Dissertation Printing and Binding for Manchester Students: Deadlines and Delivery Lead Times
Table of Contents
If you live in Fallowfield, you're surrounded by students. It's the main student area of the city, with halls, shared houses and late-night takeaways all along Wilmslow Road. And every spring, a lot of those students hit the same wall at the same time.
The dissertation.
Months of reading, writing and rewriting. And then, right at the end, a very practical question: how do you get it printed and bound, and how long will it take?
This guide walks you through how to print and bind a dissertation, the binding types we offer, what to check with your department, and how early to order when your printer is in London. Most of all, it's here to stop you finding out about lead times the night before your deadline.
What dissertation printing involves
It sounds simple. Print the pages, hold them together, hand it in. But there are a few steps people often forget.
- Check the rules. Your department decides what you hand in and how.
- Finish and format the file. Margins, page numbers, fonts and layout.
- Turn it into a PDF. So nothing moves when it's printed.
- Choose your binding. Based on your page count and your department's rules.
- Order with time to spare. Printing and delivery take working days, not hours.
- Check every copy. Before you submit.
Do you need a printed copy at all?
Lots of departments now ask for online submission. Some want printed copies as well. Some don't need them, but students like to have one as a keepsake, or to give to family. Check what your department asks for before you order anything. Their rules always come first.
Binding types compared
These are the dissertation binding types we offer. They suit different lengths.
Stapled
An A4 stapled brochure is held together with staples along the fold.
- Best for shorter documents.
- Opens flat easily, which is nice for a reader making notes.
- The page count needs to be a multiple of four, because stapled books are made from folded sheets. Blank pages at the end make up the difference.
Perfect bound
An A4 perfect bound brochure has pages glued into a square spine, like a paperback book.
- Best for longer documents.
- Looks smart and finished, and stands up on a shelf.
- Doesn't open quite as flat as a stapled book, so leave a little extra space on the inside margin.
How to choose
- A short document? Stapled can work well.
- A longer document? Perfect bound is usually the better fit.
- Your department asks for a particular type of binding? Follow their rules. If you're not sure whether one of our products fits what they ask for, call us before you order and we'll tell you honestly.
What we don't offer
We don't offer hardback thesis binding. If your department needs hardback, you'll need a supplier that offers it.
Margins, paper and page counts to check with your department
Every department has its own rules. Before you format anything, find your handbook or module page and check these.
Margins
- How wide should the margins be?
- Does the binding edge need a bigger margin? It often does, so text doesn't disappear into the spine.
Layout
- Font and font size.
- Line spacing.
- Where page numbers go.
- Whether you need a title page, a declaration, an abstract or a word count on the front.
Paper and printing
- Single-sided or double-sided?
- Colour or black and white? If you have charts or photos, colour can matter.
Page counts
- Count your pages once everything is in, including the title page, contents, appendices and references.
- Remember, a stapled book needs a page count that's a multiple of four.
- Check the page options on the product page to make sure your document fits.
Before you upload
- Save it as a PDF and open the PDF to check it. Sometimes things move.
- Check that images are sharp and charts are readable.
- Look at the first and last page closely. That's where mistakes love to hide.
The last-minute problems we see most
- Blank pages in odd places. Usually a stray page break. Scroll through the PDF page by page.
- Charts that are too small to read. If you squint on screen, your marker will squint on paper.
- Missing references. Check the end of the document made it into the PDF.
- The wrong version. Name your final file clearly, like "Final_PRINT", so you don't upload an old draft by mistake.
Ten minutes of checking can save a reprint you don't have time for.
How early to order from a London supplier
Here's the bit that saves dissertations. We print in London and send all over the UK, including Fallowfield.
- Standard UK shipping is 2 to 3 working days of production, then about 2 days for delivery.
- Working days are Monday to Friday. Weekends and bank holidays don't count.
- Same-day delivery is only for London and inside the M25, so it won't help in Manchester.
So from order to doorstep is roughly a working week. That's your dissertation printing deadline, and it's earlier than your hand-in date.
Plan back from your hand-in date
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 3 weeks before hand-in | Final draft done. Check your department's formatting rules. |
| 2 weeks before | Final proofread. Make your PDF and check it. |
| 10 working days before | Our ideal order date. |
| 7 working days before | Latest sensible order date. Leaves a couple of days spare. |
| A few days before | Copies arrive. Check every page. |
| Hand-in day | Submit calmly, with time for a coffee. |
Watch for Easter
Spring hand-in dates often land near the Easter bank holidays. Those days don't count as working days, so plan around them.
Living in a shared house?
Make sure someone's in to take the delivery, or send it to an address where it won't sit on the doormat. A missed parcel can cost you days you don't have.
Online or walk-in?
University libraries often point students to a walk-in print service on or near campus, and that can be a great option. It's close by, and you can ask questions face to face. Ordering online suits you if you'd rather do it from home at midnight, or want a particular finish. The trade-off is time. Online means planning around production and delivery, so the earlier you decide, the more choice you have.
How many copies?
- The number your department asks for, if any.
- One for yourself. You'll be glad you kept it.
- Maybe one for family, or for your supervisor as a thank you.
It's much easier to order them all at once than to reorder later.
Deadline checklist
Run through this before you print dissertation copies online.
- ☐ Department rules checked. Printed copy needed? Binding type? Formatting?
- ☐ Margins set, with extra room on the binding edge.
- ☐ Page numbers right, in the right place.
- ☐ Title page complete, with everything your department asks for.
- ☐ Page count checked, including appendices and references.
- ☐ PDF saved and checked. Opened and read through, not just exported.
- ☐ Binding chosen to match your page count and your department's rules.
- ☐ Order placed in time. At least seven working days before hand-in, ideally ten.
- ☐ Delivery address sorted. Someone in, or a safe place.
- ☐ Copies checked as soon as they arrive.
Presenting your research too?
Postgraduates often need to present their work at a poster session or a conference. An academic poster or an A2 poster (420 x 594 mm) works well for that. For a talk or a showcase, an A1 foam board (594 x 841 mm) gives you a rigid, indoor display board for your key findings.
Finish strong
You've done the hard part. Don't let printing be the thing that trips you up at the finish line. Check your department's rules, pick the right binding, and order with a working week to spare.
Ready? Choose your binding, upload your PDF and we'll print and send it to you in Fallowfield. Not sure which option fits your rules? Call us on 020 7701 2515 before you order. You can also read more about our document printing in Fallowfield, or our document printing in Manchester City Centre.
