Pergament is a full-cycle printing house in Chisinau, in business since 1999. We print custom books in short and medium runs — from 10 copies: short and urgent runs in our press-class digital department on Konica Minolta machines, from 1 day; large runs on German offset presses, with the exact schedule confirmed once the artwork is approved. Binding — softcover (perfect binding, saddle stitch, wire-o) or hardcover, thread sewing, colour inserts; for covers — lamination, foil stamping and spot UV varnish. There is no ready price per book: it depends on the run, number of pages, format, paper and binding, so we cost your edition operation by operation — in 2–3 variants at once — and fix the price in the invoice. We help with editing, design and layout; printing, folding, binding, wire-o and perfect binding — full cycle in-house.
Prices and run sizes
| Run | Printing | Price, MDL/copy, VAT included | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|
| from 10 copies — short or urgent run | digital, press-class Konica Minolta | on quotation | from 1 day |
| large run | offset | on quotation | confirmed once the artwork is approved |
| hardcover | by run size, as in the rows above | on quotation | confirmed once the artwork is approved |
Within a category prices differ several-fold, so there is no ready price range for books; an exact price from your artwork comes within a couple of hours, in 2–3 variants.
Book bindings and sizes
We print softcover and hardcover books, brochures and wire-o editions with colour inserts. Which binding to choose:
| Binding | Construction | Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| Perfect binding | the unsewn block is glued at the spine with hot glue | inexpensive and quick, the book is compact and light; not the most durable option |
| Saddle stitch | the block is fastened with 2–3 staples | inexpensive and durable |
| Wire-o | sheets are bound on wire-o on an automatic line | opens 360°, often chosen for exhibition materials; strong and reliable |
| Thread sewing | the block's signatures are sewn with thread, glued as well if needed | the block holds on thread, not only on glue |
| Hardcover | a board cover — two boards and a spine; after printing it is laminated, joined to the block with additional sheets and kept under a press | durable, but heavier than softcover — because of the bookbinding board |
Format and number of pages are set by your edition. Maximum printable area on our digital press: 318 × 1190 mm. Examples of our books are in the gallery on this page: covers, spines, open spreads with illustrations.
Materials and finishing
- Printing: offset — on German offset presses; digital — on press-class Konica Minolta machines, with quality close to offset. We choose the printing method to fit the run and budget, not the other way round.
- Cover: lamination — matte, gloss or soft-touch; foil stamping on an automatic Heidelberg machine; spot UV varnish — applied automatically with UV drying.
- Post-print processing: three folding machines, a Horizon binding line, automatic wire-o binding; cutting — Polar 115 and two Wohlenberg 76 guillotines.
- Paper for the block and cover — agreed with you and included in the operation-by-operation quote.
As a rule, lamination films for covers are already in stock. Matte, gloss and soft-touch film for all our sheet sizes is kept in our own warehouse, and we buy materials directly from mills in Europe and Asia: the material is the same run after run, with no middleman's margin in the price. More: About us.
How we work
- Send the artwork or the manuscript. Artwork — preferably PDF: fonts converted to curves, CMYK images at 300 dpi, 2–5 mm bleeds. For perfect binding, supply the cover as spreads in a separate file with the spine and add 10 mm to the inner margins of all pages on the spine side — details in the artwork requirements. No artwork yet? We help with editing, design and layout; every incoming file is checked by our prepress specialists.
- Get a quote in variants. Operation-by-operation costing in our production system: one reply, 2–3 variants by run length or finishing — and it shows from which run offset pays off. Contract and invoice come from the same calculation — no discrepancies between quote and invoice.
- Approve the artwork and colour. You approve the artwork before the run; for colour matching you can order a test print. Samples of finished products and materials — in our showroom on Columna Street, before you order.
- Printing and dispatch. The median time from order placement to production start is one day; after that every operation is registered on shop-floor terminals. Collect the finished run yourself, or we arrange delivery across Chisinau and Moldova.
Questions and answers
What is the minimum book run and how fast can you print it?
From 10 copies. Short and urgent runs are printed in our press-class digital department — from 1 day; your manager will confirm the exact schedule for an offset run or a hardcover once the artwork is approved.
How much does it cost to print a book?
It depends on the run, number of pages, format, paper and binding, so there is no ready range: we quote from your artwork in 2–3 variants, VAT included, and the price is fixed in the invoice.
Can you help prepare the book for print?
Yes: we help with editing, design and layout. A finished file is easiest to send as PDF — every incoming file is checked by our prepress specialists.
Can you reprint the book exactly a year later?
Yes. Every order's tech passport has been stored in the system since 2014; a repeat run is printed from it, not from memory. Every second order is a repeat run or a new version of a product we have already made.
What happens if our manager changes — or yours?
Nothing. Your order history, prices and notes on past runs are in the system, not with a person.
How fast do you quote?
The operation-by-operation calculation itself takes minutes; a reply with 2–3 variants — by run length or finishing — comes within a couple of hours.
How do I know what stage my order is at?
Operations are registered on shop-floor terminals in real time — the manager sees the stage without calling the shop floor.