• Sequence & Narrative – The arrangement of images to tell a story or evoke an emotion.
• Monograph - A detailed study by of of one photographer.
• Spread – Two pages viewed together as a single image.
• Flow – How the images and text guide the viewer’s experience throughout the book.
• Dummy Book – A mock-up of the photobook layout and materiality; created in the publishing process or used to attract a publisher.
• Gutter – The fold between two pages that affects how images are displayed across a spread.
• Trim size - The final dimensions of the printed page after cutting.
• Bleed - The area of an image that extends beyond the trim edge, ensuring no white borders appear after trimming.
• Safety Margin: The area within the trim size where important elements should be kept to avoid being cut off.
• Full Page Bleed: An image that extends to all edges of the page, filling the entire spread.
• Text Block/Book Block: The collection of sewn or glued pages that form the body of the book.
• Tipped-In: A page or image that is glued into the book separately from the main text block.
• Accordion (Concertina) Fold: Parallel folds that open up like an accordion.
• Gatefold - a page leaf folded inward that is opened and extended
• Addendum: Information added to the end of a book after publication.
• Appendix: Supplemental information added to the end of a book (tables, glossary, bibliography, etc.).
• Edition – The number of copies produced, often limited for art-focused photobooks.
• Maquette - A preliminary version of a photobook where designers can experiment with layout, sequence, and design before final production.
  

Printing Terms:

• CMYK (Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Key/Black): A four-color, subtractive printing process used by most offset printers.
• RGB (Red-Green-Blue): A three-color, additive color process commonly used by electronic screens.
• Halftone: A printing technique that transforms images into dots of various sizes, allowing an image to be made using one color ink.
• "Rezo print" ; printing on a Risograph printer, a stencil duplicator that produces unique, tactile prints with a vibrant, spot-color aesthetic. The Risograph process uses specialized inks to create a distinct look, often favoured for zines, posters, and graphic arts.

• Signature: Two or more sheets of paper stacked and folded as a group.
• Spine: The part of the book that connects the front and back covers.
• Super: A gauze-type fabric used to reinforce the spine of a text block.
• Lay-Flat Binding – A technique allowing pages to open completely flat, ideal for uninterrupted image spreads.
• Spiral Coil Binding - A binding method using a plastic or metal coil to hold pages together.
• Bench Sewing: Sewing through a fold to combine signatures into a text block.
• Paper Stock – The type and weight of paper used, influencing texture and appearance.
• Grain: The fibers of a sheet of paper, aligned in one direction. To determine the direction of the grain, carefully bend a sheet of paper horizontally and vertically. Grain will run parallel to the direction of least resistance.
• Grain Long: When grain is running the longer side of a sheet.
• Tape Binding: Securing pages with a tape or cloth strip along the spine.
• Hard cover/ Soft Cover/- Cover choice box board or soft cover
• Book Cloth: Protective cloth used to cover books.
• Saddle-Stitch: A binding method where pages are folded and stapled through the spine.
• Kettle Stitch: Stitching used to secure the heads and tails of signatures in order to create a text block.
• Side Stitch Binding: A method in which staples or stitching run along the side of a book.
• End Sheets/Endpapers – The blank pages attached inside the front and back cover, sometimes used for design elements.
• Embossing & Debossing Blind stamp – Raised or indented design effects often used on covers. A blind stamp is depressed and uncoloured.
• Hot or Foil stamping - a form of relief printing where pre-dried inks or foil are applied at high temperatures.
• Slipcase: A storage box with one open end fitted to a specific book.

• Self-Publishing – When an artist or photographer produces their own book without a traditional publisher.
  
• Print API- lets you seamlessly integrate print on demand functionality into your existing website or app, enabling you to offer a wide range of high-quality printed products to your customers or users.
• The OnDemand Processing API allows the users to interact with the service to issue and control the orders. It provides functionalities like creation, update, cancellation, pausing and monitoring of orders. This allows the users to have better control over the workflow execution process.
• Zine- A self-published booklet, often with a simple binding
• Print-on-Demand (POD) – Books are printed only when ordered, reducing waste and storage costs.
• ISBN – The International Standard Book Number, required for commercial distribution.
• Colophon – A small section in the book detailing publication details like printer, designer, and edition number.
• Copyright: The legal right to control the use and distribution of your work.
• Proofreading: The final stage of editing to catch errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Backlist: Books that have been in print for a year or more.
• Frontlist: Newly published books.
• Imprint: A distinct brand or division within a publishing house.
• Blurb: A short description of the book, often found on the back cover.
• Galley: An early, often unedited, copy of the book used for review.

'Publishing as Method' - Lim Kyung yong and Helen Jungyeon Ku

'Publish Your Photography Book' - Darius Himes & Mary Virginia Swanson

Help Small Publishers Cut Costs

Light Logistics

LIGHT LOGISTICS is a person-to-person distribution network enabled by volunteers.

Publishers can get help with distribution to cut costs.

Sustainability

The Sustainable Photobook Publishing (SPP) network

Europe

Untitled -

Untitled is an independent publishing house based in Prague and a platform for photography and visual art, founded by curator and editor Lucie Černá.

India

Offset Projects

Editions JOJO

Hong Kong

Blue Lotus Editions

Singapore

Vietnam

Matca

Europe

Untitled -

Untitled is an independent publishing house based in Prague and a platform for photography and visual art, founded by curator and editor Lucie Černá.

Hong Kong

Devedo 顯影堂

Blue Lotus

India

Offset Bookshop

Editions JOJO

Singapore

The Deck

Vietnam

Matca

Taiwan

Moom

Japan

Reminders Photography Stronghold

Australia

Slow Burn Books

Perimeter Books

UK

Mack Books

Oxfam 2nd Hand

Setanta

USA

Aperture