Can anyone recommend a good, reliable online company who can do the final hard-bound posh version of the thesis?

I've found a local place, but want to compare prices.

I'll PM you details of the binders I used.

Is this for your thesis post-corrections? You shouldn't normally need a hard-bound copy until then. Normally submitted copies are soft bound.

its for hubs' one - he's submitted corrections in a soft-bound rubbish copy, all has been signed off so he's been told he now needs to submit a hard-covered, sewn version or something i.e. 'posh'. haha.

Have you tried getting a quote from the local uni binding/printing services as I found my local uni was the best price for my soft bound theses and that wasn't 'my uni'!

The uni doesn't do it - they said to go to the only one in our area, so am going there tomorrow to see how much, but wanted to compare prices and speed etc. with an online one. Much that I want to support local business, I don't want to pay over the odds for it. I've also been to the bookbinders in question and I get the impression they will grumpily tell me that it will be a month or something before its ready, so thought if I could line up an online alternative it would be v useful.

After looking around for a book binder to do my PhD thesis for a reasonable price, ease of setting up and turnaround I settled for http://www.mythesis.co.uk/ Perhaps worth a look if you had as much trouble as me (a 462 page thesis). good luck

I used the same as palafour, but I picked them up instead of getting them delivered because I live nearby. My uni also uses that company for their hard binding.

But if you have to make multiple copies of such a long thesis it's going to cost a fortune especially if you use colour. I did a rough estimate on how much it'd cost me and got a shock as to print it out would cost as much to bind it!

I'm thinking of printing it off in the dept and then only paying for the binding at the uni! I might splash out on nicer paper! ;-)

======= Date Modified 22 Jun 2011 10:46:08 =======
[EDIT: Got the prices wrong first time around - memory failing me!!!]

I was based up on the North East of England for mine, at Northumbria University (I'll say where as this info. will be of use for anyone up that neck of the woods). They could soft bind (fine for viva) but not hard bind. However, Newcastle University library (literally 400 yards away) had a proper bindery. Depending on how quickly it was needed, they charged a sliding scale from £25 for a week per copy, to £37 per copy for a 24 hour turnaround (£44 for same day service). I think Sunderland people had to jump on the local Metro to come up to Newcastle Uni. too to hard bind. Link:

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/services/general/printing/

http://www.ncl.ac.uk/library/services/general/printing/binding_price_list.php

Minor corrections done in one day, eight days to print out three 366 page copies for hard binding as I had my post-doc duties to carry out too. I admit I was so desparate to see the back of the damned thesis, I coughed up £81 on the spot for three hard bound copies to be done in 24 hours. Everything done in 10 days and my life my own again - yes, it was worth every penny!!!

I was told to avoid candidates possibly submitting a different version to that seen by the examiners, the internal examiner would need to see the hardbound copy. I actually took it loose leaf and he accepted that without hassle, accepting I wasn't going to pay binding costs just to be told I hadn't covered every minor correction.

The irony is when I bound it, I had two versions electronically. One with minor corrections done and a second with minor corrections and a couple of proof reading errors corrected, plus content pages correctly numbered. Pure cock-up on my part, I printed out the wrong one!!!. The loose leaf version and hard bound copy in the library are the first version (with conclusions, further work and references having the wrong page numbers listed in the contents). The PDF on their open repository (I donated the PDF when it was created a few years later) is the second version. Fortunately the British Library have used this version on their Ethos website. :$

It's a bit of a pickle if you're Uni. is isolated from other places and the New Unis. in the UK don't see keen on hard binding. Proquest offer a hard binding service provided you agree to publish with them (traditional publishing method), but that might be a bit long winded to organise for someone in the UK.

I've used the Bookbinders of London in the past and they're really reliable. Their website address is http://www.bookbindersoflondon.com/

======= Date Modified 27 Jun 2012 16:45:01 =======
highly recommended http://binding.helpingstudent.com
They are the cheapest in uk (found after a lot of research). superfast next day dilivery and if you are in london, collection is the same day and lots of money saved:)