Free design proof on every custom order: no templates, no stock SKUs
Small bookmarks trim the standard bookmark down to a compact 2" x 6", keeping the printed area focused on a logo, a short message, or a single call to action rather than a full layout. The smaller footprint means more bookmarks fit on a press sheet, which brings the per-unit cost down for anyone printing a giveaway in the thousands rather than the hundreds. Libraries, schools, and retailers running high-volume handouts reach for this size first when the goal is reach rather than a large printed surface.
A small bookmark trades printed surface area for volume. At roughly 2" x 6" (narrower and shorter than a standard bookmark) more of them fit on a single press sheet, which lowers the cost per piece meaningfully once an order climbs into the thousands. That trade-off makes the most sense when the goal of the piece is reach and repetition rather than fitting in a lot of copy: a logo, a short tagline, a call number system, or a single offer reads clearly at this size, while a dense layout starts to feel cramped.
Construction matches any bookmark: a stiff cardstock in the 14pt to 18pt range that resists curling when tucked into a book, with full-color CMYK printing or PMS spot color for exact brand matching. Lamination is worth adding on any bookmark meant to be kept and reused, since the small size means there's less material to begin with and a scuffed or bent edge shows more readily than on a larger piece.
Libraries and school reading programs are frequent buyers of this size, often printing a themed batch to hand out during a summer reading program or a specific unit, where the goal is getting a bookmark into as many hands as possible rather than making each one a keepsake. Retailers and service businesses use the same size as a receipt insert or counter giveaway. Small enough to tuck into a bag without adding bulk, but still a physical reminder that outlasts the transaction. Real estate agents and other repeat-referral businesses also favor the smaller format for the same reason: low cost per piece supports handing them out liberally rather than sparingly.
Because unit economics improve sharply with volume at this size, it's usually worth ordering a full year's supply rather than reordering every time a small batch runs out. The savings from a larger print run typically outweigh the cost of storing an extra box of bookmarks. For anyone deciding between this size and a standard bookmark, the deciding factor is usually how much needs to be printed on the piece: a single message favors the smaller size, while multiple lines of information, an itemized list, or larger artwork usually calls for the extra room a standard-size bookmark provides.
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.
Trimmed down to a compact two by six inches, which keeps the printed area focused on a logo, a short message or a single call to action. It costs less per piece and is easier to hand out or insert into a mailing, at the cost of protruding less from a closed book, which for a bookmark given away in volume is usually an acceptable trade.
Is it too short to be useful? It shows above most paperbacks but not larger hardbacks. For volume giveaways that trade is usually worth the saving.
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 |
It shows above most paperbacks but not above larger hardbacks. For a bookmark given away in volume that is usually an acceptable trade, but if it is a premium item the full-length format works better.
Cost per piece and ease of distribution. It fits a standard envelope without folding, which makes it straightforward to include in a mailing. Something a full-length bookmark often cannot do.
Yes, and on a shorter bookmark it helps more than usual. The tassel adds visible length above the page, partly compensating for the shorter card.
Less paper per piece, so somewhat, and it mails more cheaply. The saving is modest, so choose it for the distribution advantage rather than the unit price.
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 small 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. Photographic elements should be supplied at the resolution the finished size needs, not the resolution that looks sharp on screen. 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. 2″ × 6″, compact 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: 2″ × 6″. Order it when volume giveaways and mail inserts. If you have seen it called small 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 small 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: small 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. If nothing about the artwork or the specification has changed, there is nothing to re-approve. 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.
