When do you need to submit your files during the design of a thesis?
Our design process is designed so that you don’t have to worry about delivering files to the printer. We take care of this! However, we do like to receive the final Word document of your dissertation at a certain point in the design process. Until then, a concept version will suffice. You can find out exactly when you need to submit a final manuscript, and what other delivery moments are involved in the design process, in the table below.
| Planning | Submissions |
|---|---|
| Submitting final Word document | Your designer needs the final Word file from you at the latest 8 days before the proof, to design your manuscript according to your wishes. If it’s later, we can still do the design based on a predefined template. |
| Submit proofprint | At this point, your designer submits the files for the proof to the printer, so you don’t have to do this yourself! Your designer and you should aim for completing the design completely before this date. There’s still the option of making changes afterwards, however. You will receive a confirmation when these files have successfully arrived at the printer. |
| Submit production | Again, the designer sends the final print files to the printer. You will receive confirmation of this submission again. Your only responsibility here is to have completed the design with your designer by this date. At this point, your design has to be truly finished, as no changes are possible afterwards. |
| Book delivery date | Finally, the printer delivers the books to you. The duration of this depends on printing techniques and any special paper treatments you might have chosen. Discuss this with your printer. |
Before the design process begins, we also like to meet you, even if you don’t have presentable files! However, once you are connected with one of our designers after the initial meeting, a concept version of your dissertation is valuable. You can find the precise requirements of a concept version in the article on submission specifications. In some situations, you may also be connected even if you don’t have a concept version yet; for example, if your defense date is far in the future.
Once a design proof based on your concept version is created and you approve it, your designer will apply this design to your entire manuscript. For this, a final version of your Word file is required. To have enough time for this, your designer needs this at the latest 8 days before the proof. If you can’t meet this deadline, don’t panic! In such a case, your dissertation will go through an expedited procedure. You can then choose from several predefined templates to give your dissertation a beautiful layout.
After your designer has your final manuscript, you generally don’t need to submit any further files. Your only responsibility now is to finalize the design with your designer in preparation for the proof and production dates. Once these printing moments approach, your designer will submit the files neatly to the printer. You will always receive confirmation of a successful submission.