Dust jackets are the “loose” paper (cover) wrapped around the cover of a hard-bound book (rarely a perfect bound book). Originally the purpose as the name implies was to keep dust off the books. Now the main purpose is advertising. Dust jackets are frequently printed multiple colours, whereas the printed pages are always black printing only. All dust jackets have four panels; front and back cover and two shorter flaps which go inside the front and back covers.
As you can see from these pictures, some dust jackets are die-cut, some books have 2 dust jackets. Some are on very heavy paper. Some dust jackets are clear plastic. Some covers are see through parchment. Some dust jacket covers are short.
Dust jackets leave lots of room for creativity. The publishing experts say by far the main selling feature of a book is its cover!
Features:
- Flexible
- Moveable
Benefits:
- Great advertising media for pictures, graphic and copy
- Can be personalized
Factors to consider:
- Who is to use the book
- Anticipated length of usage
TIPS FOR REDUCING PROMBLEMS IN THE BINDERY
Always request a paper dummy from your printer
Once you get a final list, it is worthwhile getting a dummy made up, whether it be for a brochure or a book, so you can better judge how production factors may impact on your design. It is also important to show dummies to clients so they know what to expect when the final product arrives.