Hi all.

Well, I got through the viva last month with minor corrections. In the end it wasn't traumatic at all (the anticipation was far worse!). I've done the corrections and they've been signed off, now I need to get four hard bound copies before I can finally call myself Dr Spaghetti.

I'm at a small college so there isn't a uni print shop I can use nearby. I've had a look at some of the online companies who print, bind and deliver theses at quite reasonable prices but it seems a bit scary paying circa £150 and then just waiting for the bound copies to turn up. My thesis doesn't include images or charts, however, so it should be fairly straightforward - perhaps I'm worrying unnecessarily. Any advice?

Hi,

I've no experience of that, but thought perhaps your university can give you advice on that? I've been told already to contact the secretary of the postgrad office when I reach that stage - there are "local" companies they recommend and others they don't...

Hi,

Can be a little nerve-wracking, paying up-front then waiting. I used ithesis.co.uk. Had to contact them by phone to arrange more than one delivery address, but the binding was fine and straightforward to do online.

Encouraging to hear that it can work out. My university used to have a bindery run jointly with the neighbouring university. Then it was shut. Our university library has a webpage listing lots of binding companies who will offer remote services, but I'm a bit concerned about remote ordering and not being able to physically hand it over etc. But I'm sure it will be fine. I hope (assuming viva goes not too badly) to be dealing with this sometime next summer!

My dad is in a similar trade and its really sad all the book binders are going out of business! I will probably get mine on the net (if it is ever finished!) but am going to get him to do me a special version with loads of gold tooling on it in pretty patterns haha - I think I deserve that much after 3-4 years of work