Let us begin with guiding you through the children's book printing sizes, layout and paper choices you can choose for your project. We try not to restrict you in any way apart from what the physical impossibilities are. Our ethos at Ex Why Zed is “The answer is Yes, now what is the question?”.
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Portrait Stapled Booklet
(also known as wire stitched and saddle stitched)
• Choose any size from A6 (148x105mm) up to a massive A3 (420x297mm).
• Pricing Hack>>> There is a price break at A4 (297x210mm). Any size larger than A4 is in the next bracket up and has to be printed on our B2 press. So if you are going for a small print run, say under 100 copies, then A3 can be expensive per copy.
Portrait Perfect Bound
• Choose any size from A6 to A4.
• You need an absolute minimum or 32 pages to make the spine thick enough to glue.
Portrait Hardcover (Case Bound, Hardback)
• Choose any size from A6 to A4.
• You need an absolute minimum of 28 pages inside pages, plus the front cover, back cover and you also have the option of printing the 3 'end paper' sides at the front and back of the book too.
Check out our quick video on the process of making a hardback book to learn where the endpapers are positioned.
Square Staple Bound (wire stitched)
• Choose any size from 148x148mm up to 297x297mm.
• Pricing Hack>>> There is a price break at 210x210mm and any square larger than 210mm is in the next price bracket up.
Square Perfect Bound
• Choose any size from 148x148mm up to 297x297mm.
• Again, there is a price break at 210x210mm.
Square Hardcover (Case Bound, Hardback)
• Choose any size from 148x148mm to 294x294mm and once again, there is a price break at 210x210mm.
Landscape Staple Bound (wire stitched)
• Choose any size from A5 (148mm high x 210mm wide) up to A4 (210mm high x 297mm wide)
• Pricing Hack. There is a price break at A5 (297x210mm) so if you are printing a smaller number of copies (under 100) then A4 Landscape can be expensive per copy.
Landscape Perfect Bound
• Choose any size from A5 to A4.
Landscape Hardcover (Case Bound, Hardback)
• Choose any size from A5 to A4.
Lets get you some help to move your project forward. (Or do continue reading this page for stacks more information)
Portrait children's books are an excellent choice for combining vibrant illustrations, educational content, and storytelling. The versatility of portrait formats allows for both standard and custom sizing, offering flexibility to meet different design goals. A5-sized books (210×148mm) remain a popular option due to their compact nature and cost-effective printing. This size strikes a perfect balance between portability and readability, making it ideal for young readers.
However, custom-sized portrait books open up new possibilities for creative expression. For instance, "What Football Job Can You Do?" by Emma Juhasz, printed in a handy 198x129mm format, demonstrates how a smaller, pocket-sized book can be engaging and interactive, perfect for children to carry around. "Tales of Great Cities London" uses a slightly shorter height (180mm) to create a compact yet informative book, utilising infographic-style designs to present historical facts in an accessible way.
Larger custom portrait sizes, like "Vlad and the Great Fire of London" (280x216mm), provide a more expansive canvas for detailed illustrations and in-depth storytelling. This larger format allows for immersive visual experiences, which is particularly effective for books that blend history with narrative, making events like the Great Fire of London more engaging for young readers. Similarly, "Hurricane Brain" (270x210mm) takes advantage of a slightly smaller, but still substantial, portrait format, offering enough space for intricate artwork while remaining easy to handle. These varied custom sizes allow designers and authors to tailor their books precisely to the content, providing a unique reading experience that stands out from standard formats.
Ask your graphic designer to come up with a bespoke size and we can print all custom options so if you did want to go for something off-kilter that is fine.
Square children's books offer a visually appealing and balanced format, ideal for creating immersive and engaging experiences for young readers. The square shape provides a perfect canvas for designers to experiment with layouts, allowing illustrations and text to be evenly distributed across the page. This versatility makes square books suitable for both narrative-driven stories and educational content.
Larger square books, such as "Wim's Ice Odyssey" (216x216mm) and "Helping Earth" (210x210mm), showcase how this format can be used effectively to deliver vivid illustrations and educational themes. "Wim's Ice Odyssey" takes advantage of its larger size to present detailed, expansive artwork, which helps immerse readers in the story's adventures. Similarly, "Helping Earth" uses the square layout to integrate informative text with vibrant illustrations, making complex environmental topics accessible and engaging for children.
The smaller, compact square books like "Wednesday's Child" emphasise a more intimate storytelling approach, where the balanced design and concentrated visuals create a focused and cohesive reading experience. Designers should consider the overall balance of content on each page, adapting the space to enhance the storytelling or educational narrative. Square books offer a unique edge over other styles by combining visual appeal with functional design, ensuring that each page captivates and maintains the reader's attention.
Landscape children's books are an excellent choice for designs that benefit from a wider format, such as books with panoramic illustrations, educational layouts, or interactive storytelling. The A5 landscape size (210×148mm) is a compact yet spacious format, providing a great balance between portability and readability. An example of this is "Flo The Fish," which uses the A5 landscape format to bring a fun, vibrant underwater world to life, making the content engaging and easy for young readers to follow.
Custom landscape sizes allow for even greater creativity. "Not A Drop in the Ocean," with dimensions of 203x254mm, utilises the broader canvas to integrate illustrations and text seamlessly, making it perfect for educational stories that require more visual space. Larger formats, like the A4 (210x297mm) landscape hardback "Radio Jones," offer even more room for detailed artwork and in-depth storytelling, creating an immersive experience for readers.
Additionally, the flexibility to print between A5 and A4 or go for custom sizes like the US Letter (216x279mm) or Wild Tribe Heroes’ 210x272mm option, opens up a myriad of possibilities. Designers can experiment with layouts that are wide and visually rich, ensuring that each book stands out on the shelf. The landscape orientation's unique appeal lies in its ability to showcase artwork and diagrams that stretch across the pages, making it ideal for educational books, illustrated stories, and visually captivating narratives.
Diving further into the square book format, we take a look at Monster Tea Party and Troll's Amazing Day...Aren't the titles of kid's story books just the best! Both are 210x210mm but Monster is hardback and Troll's is soft back, perfect bound.
Here is a short video discussing the 3 possibilities of saddle stitched (stapled), perfect bound and case bound (hardback). The page count does affect which options are available.
There are three main binding methods to choose from when printing a children’s book: saddle stitched, perfect bound, and case bound. The best option for you will depend on the page count and the overall aesthetic you’re hoping to achieve.
Saddle stitched is the most cost-effective binding method and is a good option for books with a lower page count. A wire stitched book will lay completely flat, which is ideal for showcasing double-page spreads and illustrations. If you're considering an A3-sized booklet, keep in mind that there's a price increase at the A4 threshold due to the larger printing press required.
Perfect bound gives a more professional look than saddle stitched, and is the standard binding method for books with 40 pages or more. One thing to consider with perfect bound books is that you will lose 2-3mm in the spine gutter, which can slightly impact the visibility of double-page illustrations.
Case bound, also known as hardback, is the most expensive binding method, but it also produces the most durable and visually impressive book. Hardback books can command a higher cover price. You will need a minimum of 28 pages for a hardback book, plus the front and back covers, and optional endpapers. A hardback book will also be slightly larger than the specified trim size due to the cover overhang. For example, a 210 x 210mm book will actually be around 216 x 216 mm.
For a landscape book, you can go for any size from A5 up to and including A4. You can again, opt for a bespoke size such as 8 x 10 or 10 x 8, which are standard children’s book sizes. Taking a little bit off the height or width makes it more eye-catching for the reader and visually stimulating rather than the standard A size. A wire stitched kids book means the pages can be opened completely flat so you get the full benefit of the double-page spread for your spectacular illustrations and storytelling. On perfect bound storybooks, you do lose 2-3mm in the spine gutter so it is not possible to press the pages completely flat but this is the go-to and professional looking method of binding for 40 pages or more.
There is slightly more scope on a portrait stapled booklet. You can choose any book page size from A6 (148x105mm) right up to A3 booklet printing (420mm high x 297mm wide). However, there is a price point cut off when you reach A4. Anything larger than A4, up to and including A3 has to be printed onto our B2 press which has higher setup costs. In turn, though, your storybook will be a hugely impressive size and can be sold for a higher cover price...although parents might need big muscles to lift it at bedtime!
For portrait perfect bound kid's book, then our size options are all sizes from A6 to A4 portrait.
A6 makes nice neat postcard size, smaller books that fit in your pocket. Think Postcard Size - that is A6. This can be sold for a lower cover price so might make for an instinctive purchase for potential readers at art fairs, in gift shops or when visiting your online store.
If you have refined down the many options and chosen what would work for your next book. Jump on our Printed Project Builder, let us know the print spec and one of our friendly team will be back asap with a quote and an packed full of information.
We understand if this is your first book printing project then all the options can be a little daunting. Would it help if we sent you out a paper sample pack so you can see and feel the different options?
Or maybe some video help would let you visually work out which options would best suit your artwork and project. Our 1-2 minute showcase snippet videos on YouTube are ideal for this. We list the print spec, flick through a previous book printing project and you will immediately be able to decide if that style will work for your book.
The image depicts a bright, cohesive series of children’s books that exude charm and playfulness. Launching a new range of children's books like this involves more than just storytelling; it's about creating a visual identity that young readers and parents can instantly recognise. The use of consistent design elements, such as a unified colour palette, similar typography, and a recurring style of illustration, ensures that each title feels like a part of a larger collection. This helps build brand loyalty, making it easier for children (and parents) to spot and collect every book in the series. The designs in this series, with characters like Joey, Roary, and Emy, are vibrant and friendly, inviting kids to join their adventures while parents appreciate the polished, high-quality print.
So, we recommend laminating the front cover of books to prevent this happened. This lamination acts as a protective film over the front cover to stop it cracking meaning it arrives in pristine condition for the reader. You can choose from matt, gloss, anti-scuff or soft-touch.
Gloss lamination gives your colours real punch and vibrancy. Matt lamination is slightly more subdued with a smooth and professional-looking surface. Anti-scuff is used very rarely. Soft-Touch Lamination is probably more suited to corporate brochures with a velvet feel than it is to children’s books. We would suggest you go for matt or gloss on your new book.
The difference is subtle (at least on our photo ???? with "I'll Just Be Me!" having a slightly shinier gloss lamination while the 'Eddie' book behind has matt lamination for a more subtle, less intrusive finish.
Premium finishes are the extra flourishes and premium extras you can add to the book cover making it really stand out. We offer a number of these and printing with gold foil isn’t the limit anymore – foiling comes in a range of up to 200 colours. You could also consider gloss spot UV varnish to a logo, title or vector illustration. How about embossing or debossing of the book title so it jumps towards the reader?
Our Print Journey is a great place to start. Depending on where you are up to, we have provided extensive guides at each stage.
Goto Wons Printing Company to know more.
Once the design is completed and you are ready to print your children's book, get in touch with us and we’ll come back to you asap with a range of print quotes. You might not be a printing expert yet, but we will change that with our advice, setup guides and inspirational portfolio. Your artwork would look great on paper and the printing of a book journey is both full of learning and ultimately exciting at Ex Why Zed. Pdf to book printing is what we are print experts at, aiming to give you a pureprint reproduction of your artwork with our book design services. We offer digital printing for small runs and we are also litho printers for run lengths of 700 copies or more where that method becomes more friendly on your budget.
Well done on getting your artwork ready for print! Now go ahead and upload the file/s using WeTransfer.com
It is super easy, free and you don’t need an account. Add in the ' to' box. In the message area, tell us your print spec, number of copies you would like to print and the best address for delivery. We then get a download link with your files, simple as that!
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. If you have any questions do get in touch on or call on and we look forward to helping you transform your ideas into print!
A Video Guide on the Winning Solutions>>>
To watch our action packed, hour long video guide on Children’s Book printing then grab your drink of choice and a notepad >>>
When it comes to deciding whether to work in inches or millimetres for designing a children's book, there are a few factors to consider. According to expert book designers, millimetres tend to be the preferred unit of measurement due to their precision and accuracy. Millimetres offer a greater level of detail and control in terms of layout and sizing, which is especially important when designing for a younger audience. Additionally, many printing companies use millimetres as their standard unit of measurement, making it easier to communicate and collaborate with them throughout the printing process. Ultimately, the choice between inches and millimetres comes down to personal preference and familiarity with the units, but for those looking for a more precise and streamlined approach to book design, millimetres may be the way to go.
We do have a steady stream of keen authors who arrive in our inbox with comments like:
"I have published a book with Amazon KDP and was also looking into signing up with IngramSpark. However my proof copy from both was not the quality I expected so am just looking at alternative options." Sue, self-published author.
"I am currently getting supplied through Amazon KDP. I have my first few events coming up where I am hoping to sell some and would like to step away from Amazon where the quality is questionable and inconsistent. Your prices seem very reasonable and I am keen to look into this further!" Sam, self-published author.
At Ex Why Zed we have the top of the range HP Indigo and Heidelberg litho presses so what comes off our machines will be the best your work can possibly look in print. We have over 250 happy reviews on Reviews.io, know the idiosyncrasies to look for in children's book structure and our friendly, expert team will help you on your Print Journey from day 1 until the books arrive.
We have complied a series of super helpful articles on finding a designer to work with you on the children's book structure. We understand file set-up and graphic design can be quite technical so the following insightful pages will help you research and approach a designer to artwork and layout your book.
Finding a Book Designer on Fiverr.
Finding a Book Designer on PeoplePerHour.
Top Book Design Solutions.
Top 10 Agencies to Design Your Book.
We've even done the heavy lifting on the design brief too so just copy and paste one of these in on an to a few designers you like.
Design Brief for Children's Book Structure, Artwork and Layout.
Design Brief for Children's Book Illustration.
You're welcome ????
Here are 10 ideas to ensure your children's book get maximum exposure on social media:
And there you have it! Ten sparkling ideas to make sure your children's book is the talk of the social media town. Good luck! ? Read more, on our article 10 Ideas to Promote Your Children’s Book on Social Media.
If you’re targeting a young age group, like babies and toddlers age 0>3, you should rely heavily on pictures, rather than text.
While there are many factors that influence the cost of printing, page count is one of the biggest.
Over 250.76 million (yes, million!) children's books were sold in . This compared with 201.9m in and 184.2m in . So the market is growing and your new book would look great on the shelves too! (Sales figures from wordsrated.com)
The largest selling children's book of all time is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (published in ) is the best-selling children's book of all time, selling over 200 million copies. A quick look around on Google shows that it has been published many times in all manner of styles and iterations. Here are a few of the exquisite cover designs.
Once the design is completed and you are ready to print get in touch with us and we'll come back to you asap with a range of print quotes. You might not be a printing expert yet, but we will change that with our advice, setup guides and inspirational portfolio. Your artwork would look great on paper and the printing of a book journey is both full of learning and ultimately exciting at Ex Why Zed. Pdf to book printing is what we are print experts at, aiming to give you a pure print reproduction of your artwork. We offer digital printing for small runs and we are also litho printers for run lengths of 700 copies or more where that method becomes more friendly on your budget.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog post. If you have any questions do get in touch on or call on and we look forward to helping you transform your ideas into print!
To watch our full action packed, hour long guide on Children's book printing then here is the magical link you will need:
We either print your work in black ink throughout or in full colour where we use (four colour) CMYK inks to make up the millions of possible colours within the gamut. Full colour is going to give you far more impact for your images so they jump out at the reader. Black ink printing is cheaper because we are only using one ‘colour’. One example where you might want to print in black ink is for a colouring book. Colouring books are an increasingly simple way of illustrators getting their already completed artwork out there and bringing in some more money.
If you are looking to print a book featuring images that appear black & white or monochrome on screen but are actually in full colour then this is a crucial video for you to watch, absorb and act on.
Battle of printing black and white video.
It can be extremely hard to effectively print black-and-white images in digital print. Thankfully, this isn't our first rodeo so in the video below we take a deep dive into how to get around this and why it is so difficult. This is an issue that you will encounter at every printer but at Ex Why Zed we are keen to point it out and help before going ahead.
The best place to start is our Publishing Basics article. There we’ll outline everything involved in preparing your files and using Lulu to publish your project.
Also, see Lulu’s articles on formatting your interior file. You can upload a PDF cover file or use Lulu’s Cover Tool to create your cover.
All printers across Lulu’s global network have a production of 3-5 business days, but your shopping cart will display the estimated production time specific to your order.
Business days are Monday - Friday, and the first printing day is the day after the order is placed. For example, an order placed on a Monday will be sent to the printer by Tuesday and is expected to print between Thursday (day 3) and the following Monday (day 5).
Learn more about printing books of all kinds.
Get all the details about shipping Lulu orders around the world.
For more Custom children book printinginformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.