I had the binding on my book restored. Ivar did an exceptional job and is a true Craftsman. He gave me excellent customer service and even explained what he was doing in detail without me even needing to ask. In addition Ivar was very transparent and accurate about the pricing and time it would take to complete the repairs. read more

These folks took an irreplaceable family heirloom book for rebinding and cashed my $300 check but refused to return the book---at all------ despite many promises to do so. All of this can be confirmed in writing by emails over a four month period from August 2024 thru December 2024 read more

My experience with The Key has been absolutely exceptional, and I could not more highly recommend Dayna and her team. I came to The Key for a passion project -- a poetry and art collection that I will soon be gifting to the musician who inspired it. I have never done anything like this before, so Dayna's expertise was extremely helpful. She was instrumental in helping me sort out all of the individual pieces that go into creating a custom hardbound book. I had a very specific vision in mind, and The Key executed it perfectly. I was moved to tears when I saw my finished books. Absolute craftsmanship across the board -- and the most helpful and communicative people to work with. Extremely flexible and willing to work with me every step of the way. I would be honored to work with them again. read more

The Key Printing And Binding - In love with my poetry collection made by The Key! - Bookbinding Near Me - Oakland, California

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This is one of those places that put up Black Lives Matter signs up not because they believe it but because they believe putting up the sign will keep their places from ring vandalized. As a black man I was treated like shit by this place. They are inattentive, dismissive and rude. There are lots of options in Oakland and the surrounding area to get binding done. I strongly suggest you look elsewhere. The experience was so bad - I immediately chose to write this review while I am parked outside. read more

I had an amazing experience with Ivar--he's a master artisan. He patiently walked me through the various book-binding details step-by-step, including the cover material, cover color, and page color options, and freely gave suggestions on how to turn my manuscript into as professional a book as possible. Additionally, on book pickup, he was very accommodating to my schedule, coming in promptly on a Sunday afternoon to make sure I received my book as soon as possible and again walking me through the best practices for breaking in a new book. It's very clear to me he cares deeply about his work and he will be the first person I hit up for another bookbinding. Bravo, Ivar! read more

Had about as great of an experience with Ivar at Key as possible. I had a small project, two copies of the same book of poetry, that I wanted printed and bound. He was slammed with holiday requests so recommended me to a good print shop nearby and set me up with the right info to share with them. I brought the printed pages over to him and we discussed the finer details. His shop is dope! Worth a visit just to see how books are made. Anyways, we settled on a cover design and the like and talked about due dates. I had a trip planned a few weeks out and he made sure to get me the books before my departure. No seeds no stems no stress! TL;DR: Ivar is legit. His work is superb, his shop is fascinating, and he is friendly and offers good rates. read more

These guys know what they're doing! I had my portfolio bound here and the end product was, for lack of a better word, PERFECT. I expected for my portfolio to look great, but wow.. it looked waaaaaaay awesome. You need to call for an appointment to get things started. I was Austin's client (I'm sure the others are great as well) and he guided me through all what was needed, what colors, binding types were available and so on, regarding the cover of my portfolio. I printed and cropped my own pages, so I handed them my part of the process. The turnaround is about two weeks, so plan ahead! Two weeks later, I picked up my portfolio and my jaw dropped. The quality was clean and professional, and it was exactly what I imagined. My fellow classmates, teacher and director loved the binding as well. I recommend this to anyone in need for their work to be bound. The price is a tad steep but it's all worth it in the end. I will definitely work with them again! read more

I was recommended to The Key by numerous classmates and colleagues for their exquisite and vast options for custom hand done binding. I recently got back my first hard cover signature bound book from them, and I couldn't be more happy with the result. Not to mention how helpful and friendly they are to answer questions and be flexible with my schedule. They also offer small run offset printing and design, as well as a plethora of embellishment techniques from embossing, hot-stamp foils, and die cutting. These people are serious craftsmen. I will not even bother looking for others for my next project. read more

Always awesome, great quality work and customer service all around! They've been printing all the business cards, fliers, postcards, and price tags for the store I manage for at least the five years. They've even helped me out with a few emergency rush orders, thanks guys! Even used them for some personal DJ event fliers, there always good! Oh they do great art work to if you aren't on the creative side. read more

Danya and Austyn are amazing! I've had three books bound here, two perfect bound and one signature bound hardcover. The craft on all three was outstanding, and the prices very reasonable. Start by emailing or calling to discuss your project, and they will help you with anything you need to know. Great experience, great product; I'll be going back to the Key again and again. read more

My compliments go to the Key Printing and Book Binding Company in Oakland, California. I prepared a personal memoir and wanted it bound in book form. Ivar, the owner, did a tremendous job. He operates as a small, family owned business and does great work. read more

The Key is amazing. Danya was extremely helpful and personable and put me at ease with all of my concerns/questions. She is extremely knowledgeable and offered great suggestions regarding book cloth choices, foils and binding techniques. I recently got my first book bound there and it turned out beautifully. I'm going back to have my thesis and portfolios bound there as well. I have complete trust in their work and the process was extremely easy. Wonderful wonderful business. read more

I had a consultation with Danya today and although I haven't had any work done by The Key personally, I know many people that have, all with beautiful results. All of the samples she showed me are meticulously crafted and beautifully done. Danya was very knowledgeable and gave me a zero-pressure consultation concerning my options. It's obvious they know what they're doing here! read more

I had some old journals from a great aunt that were falling apart from traveling through the family and nations over the years. They had family trees and illustrations of family members in them. True heirloom stuff. I wanted to restore and compile them into one book. The Key did it for me and the results were amazing. Thanks so much! read more

Talk about an art of printing...these guys are masters and their work is exquisite! We had our business cards made here. They were specially die-cut and look so cool. I looked at other projects they had done and it was even more over the top beautiful, from foil stamping to gorgeous custom product boxes. I highly recommend the Key! read more

Danya and co first-rate; I'm still using an exquisite binding sample they made for me years ago. Have been buying printing services for 50 yrs in Chicago, New York, and Boston, and can assure that this outfit is primo. Recently they couldn't fit me in and gave great direction to an alternative. My kind of peeps. read more

horrible horrible customer service, one of the worst I've ever experienced!!! The lady who runs it was a complete snot (to be nice) in every interaction. They bound my book in the reverse order!!!!!!!! Yes she didn't even check to make sure she knew the what the first page was!!!!!!!!! OVER PRICED!!!!!! HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!!!!! read more

This is a wonderful operation. I work with a brand identity firm that is very persnickety about quality and we have had The Key build portfolios for us on several occasions. We couldn't be happier with the quality. The team over there is professional and pleasant. read more

I found The Key on Yelp, and now that Danya and Lou and the rest of the crew have completed the photo album I requested, I am writing to lend my voice to the resounding chorus of praise for their beautiful work. I commissioned a relatively small project (a wedding album), yet throughout the process The Key staff made me feel like I was their best and only customer. Danya met with me multiple times to help me choose the right styling, fabric, etc. She worked with me on price, and rushed my order to meet my timing. I picked up the album this morning, and I gasped when I saw it: so much richer and more beautiful that I ever could have hoped for. These guys are a treasure, and I cannot wait to visit them at their new location on Park Blvd. in a few weeks. read more

I went to The Key to create my portfolio book. They were very helpful, and made me understand and feel comfortable about the process. The book turned out so perfect and beautiful! I also did a small printing job for my freelance project, and it turned out great! They were very patient and helped me solve the problems. My client is also very happy about the result. Great people, great skills, I would definitely recommend this place. read more

these guys (Danya & team) at The Key binding are the best book binding guys in the bay area. they did an outstanding job on my portfolio books. they are very professional from beginning to end of the process. they are extremely friendly, flexible, considered, knowledgeable and worth every penny! i will highly recommend them for their superb services and professionalism to my school mates, friends, family and anyone that needs book binding services. read more