Exercise Book Making: How to Start an Exercise Book Making Business

Exercise book making is simple once you understand the rudiments of making the notebook. The business is profitable and there is a huge demand for the product.

 Exercise books are sold to the general public or customized. Customized exercise books carry the name and logo of an educational institution or organization.

The customized exercise books are made for schools, celebratory occasion and as gifts. The difference between a general purpose exercise book and customized one is the books cover.

There are also different types of stationary items such as log books, notebooks and exercise books. They are also produced in different sizes and page leafs.

The biggest consumers are public and private school and the general public. Exercise book making is done as a small, medium or large enterprise.

To launch your business you need to understand the production process. You also have to lease a warehouse, hire skilled staff, funding and equipment costs.

Here are a few business ideas on how to start a profitable exercise book business.

Properties of an Exercise Book

A basic exercise book consists of a lined paper and a margin. The lines are usually blue or black and the margin line red. The book has a cover and the book is held by stitching or staple pins.

Customized exercise books have their covers specially printed to depict an institution, individual, company or celebration. Another type of exercise books have black or squared pages for graphic designs or graphs.

How to Start an Exercise Book Company

Register the Exercise Book Making Company

Before opening your doors you need to register you business enterprise.  Register your business either as a sole proprietorship or limited liability company.

Then apply for a trade license and value added tax. Study the state anti pollution laws and put in place a waste paper management structure.

 Secure bank loans or use target savings to raise fixed and working capital. You have the option to lease a shop for your equipment or convert a garage into a small factory. 

Your staff strength depends on the size of your operation. You need machine operators, bus driver and a secretary.

 Machinery for Exercise Book Production

This is another business we did from our printing press many years ago. There are different ways to make exercise book large or small scale.

To produce exercise books you need to know how it’s done. The production process goes through four stages. The paper used in producing exercise books is called the bond paper.

 A machine rules lines on the sheet and folded then cut to size. A separate cover is printed on cover paper and stitched or stapled into place.

Exercise book production is either semi automated or full automated. You can make exercise books using an offset printing machine to rule the lines.

 Another machine that does the job is the direct image printing machine. Medium or larger printing presses use the flexographic manufacturing process while others use disc ruling machine.

The disc ruling machine rules on both sides of the bond paper. Once you have decided on the type of printing machine you also need a semi-automated paper cutting machine.

The cover is printed separately on an offset printing machine. Once you have the cover and inner pages you use the book stitching machine and book press. The final stage is the trimming of the edges to the desired sizes.

 List of Machines Used in Exercise Book Production

The printing machine you choose depends on your budget. Here are some printing machines you can use to produce the inner pages of the exercise books.

·         Disc Ruling Machine

·         Flexographic printer

·         Offset printer

Other machinery

·         Cutting Machine

·         Stitching Machine

·         Book Press Machine

·         Trimming Machine

The folding is automated or manual depending on the printing process. The raw material is white bond paper either in rolls or sheets. Other materials are staplers, glue, threads and offset ink.

Marketing the Exercise Books

There is a huge market for exercise books for individuals and educational institutions. You need to advertise your products and hire sales representatives.

Approach and secure contracts from private school to produce their exercise book. Sell your books to bookstores, wholesalers and book retailers. Create anniversary based exercise books to capture a niche market.