enormously.

The principal cost drivers include:

• quantity;
• finished size;
• pagination;
• paper type and grammage;
• cover specification;
• printing process;
• binding;
• finishing;
• proofing;
• schedule;
• packing;
• delivery; and
• mailing or fulfilment.

These variables interact.

Reducing paper weight can affect material cost, spine width and postage simultaneously.

Changing finished size may improve paper utilisation.

Changing pagination may allow the catalogue to fit a particular production configuration more efficiently.

This is why asking several printers to quote exactly the same inefficient specification does not necessarily produce the lowest overall cost.

Sometimes the larger saving comes from improving the specification before it is priced.

Catalogue Mailing, Fulfilment and Distribution

If catalogues need to reach customers, branches, dealers, sales teams or multiple locations, distribution should be considered while the catalogue is being specified.

Cliffe can coordinate production with:

• direct mailing;
• database-driven addressing;
• packing and wrapping;
• bulk delivery;
• multi-address distribution;
• stock holding and fulfilment; and
• UK and international distribution.

Finished size, thickness and weight can all affect postage and distribution.

A paper decision that makes little difference to one catalogue can have a substantial financial effect when repeated across thousands of mailed copies.

Considering print and distribution together allows us to look at the total delivered cost, rather than simply the print price.

How Cliffe Selects the Production Route

Cliffe Enterprise is an independent print-management company rather than a manufacturer tied to a single printing plant.

That changes the starting point.

We first establish:

What is being produced?

How many copies are required?

What size and pagination are appropriate?

What paper, binding and finishing does it need?

How will it be distributed?

When must it be delivered?

Only then do we determine an appropriate production route.

Manufacturing partner selection can take account of press configuration, paper suitability, binding and finishing capability, available capacity, schedule, quality requirements, logistics and commercial competitiveness.

The manufacturing partner follows the catalogue specification — not the other way around.

Proven Print Management Experience

Cliffe Enterprise has provided independent print management since 1991.

Our experience isn’t limited to obtaining print prices. It includes specification advice, manufacturing-partner selection, production management, mailing, fulfilment and distribution.

APL Media describes Cliffe as providing unbiased advice on print options and a consistent, cost-effective approach to managing print expenditure.

Western Business Publishing records Cliffe helping reduce print and mailing costs while maintaining consistent quality and meeting requirements for price, schedule and quality.

Leeds Castle Enterprises has documented using Cliffe’s print-management services from October 1999 for an annual requirement exceeding 1.2 million printed items, including proactive specification advice, cost control, stock management and distribution.

That experience matters with catalogues because specification decisions can affect not only print price but also binding, durability, stock holding, fulfilment and postage.

Why Use Cliffe for Catalogue Printing?

A catalogue printer can be an excellent choice when its equipment is ideally suited to your job.

Cliffe offers something different.

Because we are not restricted to one manufacturing plant, we can first determine what production route suits the catalogue and then select manufacturing capability around it.

That is particularly valuable where quantity, pagination, paper, binding, finishing or distribution makes the production decision less straightforward.

Our role can extend from specification and procurement through artwork, proofing and production to mailing, fulfilment and distribution.

The principle is the same one that underpins our wider print management:

Understand the job first. Then determine how and where it should be produced.

Catalogue Printing FAQs

What information do you need to quote a catalogue?

If you already have a specification, send us the quantity, finished size, pagination, text and cover paper, binding, finishing, colour requirements, delivery destinations and required delivery date.

If you don’t know all of those details, we can help develop the specification before quotation.

What is the best paper for a catalogue?

There isn’t one best catalogue paper.

The appropriate stock depends on purpose, pagination, photography, desired feel, opacity, binding, finished weight, budget and whether the catalogue will be mailed.

Should catalogues be printed digitally, sheetfed litho or web offset?

It depends on the complete specification.

Quantity matters, but so do size, pagination, paper, binding, finishing, schedule and versioning.

Shorter runs may favour digital production; many medium and longer runs suit sheetfed lithography; suitable higher-volume and higher-pagination work can favour web offset.

There is no universal quantity crossover.

What is the best binding for a catalogue?

Saddle stitching is commonly suitable for thinner publications. Perfect or PUR binding creates a square spine for thicker catalogues. Thread sewing and specialist methods can be considered where durability or construction justifies them.

The appropriate choice depends on pagination, paper bulk, intended use, appearance and budget.

Does catalogue pagination have to be a multiple of four?

For most conventionally printed catalogues, finished pagination normally works in multiples of four.

However, that does not mean every multiple of four is equally efficient to manufacture.

Press format, imposed sections, paper and binding also influence production efficiency.

How much bleed should catalogue artwork have?

The required bleed should be confirmed against the production specification before artwork is supplied.

Where images or background colours extend to the trimmed edge, bleed is required beyond the finished page size so normal cutting tolerances do not leave an unintended white edge.

Should catalogue artwork be supplied as pages or spreads?

Normally as individual pages in reading order, not imposed printer’s spreads.

For perfect/PUR-bound work, the cover is treated separately because its construction depends on the confirmed spine width.

Can you mail catalogues directly to our customers?

Yes.

Catalogue production can be coordinated with addressing, direct mail, packing, fulfilment, bulk delivery and multi-address distribution.

Can you print short-run catalogues?

Yes.

Digital production can make shorter quantities commercially practical, although we select the production method from the complete specification rather than quantity alone.

Can you produce very large catalogue quantities?

Yes.

Where appropriate, we can source manufacturing capacity suited to high-volume catalogue production, including web-offset production.

Can you help reduce the cost of an existing catalogue?

Yes.

We can review the existing size, pagination, paper, binding, finishing, production method and distribution.

The objective is not automatically to make the catalogue cheaper or lower quality. It is to identify whether the existing specification is being manufactured efficiently.

Talk to Us Before You Finalise Your Catalogue

If your catalogue specification is already complete, send it to us and we can assess the production requirement and provide a quotation.

If you’re still deciding on size, pagination, paper, binding or production method, involve us before the specification and artwork are completely fixed.

That is often when we have the greatest opportunity to improve production efficiency, avoid unnecessary artwork changes and control the total cost.

I HAVE A SPECIFICATION — REQUEST A CATALOGUE QUOTE

I’M STILL PLANNING — TALK TO US ABOUT MY CATALOGUE