Thesis Printing and Binding Rules at Islamabad and Rawalpindi Universities

Every semester, students in the twin cities print and bind a thesis, take it to the department, and are sent back because the cover was the wrong colour, the margins were too narrow for binding, or the department needed more copies. We read the official thesis rules published by five universities in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and summarised what they say about printing and binding. Each section links to the official document. Rules change and often differ between departments, so treat this as a checklist and confirm with your own graduate office before you print.

At a glance

FAST-NUCES

Source: FAST-NUCES PhD Handbook 2026, Appendix A 'Guidelines on Thesis Format', which states that all PhD and MS theses should comply (official PDF).

• Printing: black text (colour only for images where necessary) using a laser printer; Times New Roman 12 pt, line spacing 1.
• Both sides: the thesis must be printed or photocopied on both sides of white paper, under the university's green-environment rule.
• Paper: A4 white paper of 70 gsm or more.
• Copies: Appendix A says ten copies on good quality paper; on completing a PhD, the GSC office lists seven hard copies among the documents to submit. Confirm the number for your stage with your GSC office.
• Margins: top and bottom 25 mm; left 35 mm on odd pages and 25 mm on even pages, with the right margin mirrored (the extra 10 mm is the binding gutter).
• Binding: PhD dark maroon, MS black, with the spine an imprint of the front cover. The handbook allows a temporary binding before the defence, with hard binding after it.

COMSATS University Islamabad

Source: COMSATS 'Thesis Guidelines Handbook for MS Program', on the university library's site (official PDF).

• Paper: good quality, minimum 70 grams, white, A4.
• Temporary binding (for examination): white title/cover page of at least 100 grams, bound securely so pages cannot be added or removed.
• Hard binding: maroon front board with golden writing, carrying the same details as the cover page.
• Margins: top, bottom and right 1 inch; left (binding side) 1.5 inches.
• Text: Times New Roman, 12 pt body, 10 pt footnotes, 1.5 line spacing; page numbers centred at the bottom.
• A soft copy on CD is to be attached to each hard-bound copy.

NUST Business School (MS Logistics & Supply Chain Management)

Source: NUST Business School 'Thesis Guide MS Logistics & Supply Chain Management' (official PDF). This document is for one programme; other NUST schools set their own binding colours and formats.

• Before the pre-defence: two soft-bound hard copies for the two GEC members.
• Final copy (after defence and changes): standard hard-bound and sewn, in green covers in line with the university's approved binding.
• Spine: gold lettering with the degree (MS LSCM) and the candidate's name.
• Ring binding, spiral binding and any other non-approved binding are not accepted.
• Text: Times New Roman, Calibri or Arial, 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing, fully justified.

Air University

Source: Air University Academic Regulations 2025 (official PDF).

• MS/MPhil: after a successful final defence, hard-bound copies in navy blue with silver letters — one for the department and one for the Registrar — signed by all concerned. The regulations set 30 calendar days from the defence for submitting the hard-bound thesis with its soft copy.
• PhD: hard-bound copies in dark green with gold letters, with a soft copy on DVD — one for the department and two for the Registrar.
• MBA capstone project: three hard-bound copies in the approved colour, with a soft copy, within 30 calendar days of the final presentation.

Bahria University (MBA)

Source: 'BU MBA Thesis/Project Rules 2024' (official PDF). Other Bahria programmes have their own rules.

• Proposal: 6–10 pages on A4, double line spacing, font size 12.
• Before evaluation: two spiral-bound copies of the approved thesis or project to the Thesis/Project Coordinator.
• After approval: two fair hard-bound copies ('Blue book') in the prescribed format within one week — one for the library and one for the department.

Other universities

Quaid-i-Azam University, IIUI, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Fatima Jinnah Women University and NUST's other schools publish their rules through departments and graduate studies offices. We could not confirm current printing and binding rules from their public sites, so we have not guessed. Ask your graduate office for the current thesis format document, and if you send it to us we will add it here.

A printing checklist that works for every university

• Get your department's current format document before formatting, not after — and check the binding colour for your degree.
• Set the paper size to A4 in Word and the printer driver, or the bottom of every page shifts — see printer cutting off edges.
• Use 80 gsm paper if the rules allow it: it meets every 70 gsm minimum above and text doesn't show through on double-sided pages. See the paper guide.
• Leave the binding-side margin the rules ask for (35 mm or 1.5 inches). Hard binding eats into the inner edge.
• Print one copy, check every page, then print the rest. Count copies for the department, library, Registrar and examiners before going to the binder.
• Keep the soft copy (PDF) ready on CD or DVD if your university asks for one with each bound copy.

Printing several copies of a 120-page thesis at a shop adds up quickly. Our thesis printing cost guide compares shop rates with owning a duplex laser, and the cost per page calculator does the maths with your own prices.