Cookbook Industry Standards
PrintNinja recommends keeping the following guidelines in mind when you design a cookbook.
Cookbooks contain collections of recipes. Most have a theme, such as barbeque 101, easy noodle recipes, or Emeril Lagasse’s kitchen. Many traditional cookbooks are bound with spiral or wire so the book can lay completely flat when open – a convenience that’s much appreciated when you have an overflowing measuring cup in one hand and a sauce-covered spatula in the other. Modern cookbooks have “kicked it up a notch” with hardcover or perfect binding and expanding on the basic premise of recipes by adding photos, ingredient shopping tips, preparation tricks, and commentary. Printing your own cookbook is a great way to compile a series of recipes – perhaps from your restaurant, or from your blog. Here are some design tips to make sure your cookbook is both functional and beautiful:
Traditional Cookbook
- Binding: Spiral or wire
- Size: No standard size
- Cover Weight: 10pt cover
- Cover Finish: Gloss lamination
- Interior Paper Weight: 70lb text
- Interior Paper Coating: Uncoated
Modern Cookbook
- Binding: Perfect (softcover) or case bound (hardcover)
- Size: No standard size
- Cover Finish: Matte varnish
- Interior Paper Weight: 70lb text
- Interior Paper Coating: Uncoated