Start with the department rules

Ask your department for its current thesis or project report instructions. Check paper size, margins, single- or double-sided printing, cover colour, lettering and binding type. These requirements differ between institutions and courses; a print shop’s standard format is not a substitute for your approved specification.

Keep the instructions with your print file. If you have an approved cover sample, bring that too. Make sure the title, student name, register number, department, institution and submission year match the final document.

Check the actual PDF

Export one final PDF and open it after export. Look at the first and last pages, the contents page, chapter starts, tables, equations, images and references. Check that page numbers match the contents and that no text is cut off near the binding edge.

  • Remove draft comments and tracked changes before exporting.
  • Check landscape pages and any intentionally blank pages.
  • List the PDF page positions that need colour; printed page numbers may differ.
  • Use a clear filename so an older draft is not printed accidentally.

Choose the binding

Spiral binding is convenient for a working draft that needs to lie open. Soft binding gives a flexible cover, while hard binding provides a rigid cover for a finished volume. Your department may specify one of these for submission. Our binding comparison explains the practical differences.

For a thick document, ask whether it should be split into volumes. Confirm cover wording separately from the inside pages: a corrected PDF does not automatically correct a separately prepared cover.

Approve a sample first

For multiple copies, ask to check a sample before the full run. Inspect a page of small text, a colour chart and a double-sided spread if relevant. On double-sided work, check the reading direction and inside margins. A screen preview cannot show exactly how a printed page will look.

Give the shop your submission date and the time you need to collect. Allow time for proofreading, binding and corrections. Ask for a confirmed completion time instead of assuming every thesis can be finished the same day.

What to send for a quote

Send the total PDF pages, number of copies, colour page list, paper size, printing sides, binding choice and required collection date. For example: “One 120-page A4 PDF, three copies, double-sided, colour on PDF pages 18–22, hard binding, cover specification attached.” This is an example order, not a price or completion promise.

Thrissur Copier Service offers thesis printing and binding at Rose Nagar, Sreekaryam, Thiruvananthapuram. Call 70127 08012 to confirm your requirements before visiting.