PRINTING AND BINDING FROM YOUR PDF FILE

Printing and Binding Process: During the thesis registration process, you will be required to submit a PDF file of your thesis/essay electronically. The system will automatically add your Olin copy and your department copies (if required) to your order during registration.  Required copies of your thesis/essay will be printed and bound at the book bindery from your PDF file. Personal copies are no longer ordered during registration. Students can access the bookbindery as an On-Demand customer at any time in the future to order personal copies. That is no longer a part of thesis registration.

Since 2020 all theses are now printed and bound double-sided. Therefore, you must pay special attention to the new margin requirements and formatting instructions in this year's Jellybean Papers. 

When do I get my thesis printed and bound? Your PDF file will be sent to the bindery for printing and binding after you have submitted it.  Institutional copies such as for Olin's Special Collections & Archives as well as Department copies will be coordinator by the Registrar's office. Students can order personal copies directly from our binding vendor after thesis registration has closed. Detailed instructions will be sent to all thesis writers. 

2022 Thesis Printing and Binding Fees

Standard black print on archival quality (alkaline, acid-free 20 lb.) paper, printed double-sided:

21 cents per page

Binding Fee, per copy: $17.90

Color or grayscale: 79 cents per page

Foldout pages, black 11"x17": 42 cents per page

Foldout pages, color 11"x17": $2.10 per page

Small Diskette Pocket, per copy: $10.50

Large CD Pocket, per copy: $12.65

Map Pocket, per copy: $14.70

These fees will be charged to your student account at the time that you electronically register your thesis.  Funds to help offset the costs of printing and binding your thesis are available from the Thorndike Fund and will appear in the Thesis Registration System as a credit when you register your thesis.

Honors recipients must bind a minimum number of copies: One bound copy is for Olin Library, one is for your department (except departments that do not require them such as AMST, CHEM, EDST, ENGL, GOVT, MB&B, MUSC, NS&B, and PSYC). The Registrar's Office will deliver these copies to Olin and your department. Olin Library will also store a copy of your PDF file for archival purposes. Students will have the ability to order personal copies directly from the bindery after thesis registration has closed. Copies for Olin are stored in the Special Collections area. Departments vary in the manner in which they store theses/essays and make them available to students. Check with the administrative assistant regarding your department's policy.

Theses that do not receive Honors:  If you do not receive Honors your department/program and Olin Library copies will not be printed and bound, so your Student Account will be credited for these costs assessed during registration.

My thesis or project is not a written work. What do I do?: Oversize theses (music scores for example) are usually not bound but are presented to the departments and to the library in exactly the same form in which they were evaluated. These should be accompanied by a title page and be legibly labeled in individual envelopes. Because your work will become the department/archival copy, your readers/evaluators will be asked to return one of the pieces to the Registrar's Office for submission to the library.  The other piece will be kept by the department as their copy and the third copy, if applicable, will be returned directly to you. You will not be required to submit a PDF version of your work for binding. Films are kept in special archival conditions by the Film Studies Program.

Maps, images/photographs and illustrations may require special treatment at the bindery.

  • If you have multiple images in your thesis and the PDF file size is very large, consider including images in a separate map pocket in the bound thesis copy and uploading those images separately as supplemental material for WesScholar. Before you choose this option, however, you must discuss this with your thesis advisor and department to make sure that this is acceptable to them.

  • If you will include images, maps, photographs or illustrations in a map pocket in your bound thesis, you will need to decide the depth of the pocket so that the material can be inserted into it - either 1/2", 1", or 1 1/2". (a 100-page insert or less should only require a 1/2" pocket). You will be able to enter this information at the time that you order your map pocket, during thesis registration. Please refer to the thesis/essay printing and binding fees for the price of a map pocket.

  • Please deliver the material to be included in your department and Olin Library copies to Susan Krajewski before Commencement. The Registrar's Office will keep this material until the bound copies of your thesis/essay are returned from the bindery, at which time this material will be inserted into the map pocket in the thesis/essay. Please note that the material that will be inserted into the map pocket will need to be trimmed to 7 1/2" x 10 1/2" so that it will fit.

Video, CD, DVD and audiocassettes can be bound in pockets along with the written commentary and bound just as you would a manuscript. Please refer to the thesis/essay printing and binding fees for these prices.

  • It is a good idea to look at some theses that have been bound with special instructions to see what your work will look like before you decide how many to bind.

  • Please deliver the video, CD, DVD or audiocassettes to be included in your department and Olin Library copies to Susan Krajewski before Commencement. The Registrar's Office will keep this material until the bound copies of your thesis/essay are returned from the bindery, at which time this material will be inserted into the designated pocket in the thesis/essay.

I'm concerned about the cost to print and bind a thesis/essay: All honors candidates will receive a partial credit through the Thorndike Fund which will be applied to the cost to print and bind the thesis/essay in the Thesis Registration system. This credit will reduce the total amount of charges you incur to print and bind your Olin Library copy.

Personal Copies are no longer bound through the Honors Management System. Thesis writers will be able to print any personal copies they wish as an On-Demand Customer with our bookbindery. Details will be provided in April.