Book Cover Options with 48 Hour Books

You’ve already poured your heart and soul into your book project, so when it comes time to finally print, the process can feel overwhelming and may require some guidance. It’s always helpful to go to a bookstore and browse different books that catch your eye.  What about these books drew you to them? Was it a design element? Glossy raised text? The dust jacket? These are questions you should ask yourself before committing to your book materials.

Book cover design is a major factor in the marketability of your book and the overall appeal to someone browsing at the store or online, so you want it to be eye-catching. Before you can even begin to think about book cover options, you will first need to determine what type of binding is right for your book.

Binding type depends a lot on genre and personal preference. For example, if you’re following industry standards, memoirs are typically released in a hardcover version first, then later printed as paperback. The great part about self-publishing is that you are making the decisions, so if you want to release a paperback version as your initial memoir release, then that is perfectly fine! We recommend checking out our blog post that dives deeper into choosing a binding style.

Let’s go over each book cover option 48 Hour Books has to offer so you can envision how you want your books to look.  

Standard Cover Options

After you choose your binding, you will need to consider your book cover finish. Do you want your cover to be glossy, matte, or something else? When you go to place your order with 48 Hour Books, you will have four options if you choose to print a paperback, coil bound, or saddle-stitch book:

Standard 10 pt. C1S: A heavy 10 mil cover paper, with a smooth, hard surface for the outside and uncoated surface on the inside. You’ll have a choice of three different coatings: Gloss UV is our default, but you can also choose Silk Laminate (matte) or Hi-Gloss Laminate.

12 pt. C1S: Just like the 10 pt. above, but 20% heavier. It’s a 12-mil cover paper, with a smooth, hard surface for the outside and uncoated surface on the inside. And, just like the 10 pt. above, you’ll be able to choose your coating: Gloss UV, Silk Laminate, or Hi-Gloss Laminate.

80# Linen Covers: Our linen covers are similar to cloth covers, but for paperback books. If you look closely, you can see the texture, which is a smooth, etched pattern. It’s about 9.5 mil thick, which is still plenty thick enough. No coating, but the linen finish adds to the richness of your cover.

(Linen cover)

Leatherette Cover: An acrylic-coated paper with a pronounced leather embossed finish. Leatherette covers cannot be printed on; the cover can either be blank or you can add Diamond 3D Printing or Foil Stamping (more on this later).

(Leatherette cover)

Cloth Covers: A beautiful, yet economical cover material with a pronounced linen weave. These high-quality cloth book covers are available in several bright, vibrant colors. Cloth pairs well with dust jackets and foil stamping.  Here is a look at a case bound books with cloth covers and foil stamping:

(Cloth cover)

Leather Covers: A bonded leather made of 100% cowhide leather fibers, making it an attractive and durable material for a book cover. Custom leather book covers are available in several rich, dark colors. Hardcover books can also be printed with an advantage leatherette cover! Leather covers can also be paired with Diamond 3D, foil stamping, and dust jackets. 

(Leather cover)

Special Cover Treatments & Customizations

Dust Jackets: A removable laminated cover that wraps around the existing cover of the book. You can choose from a gloss or silk (matte) dust jacket. Dust jackets wrap around case bound books. Dust jackets pair well with our cloth and leather covers. Many people choose to foil stamp the covers underneath or leave them blank! Here are two books that use each option – gloss and silk.

**Dust jackets can be printed double-sided, with artwork printed on the front of the jacket and on the reverse side. Please request this in the “customer comments” section and upload the appropriate artwork.

Foil Stamping: The application of metallic foil to paper, using a heated custom-made die. It adds shimmer and richness to highlight specific text or images on your cover. Foil stamping pairs brilliantly with cloth and leather covers.

Diamond 3D Printing: A clear or metallic coating that is raised up from the surface. Since it's clear, it accentuates all the printed colors underneath it, turning any cover into one that will really grab your reader's attention. Diamond 3D Printing is available in 3 different options:

• Clear Coat: creates a raised coating that is printed on top of your artwork to give it a high-gloss 3-dimensional effect by accentuating the printed colors and designs underneath the application.

• Metallic Foil: a shiny, metallic highlight available in eight color options: gold, silver, rose gold, red, blue, teal, green, and purple

• Smart Textures: Choose from a selection of patterns to add a 3D effect to your cover that can feel like linen or leather. Choose from the following patterns: sand, semicircles, mosaic, crosshatch, or abstract.

Edge Printing: The newest service from 48 Hour Books is great for special edition printing or any author looking to add extra artistic flair. Add color or a design directly to your book’s cut edges with our edge printing machine. Unlike sprayed edge machines, our edge printing machine does not use paint and prints color and designs directly onto the page edges.

Let’s go over a mock order of what you may choose for a standard paperback order versus a special edition version:

Standard example:

• Perfect binding
• Standard 10 pt. C1S cover with Gloss UV or Silk finish

Special edition example:

• Case binding
• Gloss or Silk hard cover (Can upgrade to leather if desired)
• Gloss or Silk dust jacket with Diamond 3D Printing
• Edge Printing

See our print options up close

To view our print options in person before placing an order, order our free sample book, The Ultimate Guide to a 48 Hour Book, which features both Diamond 3D printing and foil stamping on the cover. On the inside you will find samples of our paper and cover options as well.  

There are so many ways you can customize your book to your liking, so feel free to contact us if you have questions about our print options or need help deciding what materials are best suited for your book. We also have free book templates available for your inside pages and cover if you need help with formatting. If you need design assistance, check out our custom cover design options!