Reprints and facsimiles
We specialise in short print runs. This is why we are often approached by publishers who focus on various reproductions – prints replicated from formerly published works. The reprints we make are essentially new issues of old books, antique prints or even incunables.
Occasionally, we also reissue a relatively new book, for which the publisher does not have the source files.
In any case, our prints are exact copies of their respective originals as the content is 100% equivalent to the original book; there is no new typesetting.
The reprints are provided with new publishing details to indicate who reissued them, and the publisher can add extra information, as well as modify or update the cover. Sometimes, the publisher wants the book to remain absolutely faithful to the original, meticulously reproducing every detail of its inside and cover. This is how a facsimile is made.
Our capabilities
At Totem, we do not just produce reprints. We provide a whole range of additional services.
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Scanning
We do not need source files to make a reprint. All you need to do is to let us have the book and we will scan it thoroughly – not only the content, but also the covers and endpapers.
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Retouching
If you wish, the scanned pages can be cleaned of any stains, discolouration and physical damage caused over time or by inappropriate storage or use.
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Advising
In the case of reprints, we always look for the best materials, as similar as possible to the ones used in the original. We advise our Clients to use appropriate materials and methods of printing, binding and enhancing.
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Printing
We produce reprints with the latest digital technologies to recreate the spirit of the original as far as possible. Regarding demanding antique works we use proprietary solutions to reflect the use of decorative gilding, for example, in initial capitals.
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Binding
When binding the reprints, we use materials closely resembling the original ones: book cloth, eco-leather, combinations, fine enhancements, corner protectors and page edge gilding.
If requested, we can produce a decorative case for each reprinted copy. -
Quality and Trust
A lot of publishers have so far put their trust in us thanks to our experience in producing reprints. One of the highlights of our reprint portfolio is a facsimile of the Corvina Codex – an invaluable Renaissance manuscript of the Florentine school.
We have also reprinted a number of other outstanding titles and plenty of 20th-century books whose quality – especially in the case of black-and-white publications – exceeds the original.
Corvinus Manuscript
A facsimile of the Corvina Codex, whose original copy is stored at the Copernican Library in Toruń, is listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. Individual pages of the facsimile were produced using our own print enhancement technique and the 3D Touch digital technology.
Sketches, Reflections and Philosophical Maxims
A reprint of Stanisław Leszczyński’s Esquisses, reflexions et maxims philosophiques.
The perfect-bound hardcover book with a leather-like material used as the casewrap and the dust jacked made of special paper resembling gold (Curious Metallics Gold Leaf 120 g). The same material was used for the endpapers. Additionally, the book block edges were enhanced by applying golden paint.
The Sacrifice of the Mass
The Ofiara Mszy św. w tajemnicach i cudach is a reprint of a 1904 issue. The book is bound in a thread-sewn hardcover with some foam incorporated to make the cover feel thick and soft to touch at the same time. The endpapers were printed. The gilding on the cover was made using the 3D Touch digital technology.
