Assignment Printing in Lahore: The Format Teachers Actually Accept
Most assignments that get handed back for “format” fail on three things: the left margin, the front page, and the binding. None of them is about the writing. All three are fixed in about five minutes if you know what the department expects.
We print assignments every day for students from the University of Gujrat campus on Main Canal Bank, Riphah International College at Fatehgarh, Rahbar Medical and Dental College on Harbanspura Road, and the UET students who come down GT Road from Baghbanpura. Different departments, same handful of mistakes.
Here is what to set before you send the file.
What paper size and margins do Lahore universities accept?
A4 at 80 gsm is the standard across Punjab universities. Not letter size, not legal, not the 70 gsm paper that shows the print from the other side.
The margin rule is the one students get wrong. Departments do not use equal margins on all four sides. The left margin is wider than the right because that edge disappears into the binding.
UET Lahore’s dissertation guidelines set A4 80 gsm paper with a 1.5-inch left margin, 1-inch right, 1.1-inch top, and 1-inch bottom. The University of the Punjab’s Institute of Education and Research uses almost the same shape: 1.5 inches on the left, 1 inch on the top and right, 0.75 inches at the bottom, on 80 to 90 gsm paper.
Word gives you 1 inch on every side by default. If you send it that way and get it spiral bound, the punched holes eat into your first line of text on every page.
To fix it in Word: Layout, then Margins, then Custom Margins. Set Left to 1.5″, Right to 1″, Top to 1″, Bottom to 1″. Set Gutter to 0 because your left margin is already doing that job.
In Google Docs: File, Page setup, then type the same numbers.
Then scroll through the whole document. Wide tables and pasted images do not always move with the margin change, and a table that now runs off the right edge will print with its last column sliced off.
Which font and line spacing should you use?
Times New Roman 12-point for body text is the safe default at Punjab universities, and it is what both the UET and Punjab University format documents specify. Arial 12 and Calibri 12 are accepted by many departments for coursework. Anything decorative reads as unserious to a teacher marking forty of these.
Line spacing depends on what you are submitting. Theses and dissertations are double-spaced at both UET and PU. Regular coursework assignments are commonly 1.5, which is easier to write comments on than single spacing and does not double your page count the way full double spacing does.
Headings sit at 14-point bold. Keep one heading style throughout the whole document rather than making each chapter title look different.
Two settings worth turning on before you print:
- Justify the body text (Ctrl+J). Left-aligned text leaves a ragged right edge that looks unfinished on paper.
- Widow and orphan control, under Paragraph, Line and Page Breaks. It stops a single line of a paragraph from being stranded alone at the top or bottom of a page.
If your assignment has Urdu passages, check the font before sending. Urdu set in Jameel Noori Nastaleeq or Alvi Nastaleeq will reflow badly if the machine opening the file does not have that font. Save it as a PDF, and the shaping stays exactly as you wrote it.
What goes on an assignment front page?
Departments vary, so copy the format from your course outline or the sample your teacher circulated before you copy anything from the internet. The pattern almost every Lahore college accepts, top to bottom and centred:
- University or college name, with the logo above it
- Department name
- Assignment title
- Subject name and course code
- Submitted by: your name and roll number
- Submitted to: your teacher’s full name and title
- Semester or class and section
- Submission date
Get the logo right. A low-resolution logo pulled from Google Images prints as a blurry grey smudge and is the first thing a teacher’s eye lands on. Ask your class group for the proper file, or download it from the university’s own website. If all you have is a small image, we can clean it up at the counter before printing.
Two habits that cost marks: leaving “Submitted to” blank because you forgot the teacher’s name spelling, and putting the submission date as the day you wrote it rather than the day you hand it in.
Single-sided or double-sided?
Ask your teacher, and ask before you print rather than after.
Single-sided is the default for most coursework in Lahore colleges, because teachers write comments in the space and because a marked page is easier to scan. Some departments now ask for double-sided printing to cut down on paper use. Lab reports and anything with figures on facing pages are almost always single-sided.
The cost difference is real. A 40-page assignment printed single-sided is 40 sheets. Double-sided, it is 20. At Rs 15 per page for black and white A4, you are paying for the printed sides either way, so double-sided saves paper and binding thickness rather than the print charge itself.
One thing to check if you go double-sided: use 80 gsm paper. On thinner 70 gsm stock, text shows through from the other side, and diagrams look shadowed.
Which binding suits an assignment?
Binding runs Rs 60 to Rs 100 per book at our counter, covering spiral, soft cover, and hard cover.
Spiral binding is the everyday choice for assignments and lab manuals. The pages lie completely flat, which teachers like when marking, and you can add a page later if you missed one. It is the cheapest of the three, and it is ready while you wait. The plastic coil does bend if the file is stuffed into a bag.
Thermal or soft cover binding glues the spine and gives a clean, book-like edge with a printed or clear front cover. It looks more finished than spiral and suits a final project report or a group submission. Pages do not lie fully flat, and nothing can be added once the spine is glued.
Hard cover binding is for a thesis or a final year dissertation, and it is only worth the cost when the department requires it. UET specifies hard binding with a royal blue matte cover and gold lettering on the spine. Punjab University’s IER format calls for rexine or cloth in dark green with uncut edges, with the author’s name in the middle of the spine and the year of approval at the bottom. Check your own department’s colour before ordering, because a wrongly coloured cover means rebinding the whole thing.
Our full breakdown of the three types, with what each one costs and how long it lasts, is in the guide to choosing binding for your project.
For a routine assignment, spiral binding is nearly always the right call. Save the hard cover for the thesis.
What does assignment printing cost in Lahore?
| Item | Rate at our counter |
| Black and white, A4 | Rs 15 per page |
| Colour, A4 | Rs 50 per page |
| Photocopy, black and white A4 | Rs 10 per page |
| Photocopy, 50 pages or more | Rs 9 per page |
| Binding (spiral, soft or hard cover) | Rs 60 to Rs 100 per book |
| Typing or composing a document | Rs 300 to Rs 500 |
| Passport-size photos, per set | Rs 150 |
Worked example. A 30-page assignment, black and white, with a colour front page, spiral bound:
- 1 colour page at Rs 50 = Rs 50
- 29 black and white pages at Rs 15 = Rs 435
- Spiral binding = Rs 60 to Rs 100
- Total: roughly Rs 545 to Rs 585
Printing only the cover in colour is the cheapest way to make an assignment look finished. Printing all 30 pages in colour would cost Rs 1,500.
Rates change with paper prices, so confirm the day’s rate on WhatsApp before a large job. The full list sits on our printing rates page, and the price calculator works out your total before you leave home.
How long does it take, and can you send it the night before?
A 30- to 40-page assignment with spiral binding takes about 15 to 20 minutes at the counter when nothing is queued ahead of you. At the start of a semester and in the week before a submission deadline, that stretches.
Sending the file the night before is what students around Harbanspura and Mughalpura actually do. Send it on WhatsApp to 0322-4817195 with the six details listed in our guide to sending a file on WhatsApp, and it will be printed, bound, and bagged before you arrive.
Send a PDF, not a Word file. A Word file opened on a different machine can swap fonts and rewrap your text, and the assignment you approved on your laptop is no longer the assignment that comes off the printer. Save as PDF, open the PDF yourself, scroll through it once, then send.
The counter runs from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, seven days a week. Anything that lands after 10 PM goes on the machine in the morning.
Mistakes we see most at the counter
- Page numbers missing. Insert, then Page Number, and skip the number on the title page.
- A table running off the right edge. Select the table, then Layout, AutoFit, AutoFit to Window.
- Screenshots pasted in as diagrams. They print grey and soft. Export the chart from Excel or redraw it.
- The wrong file was sent. “Assignment final.docx” and “Assignment final 2.docx” sitting in the same folder end badly. Check the page count before you send.
- Nobody proofread the front page. Your name and roll number are the two things a teacher checks first.
Send your file to 0322-4817195 on WhatsApp, or bring it on a USB to the shop in front of Government Boys High School, Harbanspura. Assignments sent before closing are ready the same evening.
Frequently asked questions
What margins should a university assignment have in Pakistan?
A 1.5-inch left margin with 1 inch on the top and right. UET Lahore specifies 1.5 inches left, 1 inch right, 1.1 inches top, and 1 inch bottom on A4 80 gsm paper. The wider left margin leaves room for the binding.
Which font is accepted for assignments in Lahore colleges?
Times New Roman 12 point for body text and 14 point bold for headings, which is what the UET and Punjab University format documents specify. Arial 12 is accepted by many departments for coursework.
What is the assignment printing rate in Lahore?
Rs 15 per page for black and white A4 and Rs 50 per page for colour. Binding adds Rs 60 to Rs 100 per book. A 30-page assignment with a colour cover and spiral binding comes to roughly Rs 545 to Rs 585.
Should an assignment be single-sided or double-sided?
Single-sided is the default at most Lahore colleges because teachers write comments in the space. Ask your teacher first, since some departments now require double-sided printing to save paper.
Which binding is best for a college assignment?
Spiral binding. The pages lie flat for marking, it costs the least, and it is ready while you wait. Soft cover suits a final project report, and hard cover is for a thesis where the department specifies it.
Can I get my assignment printed and bound the same day in Lahore?
Yes. A 30- to 40-page assignment with spiral binding takes about 15 to 20 minutes at the counter. Send the PDF on WhatsApp to 0322-4817195 the night before a deadline, and it will be ready when you arrive.
What size and paper should an assignment be printed on?
A4 at 80 gsm. Thinner 70 gsm paper lets text show through from the other side, which is obvious on double-sided printing and on pages with diagrams.
What should the assignment front page include?
University name with logo, department, assignment title, subject and course code, your name and roll number, your teacher’s name, your semester and section, and the submission date. Copy the layout from your course outline rather than from a template found online.
