When designing a custom yearbook cover have your staff take ownership of the book. Even if you use a professional cover artist, assign the concept and theme development to the students. You may have someone on your staff who has amazing and fresh ideas. It’s another learning opportunity for staff.

Your custom-designed cover can be a real show-stopper with Balfour’s assortment of offerings. Consider these options when deciding what processes, materials and special applications to use on your yearbook cover.

Silk Screen

A process whereby a design stencil is impregnated into a very fine synthetic screen and then ink is forced through to form a design on the cover.

Base Materials: Essentially all cover materials can be silkscreened except fabric materials.

Colors: More than 35 full spectrum colors are available.

Lithography

The same printing process that is used to print pages of the book. Virtually any design, Illustration or photograph can be reproduced using 1, 2, 3 or 4-color lithography.

Base Materials: Lithographed covers are printed on 100lb stock, then typically laminated. This creates an especially strong material designed to withstand the stresses of casemaking & binding.
Colors: Any spot or process (four-color) colors can be used.

Silk Screen

A process whereby a design stencil is impregnated into a very fine synthetic screen and then ink is forced through to form a design on the cover.

Base Materials: Essentially all cover materials can be silkscreened except fabric materials.

Colors: More than 35 full spectrum colors are available.

Embossing / Debossing

A process in which a brass dye of the design is created and then used to raise or lower areas of the cover to bring out the image of the design.

Base Materials: All materials are available but not recommended with korigan or Lithocote except for light embossing. Base materials do not show much detail when blind embossed.

Colors: Color can be applied to an embossed design through screening, top stamping and toning.

Graining

A process in which a brass die of the design is created and then used to raise or lower areas of the cover to bring out the image of the design.

Base Materials: All materials are available but not recommended with korigan or Lithocote except for light embossing. Base materials do not show much detail when blind embossed.

Colors: Color can be applied to an embossed design through screening, top stamping and toning.

Dye Cutting

A process in which a simple geometric opening is cut through the binders board. usually a design printed on the endsheet shows through the opening.

Base Materials: Essentially all materials can be die cut.

Colors: Not applicable.

Balfour SimplyCreate

Balfour's simplyCREATE covers are professionally-created standard designs. Many of the covers are available in a variety of cover processes, inks, foils and colors. Some are specifically designed to feature your school's mascot; others carry a theme phrase you can develop throughout your book.

View the 2024 simplyCREATE® covers, endsheets, and related graphics here.