Books & Publications
find it. love it. keep it.
Find it. Love it. Keep it. Branded books and publications are where a brand gets to sit down and tell its story properly — the annual report that lands on a chairman's desk, the brand book that onboards a new agency, the lookbook that travels with the…
Find it. Love it. Keep it. Branded books and publications are where a brand gets to sit down and tell its story properly — the annual report that lands on a chairman's desk, the brand book that onboards a new agency, the lookbook that travels with the collection. Sense2 has been producing custom books and publications for Australian brand teams for 30 years, with in-house design support, paper-stock curation and print finishes that turn a document into a keepsake.
Find it fast
- Formats:
- hardcover books, softcover perfect-bound, saddle-stitch booklets, wire-bound workbooks, Swiss-bound lookbooks and Japanese-bound art publications
- Typical MOQ:
- 50-250 for digital print, 500-1,000 for offset economies
- Lead time:
- 10-20 business days standard; 5-7 business days express on digital runs
- Paper stocks:
- FSC-certified uncoated, silk, gloss, recycled kraft, specialty stocks (Colorplan, Gmund, Keaykolour) and seeded paper inserts
- Finishes:
- foil stamp, blind deboss, spot UV, edge-painting, tipped-in covers, ribbon markers, cloth-bound spines
- Price range (100qty, 64pp softcover):
- AU$12-$38 per unit depending on stock and finish
Best for
Choose books & publications if your moment is annual reports and investor publications, brand books and agency onboarding or lookbooks and campaign publications.
Annual reports and investor publications
Choose silk or uncoated 150gsm text with a 350gsm matt-laminate cover, PUR-bound for lay-flat spreads. Foil-stamped wordmark reads as confident and understated — the register shareholders expect.
Brand books and agency onboarding
Swiss-binding with exposed spine, tipped-in cover stock and a ribbon marker gives the brand book the weight of a design object. This is the one that sits on the creative director's shelf for years.
Lookbooks and campaign publications
Saddle-stitch 32-48pp on gloss or silk 170gsm for photography-led pieces. Add spot UV on hero images and consider a belly-band wrap for the launch drop.
Conference workbooks and speaker publications
Wire-bound or perfect-bound on FSC uncoated, with a printed divider system for sessions. Delegates write in them, keep them, and reference them long after the conference closes.
“Our annual report arrived a week ahead of schedule and the board genuinely paused to take it in — the foil on the cover, the weight of the paper. Sense2 understood the tone we were reaching for and made it feel considered at every page.”
“We briefed a brand book for our agency onboarding and Sense2 came back with three paper-stock options that all felt right for different reasons — which is a wonderful problem to have. The finished piece lives on every partner's desk.”
“The lookbook for our autumn collection was exquisite — edge-painted, beautifully bound, and delivered a few days ahead of when we needed them for the press breakfast. The team made it feel effortless.”
Compare your options
| Use case | Our recommendation |
|---|---|
| Annual reports and investor publications | Choose silk or uncoated 150gsm text with a 350gsm matt-laminate cover, PUR-bound for lay-flat spreads. Foil-stamped wordmark reads as confident and understated — the register shareholders expect. |
| Brand books and agency onboarding | Swiss-binding with exposed spine, tipped-in cover stock and a ribbon marker gives the brand book the weight of a design object. This is the one that sits on the creative director's shelf for years. |
| Lookbooks and campaign publications | Saddle-stitch 32-48pp on gloss or silk 170gsm for photography-led pieces. Add spot UV on hero images and consider a belly-band wrap for the launch drop. |
| Conference workbooks and speaker publications | Wire-bound or perfect-bound on FSC uncoated, with a printed divider system for sessions. Delegates write in them, keep them, and reference them long after the conference closes. |
Make it a Brand Kit
Pair these together for a coordinated rollout — we’ll kit, brand and deliver everything together.
Board Meeting Pack
Hardcover annual report with foil-stamped cover, matching ribbon-marked agenda booklet, engraved metal pen and a linen-bound notebook, presented in a branded slipcase
Best for: AGM boardrooms, investor days, chairman gifts
From AU$95 per pack at 50qty
Brand Launch Library
Swiss-bound brand book, saddle-stitch lookbook, tipped-in brand manifesto card and a seeded-paper bookmark set in a belly-banded bundle
Best for: Agency onboarding, brand refresh launches, creative partner rollouts
From AU$68 per set at 100qty
Delegate Workbook Kit
Wire-bound conference workbook on FSC uncoated, branded pen, session divider tabs and a soft cotton tote for carry
Best for: Conferences, summits, offsite workshops, university orientation
From AU$24 per kit at 250qty
Find it. Love it. Kit it.
How to choose
Start with how the book will be read, not how it will look on the shelf — that's the part we enjoy most about a publication brief. An annual report is read at a desk, so text stock (100-150gsm uncoated or silk) and a readable typographic grid matter more than a flashy cover. A lookbook is flipped through on a sofa or at a press breakfast, so heavier photographic stocks (170-200gsm silk or gloss) and generous margins do the work. A brand book lives on a shelf for three years, so Swiss-binding, cloth spines and tipped-in covers earn their cost. Paper choice carries more brand signal than most briefs give it credit for. FSC-certified uncoated reads as editorial and considered. Gmund and Colorplan specialty stocks read as luxury and deliberate. Recycled kraft reads as honest and tactile. Seeded-paper inserts — which bloom into wildflowers when planted — turn a sustainability report into a story people actually tell. Binding method drives both budget and feel. Saddle-stitch (folded and stapled) is the cheapest for 8-48pp pieces and suits lookbooks and event programs. Perfect-bound (glued spine) suits 48-200pp softcovers. PUR-binding (polyurethane glue) is the upgrade for lay-flat spreads. Swiss-binding exposes the spine and turns the book into a design object. Hardcover case-binding with cloth, foil and ribbon marker is the register for annual reports, monographs and legacy publications. Finishes are where the brief either lands or doesn't. Foil stamp on uncoated cover stock is the quiet-luxury signal. Blind deboss reads as confident restraint. Spot UV lifts a photograph off the page. Edge-painting turns the closed book into a branded object from every angle. Our in-house design studio will send a finishes mood board before you commit. On MOQ: digital print makes 50-250 unit runs economical for pitch books, pilot publications and small print runs. Offset printing takes over economically at 500-1,000 units and scales beautifully to 10,000+ for membership publications and annual reports. Always ask for a stepped quote across 100, 500, 1,000 and 2,500.
Pricing guidance
Pricing rule of thumb: a 32pp saddle-stitch A5 booklet on 150gsm silk sits around AU$4-$9 per unit at 100qty, dropping to AU$1.80-$3.50 at 1,000qty. A 64pp perfect-bound softcover on FSC uncoated runs AU$12-$24 at 100qty and AU$5-$9 at 1,000qty. Hardcover case-bound books with cloth spine and foil start around AU$38-$75 per unit at 100qty. Add AU$1.50-$4 per unit for foil stamping, AU$2-$5 for edge-painting, and AU$0.80-$2 for ribbon markers. Paper upgrades to Colorplan or Gmund add 15-30% to stock cost. Setup and platemaking for offset runs is AU$150-$400 once-off.
Delivery across Australia
Delivered Australia-wide in 10-20 business days standard from artwork sign-off — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and Canberra. Express digital runs turn in 5-7 business days for late briefs. We kit publications with pens, bookmarks, slipcases or seeded-paper inserts, split-ship to multiple venues for conference drops, and run timed-release dispatch for embargoed launches at no extra handling. Free shipping on orders over AU$500.
Why Sense2
- ✦30 years briefing print with Australian agencies, brand teams, galleries and universities — we know which bindery in Sydney does the cleanest foil and which Melbourne press holds register on heavy uncoated
- ✦In-house design studio for art setup, typography refinement, cover concepts and paper-stock mood boards — fast quotes, pre-production proofs before plate lock
- ✦thousands of products across the Sense2 catalogue means your publication can be kitted with branded pens, notebooks, leather slipcases or seeded-paper bookmarks in one project brief
- ✦Thousands of 5-star Google reviews from brand teams who trust Sense2 to get the colour, weight and finish exactly right the first time
Frequently asked questions
What's the minimum order for custom books and publications?▾
Digital print runs start economically at 50-250 units, which suits pitch books, small-run brand books and pilot publications. Offset printing takes over at 500-1,000 units and scales cost-effectively to 10,000+ for annual reports and membership publications. Hardcover case-bound books typically start at 50 units. Ask our team for a stepped quote across 100, 500 and 1,000.
How long do custom books take to produce and deliver?▾
Standard lead time is 10-20 business days from artwork sign-off, depending on binding method and finishes. Digital print runs can turn in 5-7 business days express. Hardcover case-binding with foil, cloth spine and ribbon markers typically sits at the longer end (15-20 days) because of bindery scheduling. We'll confirm the exact window on quote.
What binding and finishing methods do you offer?▾
Saddle-stitch for 8-48pp booklets, perfect-bound and PUR-bound for softcover 48-200pp, Swiss-binding for exposed-spine brand books, wire-bound for workbooks and hardcover case-binding for annual reports and legacy publications. Finishes include foil stamping, blind deboss, spot UV, edge-painting, tipped-in covers, ribbon markers and cloth spines.
Can I see a paper-stock sample and printed proof before I commit?▾
Yes. Our in-house design studio sends a paper-stock mood board on every publication brief — FSC uncoated, silk, gloss, recycled kraft and specialty stocks like Colorplan and Gmund. Pre-production proofs with your artwork are standard before plate lock on offset runs, and digital proofs are included on every project.
Do you offer sustainable and FSC-certified paper options?▾
Yes. FSC-certified stocks are our default across uncoated, silk and gloss ranges. We also work with recycled kraft, 100% post-consumer recycled stocks and seeded-paper inserts that bloom into wildflowers when planted. Vegetable-based inks and lower-ink packaging are available on request for sustainability-led publications.
Can you kit publications with other branded items?▾
Yes — this is one of the advantages of working with Sense2 across thousands of products. We regularly kit annual reports with engraved pens and notebooks, brand books with leather slipcases, conference workbooks with tote bags, and lookbooks with seeded-paper bookmarks. One brief, one project manager, one delivery.
Related categories
Ready to build something people will actually keep?
Tell us the moment — the onboarding day, the brand refresh, the conference, the client thank-you — and we’ll shortlist, mock up and deliver. Samples available (cost + freight applies, credited back), 48-hour dispatch, creative thinking included.
Find it. Love it. Keep it.


