How we work
Most print terms are written by printers. That is not a complaint, it is simply who wrote the document the industry runs on, and it explains why its most important clauses fall the way they do.
We manage print on behalf of the people buying it. So our terms are set out below in full, next to the industry default, with the places we depart from it marked. Where the standard is fair we follow it. Where it is not, we say so and do something different.
The document behind most print contracts
The Printing Trade Customs are a set of model contract clauses that most US printers incorporate into their terms, usually by reference and often without the buyer reading them.
Two things about that document are worth knowing before you sign anything that cites it.
It was written by printers, for printers. The current lineage, Graphic Communications Business Practices, dates from 1994. The older lineage goes back to the United Typothetae of America in 1922, updated in 1985.
Nobody maintains it. Printing Industries of America, which published it, merged into PRINTING United Alliance in 2020. That body does not publish or maintain a Trade Customs document. The clauses survive because individual printers and regional associations republish them, not because any standards body stands behind them.
They remain legally meaningful. A court can treat them as usage of trade. That is precisely why a printer will cite them, and why a buyer should read them rather than assume they are neutral.
The sections below are the clauses that matter most, what the custom says, and what we do.
Read the Trade Customs in full, clause by clause, in the actual wording →
Proofs
The custom says prepress proofs are provided, and that press proofs "will not be furnished unless they have been required in writing in the provider's quotation." It also says a reasonable color variation between proof and finished job "will be considered acceptable performance."
What we do. A digital proof is standard on every project. A physical proof can be ordered on request and is priced per project. It is not included by default.
We would rather tell you that plainly than let you assume otherwise, because the two proofs answer different questions. The digital proof catches typos, layout, page order and image placement. It tells you nothing about how the cover stock feels, whether the color on your logo is right, or how the book holds up being handled. On anything going in front of clients, members or attendees, the physical proof is the one that matters, and it is worth asking for it explicitly rather than assuming it is included. That is true of us and of everyone else.
On color specifically. If color accuracy matters, the "reasonable variation" clause is too vague to rely on. It can be replaced with a numeric specification against a published print condition, which we will put in writing on request.
F&Gs, and a distinction worth knowing
On book work the customary check before binding is F&Gs: folded and gathered signatures with a printed cover, sent for review.
There are two kinds, and the difference is the whole point.
- Approval F&Gs. Production stops until you sign them off.
- Confirming F&Gs. They are sent, and binding proceeds regardless.
Most buyers are not told which they are receiving. We specify which applies on each project, in the quote, because on a fixed event date the two have very different consequences.
Quantity: overruns and underruns
The custom says over-runs or under-runs "will not exceed 10 percent of the quantity ordered," that the printer bills for actual quantity delivered within that tolerance, and that a guaranteed quantity must be requested at the time of quotation.
Ten percent is a ceiling, not a working figure. On real book production the tolerance is much tighter and depends on binding method and run length, because spoilage is roughly fixed per setup and therefore a larger share of a short run.
What we do. The tolerance for your job is confirmed with your quote, against the binding and run length you are actually ordering, rather than against a blanket ten percent. If you need a guaranteed minimum quantity, tell us at quote stage and we will specify it.
We do not publish a tolerance figure, because the honest one depends on your specification and we would rather commit to yours than to an average.
Defects, damage and shortages
The custom says claims for defects, damages or shortages must be made in writing within 10 calendar days after delivery, and that otherwise the job is deemed accepted. It also caps the provider's liability at the selling price of the defective goods, with no liability for consequential damages.
What we do. We follow the standard. Claims for defects, damage or shortages are made in writing within 10 days of delivery.
We say so here rather than leaving it in a clause you find later, because the practical consequence matters: if your books are going straight into a warehouse or a third-party logistics provider, somebody needs to open a carton in that first week. Build the inspection into your delivery plan, not after it.
On defect rates. There is no published industry-accepted defect rate for commercial book printing. Any printer quoting one is quoting their own number. What can be done properly is to define defect classes and an acceptable quality level for your project at quote stage, using established sampling practice, and to specify that through to production rather than agreeing it only with you.
On overage. Producing a quantity of copies over the order to cover defects and damage is normal practice, and we specify it per project rather than applying a fixed rate. It is set against your quantity, binding and how the books are being distributed.
Delivery, title and risk
The custom says the price is quoted "F.O.B. provider's platform," and that title passes to the customer "upon delivery to the carrier at shipping point; or upon mailing of invoices for the finished work or its segments, whichever occurs first."
Read that second clause carefully. It means title can pass to you because an invoice was mailed, while the books are still standing in the plant.
What we do. Title and risk are set in your quote and stated plainly. We do not use the invoice-mailing trigger.
Delivery terms themselves are a commercial decision rather than a moral one, and they are priced accordingly. What we will not do is leave you to discover where risk sits by reading a clause you were never shown.
On split delivery. Sending one quantity to one address and sending the same quantity to twelve are different projects. Per-destination freight, carton labeling by location, delivery windows and twelve separate opportunities for a date to slip all belong in the quote, not in a conversation afterwards.
Your files, and what happens to them
The custom says artwork, plates, negatives and "all other items supplied by the provider remain the provider's exclusive property," that it is the customer's responsibility to keep a copy of their own original files, and that intermediate materials are retained only until the end product has been accepted, with storage beyond that available at extra charge.
The custom is silent on confidentiality. There is no non-disclosure clause of any kind in either lineage of the document, and no print-industry confidentiality standard exists. If it is not written into your contract, you do not have it.
What we do. Confidentiality is standard on the way we work. Production is white-labeled, so your project is not published, displayed or claimed as anyone else's work.
If your project needs a signed non-disclosure agreement, say so at quote stage and we will put one in place.
Retention of your files beyond acceptance is stated in writing on your project rather than assumed in either direction.
A corporate book routinely contains material that has not been announced. Overrun copies, rejected sheets and makeready waste are physical objects that exist somewhere after the job ends, and most contracts say nothing about them. Yours should.
What we do not claim
We print your books. We specify, manage and inspect every production run, which is what allows a project to be matched to the right manufacturing method rather than to whatever equipment sits in one building.
We do not publish certifications.
We do not publish an automated price. Book cost depends on trim, page count, paper, binding, color and quantity, and any figure produced before those are known is a guess.
We do not guarantee outcomes, sales or rankings.
Quantities and specification
Commercial print runs start at 100 copies. Offset becomes economic from around 500. There is no published maximum. Under 100 copies we quote as an RFP rather than as a standard run.
Published specifications are a floor rather than a limit. If what you need is not listed, send it as a custom request and we will specify against it.
Quote within 1 business day. Complex specifications and custom orders may take longer. Timelines are set against your specification and delivery date, and confirmed with your quote.
The short version
| Industry default | Ours | |
|---|---|---|
| Digital proof | Provided | Provided |
| Physical proof | Only if required in writing at quote | On request, priced per project |
| F&Gs | Type usually unstated | Approval or confirming, specified in the quote |
| Overrun tolerance | Up to plus or minus 10% | Confirmed in your quote by binding and run length |
| Guaranteed minimum | Must be requested at quote | Same, and we will tell you it exists |
| Claims | 10 days from delivery | 10 days from delivery |
| Defect rate | Not defined | Classes and AQL agreed at quote, specified to production |
| Overage | Not addressed | Specified per project |
| Title passes | On carrier delivery or invoice mailing, whichever first | Set in your quote. No invoice-mailing trigger |
| Confidentiality | No clause exists | Standard. Signed NDA on request |
| File retention | Until acceptance only | Stated in writing per project |
Everything here is confirmed with your quote, and the quote governs.
This page explains how we work in practice. Our Terms and Conditions, Refund Policy and your written project agreement are the binding documents, and where they differ from this page, they govern.