◆ Cost guide · Prices verified July 2026 · Italy
How much it costs to print and bind a graduation thesis
A 100-page black-and-white thesis costs € 13 with thermal binding and € 30 with a hardcover, VAT included, collected in store in Rome. Online you start lower but you wait, and shipping changes the total. Here is the formula to work it out yourself, the comparison between channels, and the items that never appear in a quote.
€ 13
100-page b/w thesis, thermal binding
€ 30
The same thesis with a hardcover
€ 0.05
One black-and-white side
€ 17–50
How much the same job varies by channel
The formula: two numbers, not one
The cost of a thesis is always the sum of two separate items: the printing and the binding. Printing is counted per side, not per page: a 100-page thesis printed single-sided is 100 sides, at € 0.05 each that is € 5. Binding is a fixed price that depends on the type: thermal from € 8, hardcover from € 25.
Everything else follows from this: € 5 + € 8 = € 13 for thermal, € 5 + € 25 = € 30 for the hardcover. If you have it shipped, add the courier. If you want colour, the per-side price goes from € 0.05 to € 0.40 and the total changes category, not just amount.
The first saving is double-sided printing. Printed double-sided, the same 100-page thesis takes 50 sides: printing drops to € 2.50. Many universities accept it and some require it: check your programme's rules before printing.
What it costs depending on where you print it
Same thesis, 100 black-and-white pages, one copy. Only the channel changes. Online prices are those published by the main national providers and verified on 22 July 2026: they are "from" prices and should be re-checked when ordering.
| Channel | Thermal | Hardcover | Time | What you are actually buying |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copy shop, collected in store | € 13 | € 30 | 5 min / 2 hours | You see the materials first, fix things at the counter, and take it away the same day |
| National online service | from € 9 | from € 17 | 2–5 days | Lower price and shipping often included, but nobody checks your file before printing it |
| Copy shop with delivery | € 33 | € 50 | 24–48 hours | The shop checks the file and the courier delivers: it costs more than online shipping alone |
| Print at home + binding | € 12–18 | not feasible | variable | Paper and toner cost more than they look, and a hardcover cannot be made at home |
The 5 things that really change the price
In order of impact on the total, from the heaviest to the most overlooked.
Colour
A colour side costs eight times a black-and-white one (€ 0.40 against € 0.05). A thesis with 20 colour chart pages costs € 7 more than the same one all in b/w. You can choose which pages go in colour: it is not all or nothing.
The binding type
Between thermal and hardcover there is a € 17 difference per copy, regardless of page count. On a single copy it matters little; on five copies it is € 85.
The number of copies
Work out the cost on the total you actually need, not on one copy. The most common set-up is 1 hardcover for the library plus 2-4 thermal copies for supervisor, friends and family: before ordering, ask the registrar how many your programme wants.
Double-sided or single-sided
It halves the number of sides and therefore the printing cost. On a 300-page thesis it goes from € 15 to € 7.50 of printing alone.
The paper
The standard is 80 gsm paper, and that is what almost every thesis uses. Heavier stock feels better but raises price and weight: it is worth considering only if the thesis has many full-page images.
The page count
It matters less than you think: between a 60-page and a 200-page thesis there is a € 7 difference in printing. The binding sets the price, not the thickness. The page-by-page table is on the thesis prices in Rome page.
Is printing your thesis yourself worth it?
The question comes back every graduation session. The honest answer: it depends on how many copies you need and what your time is worth.
It makes sense if…
You need just one working copy to annotate, you already own a laser printer and paper, and you do not mind spending an afternoon making sure no page is skipped. In that case you bring the printed block to the shop and pay only for the thermal binding: € 8.
It does not make sense if…
You have an inkjet printer: between cartridges and paper you easily pass € 15 for a 100-page thesis, with worse results and the risk of smudging. And above all: a hardcover cannot be made at home, it needs board casing and foil printing. For the official copy, DIY is not an option.
The costs that never appear in a quote
These are the items that turn a € 30 quote into a € 60 expense. None is unavoidable, but you should budget for them in advance.
Shipping
An express courier costs between € 15 and € 20 and adds to everything else. It is the item that flips comparisons: an online service at € 17 with free shipping beats a copy shop at € 30 plus € 20 of courier. If you are in the same city, collecting in person is worth that money.
Reprinting after a mistake
A typo on the title page spotted after binding means redoing everything: the page block cannot be opened. It is the most frequent hidden cost, and it is exactly double the price of the thesis. Having someone else check it before printing costs nothing.
Extra copies asked for at the last minute
Supervisors and co-supervisors sometimes ask for their own copy days before the discussion. If the first print run is already paid for, the second costs as much as the first: better to ask up front how many copies are really needed.
The PDF/A rejected by the portal
Almost every university wants a PDF/A uploaded to its portal, and the file exported from Word often is not compliant. It does not cost in printing, it costs in time on the worst possible day. You can check for free whether your PDF really is PDF/A before trying.
To work out the cost of your own thesis
The exact cost depends on your file: below are the full price list, the calculator and the service pages.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to print a 100-page thesis?
How much does it cost to bind an already printed thesis?
How much does it cost to print a 50-page thesis?
Is it better to print a thesis online or at a copy shop?
How much does it cost to print a thesis in colour?
Does the price include a personalised cover?
Work it out on yours, not on an example.
Upload your PDF at shop.guug.it/tesi and see the total with VAT before paying, or call us: with the page count and the binding type we can quote you on the phone in thirty seconds.