# Dust jacket

> Source: https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/dust-jacket

Last updated: 2026-09-06
Category: Printing & binding
Also called: Dust wrapper · Book jacket

A dust jacket is the removable printed paper wrapper around a hardcover, with folded flaps that carry the blurb, author biography and price.

## Definition

A **dust jacket** (or *dust wrapper*) is the loose paper cover folded around a hardcover. It began in the 19th century as plain protective wrapping and became, by the 1920s, the book's main advertisement: the front carries the artwork and title, the spine shows on the shelf, the back holds endorsements, and the two **flaps** — usually 3–3.5 in wide — carry the description (the *flap copy*), the author's biography and photo, and the price.

Beneath the jacket the case itself is plain: cloth, paper or leatherette over boards, with the title stamped or foil-blocked on the spine. Jackets are printed on heavier coated stock and laminated, and their loss costs a collectible book most of its value.

Print-on-demand offers jackets on some products, but the default POD hardcover is a **casewrap**, with the same artwork printed straight onto the case — cheaper, sturdier, and with no flaps.

## In Bindery

Bindery’s hardcover preset is casewrap — the cover art printed on the case itself — so the design you approve is the object on the shelf, with no jacket to lose.

## Related

- [Casewrap hardcover](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/casewrap-hardcover)
- [Blurb](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/blurb)
- [Wrap cover](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/wrap-cover)
- [Print on demand](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary/print-on-demand)
- [Hardcover Memoir Maker](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/formats/hardcover-memoir-maker)
- [Book Publishing Glossary — 59 Terms Defined](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/glossary)
- [Bindery — the Claude-powered book studio](https://www.infinitelibrary.ai/bindery)

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