Notebook Customisation - Your Options for Branding

Embossed notebooks do not use printing - instead it is just your logo stamped into the book (technically a debossing). With some books this can create a darker shade without printing. Simple and subtle yet still quite powerful.

With a foil print we follow the same process as an embossing except that we will use a very fine layer of metallic foil which gets stamped onto the cover. This can create a striking and eye-catching effect, especially with a bold choice of foil.

In recent years the technology has improved so much that we can now offer full cover digital print, which means anything from a simple one-colour logo to a complicated photograph can be printed on the cover with amazing results.

Yes, you can but with some restrictions. Click here to read more about what can be done.

Gel domes are a very bold and tactile solution but one that might be right for you. It involves a clear dome with a printed logo underneath, creating a raised 3D effect for your logo. One for impact.

Occasionally there is a request for pad or screen printing. This is another method for laying down a solid colour, previously used quite extensively but now largely replaced by digital printing. We can advise on this if you feel you need to use this printing method.

In certain cases, notably the Moleskine soft cover books, we just don’t have the depth in the cover material to get a decent embossing. Instead we can offer etching, a process where the material is etched away, leaving a mark that contrasts nicely with the cover. The result is similar to an embossing but without the impression into the cover.

There is no simple answer to this question. No great surprise there. But we can offer some advice - if you have a simple logo to brand your book with, ideally one that has no overlapping colours, then we suggest a blind embossing.

If you have a complex logo or artwork (e.g. a multi-coloured logo, one with overlapping colours or a gradual colour shading, maybe even a photograph) then we suggest a digital print.

If you want your custom notebooks to be quite discreet and subtle then we suggest an embossing. If you are looking for maximum impact then a foil or digital print would be better.

Maybe also think about who you are giving these notebooks to and what you want them to do with them. An internal company gift or to people outside of the organisation?

If this is for customers, or prospective customers, then consider if you want to grab their attention first and foremost, or have them use the book later (and so keep you mind).

Foil or digital print might be too bold in this case - not everyone wants to carry around an advert for your company. Subtle might be the way to go.

On the other hand you might want to shout your name a bit louder, in which case an embossing might be too discreet.

Well you can see more on this here. In summary we actually deboss (i.e. stamp into the cover) rather than emboss (i.e. raise up the artwork proud of the cover). But we call it an embossing. Confusing I know.

Aside from the technical process of achieving each result, the important bit for you to know is that a foil print is a solid colour, usually a metallic colour since it is a fine layer of foil being applied to the cover. Great for impact (think gold or silver on a dark colour here).

A digital print allows for an infinite range of results from basic solid colours (very good for Pantone matching actually), through to rendering a photograph or complicated design with shading and gradients. The method used will likely be based on what artwork you have.

The honest answer is very rarely. Occasionally there is a specific need for these printing processes, but with the advent of digital printing and the quality this can achieve there is hardly any need to screen or pad print now.

Most people opt for a blind embossing. Quite a few opt for a foil or digital print. Very rarely do people opt for anything else, so the most obvious answer is that you would opt for a gel dome precisely because you want to stand out, to do something no one else does. You want people to remark on how different your notebook is when they get one. It might not be subtle but that would be the point!