In a publishing landscape where books of all kinds are fighting for rare space on a book-lover’s shelf, a special edition is the best way to capture readers' attention and line up your project front and centre.
Special edition books are texts that transform a bundle of pages into a keepsake that can be cherished long after the story is over. They often feature a range of embellishments you can pick from that compliment the design and experience of your book, such as sprayed edges, speciality lamination, spot UV, embossing, debossing, foil stamping and die cutting. By adding combinations of these book finishings to your project, your book has the potential to be sold and cherished as a special edition - an exclusive status bound to catch readers' attention on any bookshelf.
What is Special Edition Book Printing in Australia?
Special edition book printing is similar to any custom book printing project, except that these books often feature beautiful, premium finishes, unique embellishments and a contrasting variant of an existing standard edition. The look and feel of these books are done to clearly show readers and customers that this book is special, not commonly available and certainly looks a little bit fancy as it's the type of book you want to keep looking at, as much as you'd want to read it.
Crafting a special edition book is really just another way to turn your book from a story into a keepsake. Book embellishments can be applied in a range of different ways to your special edition project, from cover flourishes like spot UV and embossing to custom designed sprayed edges, plus hardcover binding finishes. Reach out to our team of print experts to discover how you can elevate your book into a special edition with a professional embellishment.
Why Print Special Edition Books?
In a shifting publishing industry where books are fighting for attention amongst digitalised entertainment, crafting a book that can truly be appreciated in-person and in a tangible format, outside of the experience of reading, is proving to be another way for indie and self-published authors to connect with their readers. Many whom will happily share their beautiful books far and wide on social media, to connect with other fans within the community.
While special edition book printing is often about giving your book a visual uplift, it's also about cementing the significance of your book into a fresh, exciting new physical form so that your reader can tangibly feel the quality of your story (and proudly display it too!). Whereas standard editions are professionally printed with function and consistency within the industry in mind, special edition books take things up a notch with gorgeous embellishments and finishes to transform your project beyond its first iteration.
Limited Edition Book Printing with Unlimited Print Potential
Fully Customisable Books
Creates Exclusivity
Premium Look & Feel
Low Minimum Order Quantity
Book Printing with Sprayed Edges in Australia
Printing your special edition book with FolioFox, means getting your book printed and bound locally in Melbourne, so you’re never too far away from the action. You’ll have access to our expert team of local printers that will guide you through the process from quotes to proofs, as well as local customer support that is never more than a phone call away. Plus, as one of the few sprayed edge printers in Australia, you’ll be sure to receive your order in an efficient and timely manner without waiting weeks for shipping.
We decided to invest in the latest edge printing technology to offer sprayed edges, specifically because we were aware of the demand for special editions that feature this finish, and felt that self-publishers should also have access to creating beautiful editions of their books in general, just as much as any major traditional publisher in the industry. Thanks to our low minimum order quantity (MOQ), that is no different from our typical book printing project MOQ, we’ve made it easier for indie authors to print special edition books without having to break the bank, during a time when book buyers and sellers are now heavily leaning towards them. It’s never been a better time to consider giving your book its own a special edition, to be appreciated by readers nationwide.
Please note: Sprayed edges are individually printed on each book, with all three edges processed separately. Due to the nature of this process, slight variations in colour, alignment and coverage may occur between copies. These subtle differences are an inherent characteristic of individually produced sprayed edges and add to the unique finish of each book.
Types of Special Edition Books
Special edition books don’t just come in one style. From an exclusive edition to a limited edition, plus all the special editions in between, there are a variety of ways to consider the edition type of your book to make the most impact on your audience.
A Special Edition book is any book that has been elevated to include a printing embellishment, an additional design flair or extra content. This might be a book that has foil stamping or sprayed edges added to it, or available in a different binding method like hardcover, to upgrade it from its standard edition format. These are often created to celebrate a milestone such as the book's anniversary or the release of a new adaptation. They are not limited to one print-run, and are usually re-produced if they sell well.
A Limited Edition book refers to a book that has been printed in a limited, strictly-capped print run. This little badge of honour raises the rarity of your book, making it feel like an exclusive, collectable keepsake for your reader that shouldn't be missed. Limited edition books will often feature printing embellishments to add to the speciality of this rare run of your book, including the author's signature, a different cover or alternate sprayed edge design.
A Collectors Edition is similar to a typical special edition, but often solely focusses on the quality of materials, the book's format and the visual aesthetic of the book, i.e. hardcovers with leather material or packaged with matching slipcases with foil stamping. These are made to be collected and kept for a lifetime, whilst looking as beautiful as possible for display on a shelf. Although collectors edition can also be limited editions; in that only a set number are ever printed, it's not always the case as reprints can happen if the demand is there.
An Exclusive Edition book means that your book is only available to purchase through exclusive means, like from a specific retailer or at an author’s book fair stall. Exclusive editions are often made to stand out with unique flourishes, like sprayed edges or speciality cover design embellishments, as well as exclusive internal content like bonus chapters or fan art on endpapers. Many major book releases have varying exclusive editions for multiple retailers, that incentivises fans to purchase multiple copies to access different exclusive content and cover art for example.
Print Finishes that Transform Books into Special Editions
When working with FolioFox, the world is your oyster when it comes to customising your special edition (and standard edition) book, as there are many ways of making a book extra special for the reader. We have a variety of popular print finishes and embellishments available that can be applied in a range of different ways for this. Here are some of the most popular amongst authors and readers alike:
Premium Cover Finishes
Whether it's a paperback or hardcover book, the exterior design is the usually the first thing a reader will see. It's no wonder why the most popular ways to make an edition more special can simply be by adding some additional premium finishing touches to the book's cover.
From speciality lamination like holographic laminate, spot UV (with or without a raised edge), embossing or debossing, die-cutting for a two-layered cover or the crowd favourite amongst special editions - foil stamping, for that shiny, metallic finish that can truly transform a book's cover.
Whether the foil is outlining an image, illustrating a design or expressing a title, foil stamping is guaranteed to make your work stand out. Choose from classic gold and silver, rich copper tones, or specialty colours, including holographic options that shift and shimmer as the book moves.
Sprayed Edge Printing
Sprayed edges (also known as edging or spredges) is a customisable book printing design that appears along the edges of a book’s pages when closed. There are a number of ways to add sprayed edges to your project to make it your own and stand out on the shelf, from custom designs or illustrations, patterns or colours.
This has become one of the most popular ways publishers and authors make their books extra special, and are now common for both paperback and hardcover books; sometimes even just to celebrate the first print run with a limited edition paperback featuring unique artwork that celebrates the story.
We're proud to be bringing this service to Australian authors and publishers, for production right here in Melbourne.
Hardcover Binding Finishes
Adding print embellishments to your hardcover book design could include anything from a naked (without a dust jacket) cover that features foil stamping and debossing to a printed laminate cover (PLC) hardcover that features a dust jacket with foiling, or even some printed patterned endpapers to tie the elegance of your project together.
Plus, you can also add a decorative ribbon, a head or tail band for a polished look and a customisable thread colour for section-sewn books.
