Free design proof on every custom order: no templates, no stock SKUs
Custom bookmarks are the option for anyone who needs a shape or dimension the standard small or full-size bookmark doesn't cover. A rounded top, a die-cut silhouette matching a logo or mascot, a tassel hole punched at a specific spot, or a size built around unusual artwork. They're printed on the same durable cardstock as any bookmark, with full CMYK or PMS color and optional lamination, but every dimension is set by the order rather than picked from a fixed list.
Most bookmarks come in one of a small handful of standard sizes because that's what fits most books and most printing runs efficiently. A custom bookmark exists for the cases where a standard size doesn't fit the design. Artwork that reads better tall and narrow than the usual proportions, a shape built around a mascot or icon, a rounded or scalloped top edge, or a size matched to something other than a book, like a menu, a program, or a gift tag.
Construction stays consistent with any quality bookmark: a stiff cardstock, typically in the 14pt to 18pt range, holds its shape without curling and survives being slid in and out of pages repeatedly. Full-color printing in CMYK covers most designs, while PMS spot color is available for anyone matching an exact brand color. Lamination is worth considering on any bookmark meant to last, since it's the single biggest factor in whether a bookmark survives months of handling or starts fraying at the edges within weeks. A punched hole with a ribbon or tassel is a common add-on that turns a flat printed card into something closer to a keepsake.
Because the format is wide open, custom bookmarks show up in more places than the standard sizes do: bookstores building a shape around a mascot or seasonal theme, wedding and event favors sized to match invitation suites, museum and gift shop items tied to a specific exhibit or collection, and brand promotions where the bookmark shape itself is part of the design rather than an afterthought. Libraries and schools also use custom shapes for themed reading programs where a distinctive silhouette helps a bookmark stand out from a stack of plain rectangular ones.
Ordering a custom shape starts with a vector outline of the design, if one exists, since that speeds up cutting the die used to produce the finished shape. Without one, a rendered proof of the intended outline is produced before anything goes to print, so the exact silhouette can be confirmed ahead of a full run. Because a custom die adds a setup step that a standard rectangular bookmark skips, ordering a larger quantity tends to bring the per-unit cost down more noticeably than it would on a standard size. Worth factoring in for anyone deciding between a fixed size and a fully custom shape.
A bookmark spends its life pressed flat between pages and pulled out repeatedly by one end, which is a surprisingly specific set of demands. It needs enough stiffness not to crumple when pulled, but not so much bulk that it splays the book it is marking. Card between roughly 300 and 400gsm covers almost all of it; heavier than that and the bookmark starts damaging the spine it sits in.
Can a bookmark be too thick? Yes. Above about 400gsm it splays the book and gets removed, which defeats the point of a promotional bookmark.
Full color both sides is normal and worth it, because a bookmark is seen from both faces as it moves in and out of a book. The narrow format is the real design constraint: at two inches wide there is room for a logo, a short message and one call to action, and attempts to fit more simply produce type too small to read at the distance a bookmark is glanced at.
How much fits on a bookmark? A logo, one line and one action. It is a narrow strip. Treat the constraint as the brief rather than fighting it.
Coating is doing structural work here more than cosmetic. A bookmark is handled constantly and slid against paper hundreds of times, and an uncoated one softens at the edges and corners within weeks. Lamination roughly transforms how long it survives, which matters because the value of a promotional bookmark is entirely in how long it stays in use.
Is lamination worth it? On a bookmark, more than almost anywhere. Its whole value is longevity, and lamination is what buys that.
Two small decisions decide how a bookmark ages. Rounded corners resist the bending that square corners invite as the bookmark is pushed into a book. A punched hole at one end takes a tassel or ribbon, which makes the bookmark easier to find and pull, and turns a printed strip into something that reads as a gift rather than an advertisement.
Does a tassel change anything? It changes how the bookmark is perceived (from a handout to a keepsake) and it makes the page easier to find.
For anything the standard sizes do not cover. A rounded or shaped outline, an unusual proportion, a die-cut top that follows a logo, a magnetic fold-over that clips the page, or a size matched to a specific publication. The die is a one-off reused on reprints, so a shaped bookmark gets cheaper the second time it runs.
What is a magnetic bookmark? A fold-over strip with magnets that clips over the page rather than sitting between pages. It cannot fall out, which is its whole advantage.
Ask for samples before a run. Stiffness and how the edges wear are what decide whether a bookmark is still in use next year.
A bonded film that resists the constant abrasion of being slid in and out of pages. On a bookmark this is the highest-value addition available, because the entire point of the format is that it stays in use for a long time.
A small radius so the corners do not bend as the bookmark is pushed into a book. Square corners on a bookmark curl within weeks, and the fix costs almost nothing.
A punched hole with a tassel or ribbon threaded through. It makes the marked page easier to find and pull, and it shifts how the piece is perceived, from a handout toward a keepsake.
A metallic or raised gloss element. On a narrow format a single small treatment does more than extra color, and it catches the eye at the moment the bookmark is pulled from a book.
Same family, genuinely different jobs. Your current selection is highlighted.
| Bookmark | From | Size | Order it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Bookmarks | $180 | Full length | It must show above a closed book |
| Small Bookmarks | $170 | 2″ × 6″ | Volume giveaways and mail inserts |
| Custom Bookmarks | $160 | Shaped or non-standard | A shape, a clip or a matched size |
A fold-over strip with small magnets that clips over the page rather than sitting between pages. It cannot fall out when the book is closed or dropped, which is its entire advantage and why it costs more.
Yes. A shaped top following a logo or an illustration is common and effective. The die is a one-off reused on reprints, so a shaped bookmark gets cheaper the second time you run it.
Yes, sized to the publication so it protrudes by a set amount. Send the book dimensions or a copy, and we will cut to it. This is common for launches and library promotions.
Moderately, but remember it lives between pages under pressure. Fine points and narrow protrusions bend and tear in exactly the way a bookmark is used, so bold outlines survive far better.
Pricing for custom bookmarks starts at $160 and moves with quantity, size, material and finish rather than sitting on a fixed list. Setup is shared across the run, so the per-unit price drops steeply as the quantity rises: the gap between a few hundred and a few thousand is usually the significant one. Send the size, quantity and what it has to do and you get a firm figure back, not a range.
There is a practical minimum rather than a hard one. Every run carries artwork checks, a proof and a press setup, so a very small quantity of custom bookmarks prices poorly per unit even though we will still make it. If you are ordering a small batch, ask for pricing at two or three quantities at once: the curve usually shows that a modest increase costs very little more in total.
The clock starts when you approve the proof, not when the order is placed, which is the part most people are surprised by. You get a proof first: a digital proof of both faces against trim and safe lines, with the hole position marked where one is specified so you can see it does not fall through type or artwork. Turnaround after approval depends on the finish: anything laminated, foiled or die-cut adds a stage that cannot be compressed without causing problems later. Tell us the date you actually need them and we will work backwards from it rather than quoting a generic lead time.
Print-ready artwork with bleed and a safe margin, supplied as a PDF, AI or EPS. Because this product is cut to a shape, the file also needs a live vector path for the blade to follow. A JPG or PNG has no outline to cut to, so it has to be redrawn first. If your file is not print-ready, say so when you order. We would rather fix it before the proof than after the run.
Yes. Your shape and dimensions is the standard build, and the dimensions around it are yours to set. A size that sits efficiently on the press sheet often costs no more than a standard one, while an awkward proportion that wastes half the sheet does. Ask before you commit and we will tell you whether a small change to the dimensions saves a disproportionate amount.
In most cases they are the same product under a different name: the trade uses several terms for it depending on the region and the supplier. What actually defines this one is the build: shaped or non-standard. Order it when a shape, a clip or a matched size. If you have seen it called custom bookmarks printing elsewhere, describe what it has to do rather than which name you found, and we will match the specification.
Yes. We provide free samples, and on custom bookmarks it is worth asking for one, because the difference between card and heavy card is obvious in the hand and invisible on a screen. Most orders run on heavy card, but ask for whichever you are weighing up. You also get a free design proof before anything goes to press, so nothing is printed that you have not seen.
The usual choices are lamination, rounded corners, tassel and ribbon. Finish is not decoration on this product so much as a decision about how long it survives and how it reads in the hand, so it is worth choosing against the job rather than the budget. Tell us where the finished piece ends up and we will say which finish is doing real work and which is only adding cost.
Yes, and that is what almost every order here is. Nothing in this catalogue is a stock item: custom bookmarks are manufactured to the specification you give us, with your artwork on them. Send your logo as vector artwork where you have it, since that scales to any size without softening. If all you have is a low-resolution file, tell us and we will say what it needs before it reaches the press.
Yes, and a repeat run is simpler than the first one. We keep your approved specification on file, so a reorder skips the setup decisions and goes straight to production. Where the job used custom tooling, that tooling is reused, which is why a shaped run costs less the second time. Tell us the previous order and we will match it rather than starting the specification again.
Yes. Regalo Print has been producing custom commercial print for businesses across the USA and Canada since 2008, and every order ships tracked. The tracking number reaches you the day the job leaves, not the day it arrives. If you are working to a fixed date, say so when you order so the production schedule is built around the delivery date rather than the other way round.
