Your thesis
What the printing alone would cost
Each row uses that provider's published per-side rate. Rates marked ex GST are shown with 15% added; campus rates that do not state a GST basis are shown as published.
| Where you print | B&W / side | Colour / side | Paper | Printing for your thesis | Per copy |
|---|
When printing is included in the binding
Some binderies price hardcover thesis binding as a package with printing included, so the per-side cost above disappears and you pay one price per copy. MyThesis in Auckland publishes such a package; it is the only one with a public all-in price list that we could verify, so it is the one shown here. If you know another, tell us and we will add it.
Budget planner
A quick way to plan for several copies: the all-in package price for your copies, next to what the printing alone would cost at the rate you choose. The difference is the value of the included printing, not a discount off anything.
How thesis printing is priced in NZ
Per side, not per sheet
Every provider in the table charges per printed side. Double-sided printing halves the paper, not the price. A 320-page thesis is 320 sides either way.
Colour is the swing factor
Black and white sides cost a few cents. Colour sides cost two to ten times more, and a bindery's colour rate can be $1.50 a side. Thirty colour pages across three copies is ninety colour sides: check that number before you choose a provider.
Paper weight
Campus printers use 80gsm copier paper. Binderies print theses on 100gsm, which is more opaque for double-sided text and is what examiners and libraries expect in a hardbound copy. If you print on campus and bind elsewhere, ask whether the bindery will accept 80gsm.
GST
Commercial quotes are usually ex GST, with 15% added when you pay. Student print accounts often do not say. Compare like with like: this page grosses up the ex GST rates and marks the ones it cannot.
Questions to ask before you print and bind
- Is printing included in the binding price, or charged per side on top?
- Are colour pages the same price as black and white?
- What paper weight, and is it the one your faculty specifies?
- Is the quote ex GST or including GST?
- What is the turnaround from file and payment, and does courier time sit on top?
- Can you proof the gold lettering before it is stamped?
- Is there a page limit per volume, and what happens above it?
Thesis printing cost questions
How much does it cost to print a thesis in New Zealand?
It depends on where you print. Published per-side rates in 2026 range from about 4 to 13 cents for black and white and 10 cents to $1.50 for colour. A 320-page thesis with 35 colour pages, printed twice, is roughly $35 at a campus printer, $93 at an online print shop and $293 at an Auckland bindery, before GST where it applies. Some binderies include printing in the binding price.
Is thesis printing charged per page or per side?
Per printed side at nearly every NZ provider. A double-sided A4 sheet is two sides.
Do colour pages cost more?
At campus printers and print shops, yes, usually two to five times the black-and-white rate. Some binding packages include colour at no extra charge.
Is GST included in the prices?
Print shops and binderies usually quote ex GST and add 15% at payment. University print accounts often do not state the basis. The comparison table shows which is which.
What paper is a thesis printed on?
Campus printers use 80gsm copier paper. Binderies that print theses use 100gsm, which most universities expect for hardbound copies.
Where do these rates come from?
Each rate links to the provider's own page and shows the date it was checked. Providers change prices without notice, so treat the figures as a guide and confirm before ordering.