Thesis FAQ

• Do I need an appointment to bring my thesis order in to Acme’s office?

No appointment is needed.

• What are your business hours?

We are open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Monday through Friday. We can take your order at any time during these hours, but it is best not to wait for the last minute.

• What are your prices?

Click this link, answer all questions and you will be given a price for your order.



• How can I pay for my order?

All pickups that are not paid for in advance must be paid for in CASH or Money Order. We do not accept credit cards. Checks are accepted only when you drop off your order.

• What should I do if my Thesis Order is RUSH?

Print this form, fill it in for our office. Call 617-242-1100



• How FAST can you do a job?

As fast as 3 hours, We can do most anything, but it gets very expensive. If you are late, CALL our office.

• How do I get to Acme?

You can take the 86 Bus from Harvard Square. Take the T on the Orange Line to Sullivan Square----we are a 1 minute walk. Or bike or drive to 100 Cambridge St. Charlestown. Click this link for detailed directions.




• How much margin should I have on my thesis?

1 inch, top, bottom, left and right; but you need to check with your school or department for their requirements.

• What file formats does Acme accept for printing?

We accept only PDF files that have fonts and graphics embedded. Please read the next Faq for Acme’s instructions for PDF creation. If files are not properly created, the word flow, fonts and graphic images that you see on screen will not be duplicated on your printed copy. Fonts may be substituted, index or contents page references may be wrong, graphics may be missing, or other undesirable consequences may occur.

• How do I create a Pdf file from my word processor or desktop publishing program?

There are many programs to create Pdf files from various word processors or destop publishing software. The best software used to produce PDF files costs though you are likely eligible for school discounts. The best product for creating PDF files is Adobe Acrobat Standard which includes Acrobat Distiller for writing PDF files.

Your Advisor or schools print dept. can lead you to them. You may have one or more available for you on your University network.

If not or you prefer to work entirely from home and do not want to purchase a full program; Adobe provides a more affordable 1 month subscription (min.) to an online Pdf creator or you can web search for Pdf writers. (These install printers that create Pdf files rather than printed pages if used to print from your applications.)

Embedded Fonts
PDF fonts must be embedded to ensure our printing matches yours.
Embedding increases file size but places all font information within your document, without this another computer which may not have a font you use will try for a "closest match" and printouts from one system to the next will not be identical. (See options or preferences in your PDF creating program or printer).





• Must I indicate grayscale/halftone pages on my order?

No. We price grayscale as black print though it is printed as gray. You only need to indicate black page and color page counts.

• Is it possible to have ITALICIZED lettering on my thesis?

No. We do not offer that option on our computerized equipment.If you MUST have Italics, we can only do this with hand set type at $50 per book additional. Call our office to arrange this service.

• Can you stamp the Harvard “Veritas” seal on my thesis?

Yes. We can do this with a hand stamped strike of a brass die that we have. The charge is $35 per book. The Harvard Seal will be stamped on the front cover. You must arrange this special service by calling our office.

• If I am printing my thesis Duplex (double-sided), must I change any page setup settings from a simplex (single-sided) print?

Yes. If you set your page numbers to be in the right hand corner of the page, you must change your page setup to put the odd page numbers on the right side and the even page numbers on the left side.

• If all my copies to be printed are not identical (simplex, duplex, size, etc) what must I do?

You must submit a PDF file for each print format you request.This is an exception to our general rule of "submit only 1 file" CALL our office at 617-242-1100 so provisions can be made.

• Can my thesis be any size or just 8.5” x 11”?

You can order A4 size, or 6 x 9” or 11” x 17” but the charges will be more. There is a $5.00 extra cutting charge for special sizes. You must also format your pages to be the size you require with appropriate margins.

• What do I need to do if I have foldout pages that are 17 x 11”

If you are supplying printed copies, you must fold the pages so that the front fold does not cut off or the inner fold does not get caught in the binding. You must fold your landscape pages at 6” from the left side of the 17” page and 6.5” from the right size of the 17” page. You will end up with a Z-folded page that is 8.5” wide. See this diagram. DO NOT simply fold your 17 x 11” pages in half.

• What if my thesis is over 3 inches thick (usually this will be any single sided print that is over 1000??? pages)?

We can still bind your thesis, but there will be an additional $5.00 charge.

• How do I get the requirements that my school has for printing and binding my thesis?

You can contact your registrar or department.

• If I am out of the area (another state or country), can you ship my bound thesis to my school and process my order via the Internet?

Yes. You will have to send us your payment in before we will ship your books, but we can handle all the details for you.

• How long has Acme Bookbinding been binding theses?

We have been binding theses for nearly 200 years. In fact our company president, Paul Parisi, co-edited the ANSI/NISO/LBI Standard Z39.78-2000 Library Binding —a National Standard for binding as well as the previous edition published in 1986. You are in good hands.



• What if I have more questions?

Call 617-242-1100 or email thesis@acmebook.com