Book Printing Cost Calculator

Choose your trim size, cover, paper, page count and number of copies to see what your print run will cost. Where we have an exact price for your choices, you see it straight away, with printing and delivery within the United States included. Where we do not, we will not guess: you send us the details and we quote it.

How the price is worked out

The number you see is one price for the complete print run, including delivery to a United States address. It is not built up from per-page rates that we stretch to fit your book. Each instant price comes from a real price for that exact combination of trim size, cover, paper, page count and quantity. That is why some combinations show a price at once and others ask you to request a quote: for those, an honest answer needs a proper quote rather than an estimate.

Choosing a trim size

Trim size is the finished size of the page. We print nineteen sizes, from a pocket book of 4.25 by 6.87 inches through digest (5.5 by 8.5), US trade (6 by 9) and Royal (6.14 by 9.21) to square formats such as 7.5 by 7.5, 8.5 by 8.5 and 10 by 10, and landscape formats. US trade at 6 by 9 inches is a familiar choice for novels and non-fiction, while square and landscape sizes suit picture books, workbooks and photography. Landscape formats have a lower maximum page count than portrait sizes, so check the limit beside the pages box. Our guide to book trim sizes explains how to choose.

Softcover or hardcover

Softcover books use perfect binding: the pages are glued into a flexible card cover. Hardcovers are case bound, with a rigid board case, and can be finished with a dust jacket. Hardcovers cost more per copy than softcovers of the same size and length, and they take longer to produce. You can also choose the cover finish: gloss, matte or soft touch. Read more about paperback printing, hardcover printing and binding types.

Choosing paper

Six interior papers are available: 60lb Natural, 60lb Opaque, 80lb Gloss, 80lb Satin, 100lb Gloss and 100lb Matte. The 60lb Natural stock is an uncoated cream paper that reads comfortably and is a common choice for text-heavy books. The gloss and satin stocks are coated papers that reproduce colour images sharply, which is why they are often chosen for illustrated books. A higher weight means a thicker, more opaque sheet, and the two 100lb papers allow fewer pages than the others. Colour interior printing costs more than black and white, so it pays to print in colour only where the book needs it.

Page count

Most trim, cover and paper combinations can be printed from 24 to 840 pages. The 100lb papers go up to 700 pages, and landscape formats up to 620. The calculator shows the range for your choices and tells you if your page count falls outside it. There is no need to round your page count up to a multiple of four: odd page counts are accepted and priced. Count every page of the interior as it will print, including any blank pages, title pages and appendices.

Quantity, and when a bigger order costs less

You can order a single copy or a run of thousands. The price per copy falls as the quantity rises, because setting up a print run costs about the same whether you print a few books or many. Printing prices also step down at particular quantities. Occasionally the price just below a step is higher than the price at the step itself, so a slightly larger order costs less in total. If your quantity is in that position, the calculator says so and shows the cheaper total, so you never pay more than you need to.

What is not included

The price covers printing and delivery within the United States. It does not include sales tax, which depends on where the books are delivered. It does not include editing, interior formatting, cover design or an ISBN. If you would like help with any of these, or want printing as part of a complete package, see our self-publishing packages.

Preparing your files

Send your interior and cover as PDF files. A PDF/X-4 export preset is recommended. Add a bleed of one eighth of an inch (0.125 inch) where artwork runs to the edge of the page, and keep text away from the edges: margins of at least seven eighths of an inch on the left and right suit most trim sizes. Images should be at least 300 dpi, black and white images should use grayscale colour mode, and all fonts must be embedded. Cover artwork needs to match the spine width, which depends on the trim size, page count, paper and cover style, so confirm the spine width before you finalise the cover. For a print-on-demand approach to smaller runs, see our print on demand page, and for the full range of services visit book printing.

Frequently asked questions