Yearbook Printing
Create a Memorable Yearbook with Our Unparalleled Offset Printing Services
Your yearbook matters. It’s a memoir of achievements; a record of challenges overcome; a personal statement by students; a reflection of the school’s ethos; and an ambassador to the wider community. Above all, it’s a celebration of the contribution everyone has made over the past year.
At QinPrinting, we believe your students deserve a yearbook whose quality honours everything they have given and accomplished. With 25 years of success in the industry, an expert team, state-of-the-art technology, and unrivalled customer service, we’re as proud of our first-class reputation as a yearbook printer of distinction as you are of your pupils and staff.
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QinPrinting Rated Excellent
The sample kit they have available is a must-order for your project. It has every type of paper and finish with a bunch of sample products they've worked on, which helped me make an informed decision about how I wanted my game to look and feel.
The final product(s) arrived within their estimated window and in excellent condition. It still feels surreal to hold it in my hands, and it feels like a legitimate game—because it is!! All thanks to this incredibly talented and professional team.
I feel relieved to have a trusted manufacturer to continue printing my products as sales come in. They're truly worth every penny. Thank you, QinPrinting!!!
I went with Qin Printing as I had specific printing requests that could not be met by many Australian printing service providers, especially not at a competitive price point.
The quality and finishing of the conversation cards is outstanding and the entire process was seamless from start to end. The team at Qin Printing were prompt to reply to my questions and queries and also very helpful with troubleshooting.
I got regular updates on the status of the printing job and shipping period, including pictures and videos of the product.
Thank you everyone at Qin Printing!
The board books I had printed turned out great. Vibrant colors, quality bindings and individually shrink wrapped. All very professional.
Pricing, delivery, communication and quality were all exactly as advertised. No surprises.
Common Yearbook Sizes
The dimensions of your yearbook are entirely up to you, and will typically depend on your photographs and text, how many images you include, and the layout and orientation. For example, a landscape-oriented, portfolio-style yearbook featuring professional photography for the whole school is likely to be larger than a portrait-oriented yearbook printed just for the drama club or sports team.
Smaller sizes — such as the standard 210 mm × 297 mm (A4) — are practical if you need to post a large number of copies.
Larger sizes — up to 280 mm × 280 mm — create a more striking visual impact.
But you’re not limited to the suggestions above.
At QinPrinting, we’re happy to create custom yearbooks in any size or format you prefer. Just keep in mind that extensive customisation may result in higher costs and longer turnaround times due to the additional pre-press setup required. That said, for some schools, the extra investment is well worth it. The choice is always yours.
Yearbook Paper Options
While most yearbooks include text — such as dedications and acknowledgements, the principal’s welcome message, student essays, summaries from clubs and societies, staff notes, and more — the photographs are often the real highlight. That’s why we recommend printing on gloss or matte art paper for the best results.
Both gloss and matte papers provide excellent surfaces for high-quality printing, faithfully reproducing your photographs with vibrant colour, strong contrast, and fine detail. Gloss paper is ideal for yearbooks with full-colour spreads and minimal text, while matte paper can be a better choice for books that include more written content, as it improves readability while still offering beautiful colour or black-and-white photo reproduction.
You’ll need at least two paper specifications for your yearbook: one for the interior pages and another for the cover. You might also consider including endpapers. These can match the interior paper or be something different — such as a heavier stock, a coloured sheet, or a textured finish — depending on the style you’re aiming for.
Paper Options for Yearbooks
Sewn perfect binding — a paperback style that allows the book to lay flat when open without damaging the spine — is a popular choice for high-quality yearbooks. This binding style requires the spine to be at least 3 mm thick. Hardcover binding is another excellent option, especially if you’re aiming for a premium, professional appearance.
For both binding styles, we recommend a paper weight of 157 gsm gloss art paper for the interior pages. It looks and feels elegant, delivers accurate photographic reproduction, and withstands frequent handling with ease.
Hardcover Paper
- 157 gsm coated cover paper wrapped on 2 mm greyboard
- 157 gsm coated cover paper wrapped on 2.5 mm greyboard
- 157 gsm coated cover paper wrapped on 3 mm greyboard
- Other paper options wrapped on greyboard
Paperback Cover Paper Options
- 200 gsm gloss cover paper
- 250 gsm gloss cover paper
- 300 gsm gloss cover paper
- 350 gsm gloss cover paper
- 200 gsm matte cover paper
- 250 gsm matte cover paper
- 300 gsm matte cover paper
Interior Paper Options
- 80 gsm gloss text paper
- 105 gsm coated text paper
- 128 gsm coated text paper
- 157 gsm coated text paper
- 200 gsm coated text paper
- 80 gsm uncoated text paper
- 100 gsm uncoated text paper
- 120 gsm uncoated text paper
Special Finish Options
Here are some popular surface finishes that can enhance both the appearance and durability of your yearbook.
Shiny and reflective, perfect for vibrant graphics and photos.
Glossy highlights on specific areas for a striking contrast.
Smooth and non-reflective for a simple yet professional design.
Similar to matte lamination, but the resulting surface has a delightful, almost velvet feel.
A glossy finish applied to specific areas for a bold and distinct look.
Metallic or pigmented foil for a shiny, eye-catching effect.
Raised designs for added texture and elegance.
A recessed design that creates a tactile impression on the cover, adding texture and sophistication.
Cut a shape out of the paper material
Thin metallic foil—usually gold, silver, or bronze—is applied to the trimmed edges of your book's pages.
Custom patterns and images are sprayed on the edges for a truly unique appearance.
Print your design on a special paper that reflects light in a rainbow-like pattern.
Wrap your book in a durable synthetic leather material.
Cover your book with woven linen or cotton fabric.
Bindings for Yearbooks
Perfect Binding (Sewn Perfect Binding)
This is the binding style we use for most of the yearbooks we print. The interior pages are gathered into sets called “signatures”, which are then sewn together and bound into a wrap-around cover made from heavier art paper or lightweight card stock. For yearbooks with a moderate page count, this is an excellent and reliable choice.
Hardcover Binding (Sewn Hardcover)
In this method, the interior pages are arranged into signatures, then printed, trimmed, and sewn before being glued into a rigid case. The case is wrapped with a printed cover sheet. This binding offers maximum durability and a premium finish. You can enhance it further with optional features such as a dust jacket, endpapers, and a marker ribbon.
Wire-O & Spiral Binding
This is another popular binding style, particularly for yearbooks designed for younger students, due to its affordability, practicality, and flexibility. Holes are punched along one edge of the pages, and a plastic coil is spiralled through the holes and crimped at both ends to hold everything securely. Spiral-bound yearbooks open flat and can be turned 360°, making them very user-friendly. We can laminate the pages for added protection against UV light, fingerprints, and spills, and even produce waterproof vinyl covers. This is a great option for pre-kindy, kindergarten, or early primary school yearbooks.
Can’t find what you want? Contact us!
Yearbook Design and Artwork Tips
Export your files as vector-based PDFs for the best results. We recommend using Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign for yearbook design. These programs will also allow you to convert your colour space from RGB to CMYK, which is essential for offset printing.
If you can't supply vector files — for example, if you're exporting bitmap images from Photoshop — make sure your resolution is at least 300 dpi. Vectors don't require a set resolution, but all other images must be high definition to ensure they resize cleanly without becoming blurry or pixelated.
Include a 3 mm bleed zone around all your pages. This is the area that extends beyond the final page size and ensures that your background images or colours run to the edge once the book is trimmed. We trim the bleed during production so the final printed page has no unwanted white edges.
Inside the trim line, be sure to leave a safety margin of at least 10 mm. Keep all important content—such as text, faces, or logos—within this margin to prevent them from being trimmed off or positioned too close to the edge.
If a photo spans two pages (a "spread"), avoid placing important elements—like a student's face or key design features—across the central fold, as they may be obscured by the binding.
For spiral bound yearbooks, allow an additional 15 mm margin on the binding edge to accommodate the punched holes. This will ensure that no content is lost during the binding process.
If you’re working with a professional designer to prepare your files, they should already understand what’s required to make everything “print ready”. But if you’re using design software yourself—or guiding students who are working on a project like this for the first time—these are the essential tips to keep in mind before submitting your files.
Ultimately, the responsibility for supplying “print ready” files rests with the school. But please don’t worry—we’re here to support you every step of the way. We’ll happily guide you through the process, explain any technical requirements, liaise directly with your designer if needed, and manually check all files before printing to ensure everything runs smoothly and your yearbook turns out exactly as you envisioned.
Need Help Preparing Your Files? We Offer a Free File Checking Service
Custom Yearbook Printing Costs
How much does it cost to print a paperback yearbook?
Paperback Yearbook Printing Price Chart (210 mm × 297 mm)
| Page count | 100pcs | 200pcs | 500pcs | 800pcs | 1000pcs | 2000pcs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40pp + 4pp | Unit: A$6.74 Total: A$674 |
Unit: A$4.03 Total: A$810 |
Unit: A$1.95 Total: A$975 |
Unit: A$1.52 Total: A$1,216 |
Unit: A$1.27 Total: A$1,270 |
Unit: A$0.97 Total: A$1,940 |
| 64pp + 4pp | Unit: A$9.21 Total: A$921 |
Unit: A$5.53 Total: A$1,106 |
Unit: A$2.71 Total: A$1,355 |
Unit: A$2.05 Total: A$1,640 |
Unit: A$1.78 Total: A$1,780 |
Unit: A$1.39 Total: A$2,780 |
| 80pp + 4pp | Unit: A$10.95 Total: A$1,095 |
Unit: A$6.59 Total: A$5,272 |
Unit: A$3.24 Total: A$1,620 |
Unit: A$2.48 Total: A$1,984 |
Unit: A$2.15 Total: A$2,150 |
Unit: A$1.70 Total: A$3,360 |
- Please note all prices are EXW (Ex Works) from our facility and do not include shipping costs.
- Cover: 300 gsm coated cover paper with matte lamination
- Interior: 157 gsm coated text paper, full colour printing
- Printing: Full colour on both cover and interior pages
- Binding: Perfect binding
How much does it cost to print a hardcover yearbook?
Hardcover Yearbook Printing Price Chart (210 mm × 297 mm)
| Page count | 100 copies | 200 copies | 500 copies | 800 copies | 1,000 copies | 2,000 copies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40pp | Unit: A$12.68 Total: A$1,268 |
Unit: A$7.19 Total: A$1,438 |
Unit: A$3.59 Total: A$1,795 |
Unit: A$2.96 Total: A$2,368 |
Unit: A$2.74 Total: A$2,740 |
Unit: A$2.40 Total: A$4,680 |
| 64pp | Unit: A$15.90 Total: A$1,590 |
Unit: A$9.04 Total: A$1,809 |
Unit: A$4.52 Total: A$2,260 |
Unit: A$3.65 Total: A$2,920 |
Unit: A$3.34 Total: A$3,340 |
Unit: A$2.87 Total: A$5,740 |
| 80pp | Unit: A$18.20 Total: A$1,820 |
Unit: A$10.34 Total: A$2,068 |
Unit: A$5.16 Total: A$2,580 |
Unit: A$4.14 Total: A$3,312 |
Unit: A$3.81 Total: A$3,810 |
Unit: A$3.20 Total: A$6,400 |
- Please note all prices are EXW (Ex Works) from our facility and do not include shipping costs.
- Cover: 157 gsm coated cover paper with matte lamination, wrapped on 2.5 mm greyboard
- End sheets: 140 gsm uncoated text paper, blank
- Interior: 157 gsm coated text paper
- Printing: Full colour on both cover and interior pages
How much does it cost to print a spiral binding yearbook?
Spiral Binding Yearbook Printing Price Chart (210 mm × 297 mm)
| Page count | 100 copies | 200 copies | 500 copies | 800 copies | 1,000 copies | 2,000 copies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40pp + 4pp | Unit: A$6.79 Total: A$679 |
Unit: A$4.14 Total: A$828 |
Unit: A$2.28 Total: A$1,138 |
Unit: A$1.89 Total: A$1,512 |
Unit: A$1.69 Total: A$1,692 |
Unit: A$1.44 Total: A$2,877 |
| 64pp + 4pp | Unit: A$9.25 Total: A$925 |
Unit: A$5.65 Total: A$1,130 |
Unit: A$3.05 Total: A$1,523 |
Unit: A$2.46 Total: A$1,968 |
Unit: A$2.18 Total: A$2,182 |
Unit: A$1.84 Total: A$3,586 |
| 80pp + 4pp | Unit: A$10.99 Total: A$1,099 |
Unit: A$6.72 Total: A$1,354 |
Unit: A$3.58 Total: A$1,739 |
Unit: A$2.87 Total: A$2,296 |
Unit: A$2.54 Total: A$2,541 |
Unit: A$2.14 Total: A$4,276 |
- Please note all prices are EXW (Ex Works) from our facility and do not include shipping costs.
- Cover: 300 gsm coated cover paper with matte lamination
- Interior: 157 gsm coated text paper, full colour printing
- Printing: Full colour on both cover and interior pages
For a more accurate quote, try our handy online Printing Cost Calculator. Simply enter your specifications in the form and click to get an instant estimate!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch. One of our enthusiastic, knowledgeable, expert team members — not a robot or a bored call centre operator! — will be more than happy to assist. We pride ourselves on personal service and tailored solutions for every school we work with.
Let's Talk!
If you’re responsible for your yearbook’s design and printing — and want to produce a luxurious yearbook of unmatched quality at an unbeatable price — we’d love to hear from you.
Get in touch today by phone, email, Skype, or via our simple contact form to discuss your school’s needs or request a no-obligation quote. We can’t wait to help you create a yearbook your entire school will be proud of and that students will cherish for decades to come.
