- how much will my book be to print?
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Our print calculator shows the cost of printing any book. There are a few key factors that
will influence the price.
production choices
All the trim sizes, paper choices, binding types and colors offered by Ingram are shown on the calculator. Try testing
different combinations (e.g. color premium hardback vs. greyscale paperback) to see the impact these production choices
can have on unit price.
page count
The final page count of your book will obviously have an impact on price. It won't come as a surpirse that a 100 page book
will cost less to print than a 300 page one. However, the final page count of the book is something that won't be known for
certain until your book typesetting is complete. So for now you will want to make a best guess in order to get an idea of
the print price.
order size
Increasing levels of discount will apply for volume orders of more than 100 books. The exact discount varies depending
on a number of factors including the number of books, binding type, trim size and shipping location. Discounts will be
displayed to you automatically in our calculator once you have selected your options.
integrated solution
It is important to remember that these prices represent not just the cost of printing a paper book but the cost per
book of having access to the whole integrated printing, shipping and distribution solution. You don’t need to worry about
things like stock, warehousing or packaging, they are all handled as part of the service.
- what are the restrictions of POD?
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In order to produce such large volumes of books on a daily basis, all Ingram plants follow a very specific manufacturing
process which does impose a few restrictions.
fixed production choices
There are 25 possible book sizes for fiction, non-fiction and children's books in portrait, square or one landscape size.
Paper choices are standard weight cream/white paper or a thicker, coated white paper for books with lots of images. Covers
can be paperback, casebound, dustjacket or saddlestitch for very thin books. Ink is either black, standard color or
premium color. Custom sizes, papers, inks or binding types are not offered.
print quality
Ingram provides the highest quality print-on-demand service but there can still be small variations between books.
Books are produced one at a time on different machines, by different operators, in different locations on different
paper rolls. A small shift of text on a spine or pages shifted up a fraction are both normal and unavoidable for POD.
We have not seen any big issues with print quality but should one occur we would naturally take it up with the printer
on your behalf.
CMYK ink
Book interiors and covers are digitally printed on a commercial press in cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK) ink.
Colors printed on paper will always appear a little different to RGB colors in an image on-screen. Cover finishing
effects such as metallic foils, embossed text or spot-UV are not available.
no inserts
Each book is printed on one paper type on one machine. This means techniques like including colored photo “plates” on
different coated paper in the centre of a book are not available. Likewise it is not possible to stick in pull-out maps,
pockets or any other custom feature.
glue binding only
All books are bound using EVA glue and for the vast majority of books this works well. However, it may not be ideal
if you need pages to lie flat in a cookbook or to withstand frequent use, like a planner.
final page print details
All POD books include at least one extra page at the back. This page is required by the printer for manufacturing,
it must be completely blank other than the barcode placed by the printer and it cannot be removed or altered. The
printer may also add extra blank pages depending on the size of the book block.
white binding strip
Please note that a thin white strip is required on the binding edge of the file (this is due to the glue used not
adhering to the paper when covered in ink). Strictly speaking the printer requests this to be 3mm but we will
typically attempt to submit a strip of 1.5mm wherever acceptable as it improves the appearance across a double-spread.
no text on small spines
Spine text is not permitted for books of less than 48 pages. Even a small amount of text cannot be placed accurately
in such a limited space.
inclusion of a barcode
All POD covers must have a barcode on the back. This is automatically generated in a particular style and cannot be
edited due to the risk that it becomes unscannable.
- do I really need a proof?
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Most authors underestimate the significance of a printed proof. This is your first opportunity to flick through the
real pages, appreciate your paper and color choices, look at the quality of printing and binding, and inevitably spot
those last few edits.
The cost of printing and shipping one proof is included in our package. All proofs are done with express printing and
shipping and should arrive within a week. It is so important to see a printed proof of your book before pushing it
into distribution. Should you choose to skip your proof and proceed to make a “blindfold” book order, we will ask
you to accept that you understand the risk you are taking and take full responsibility for this.
- how do changes work?
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It’s not uncommon for an author to want to make changes after seeing a proof or even once a book has gone into distribution.
The beauty of POD is that it makes such changes possible. However, there are costs and other considerations involved so
our advice would be – collect your changes together and only submit them when you have enough to make the process worthwhile.
proof changes
Each file that needs updating at this stage will cost a minimum of
$96 USD. This represents
$48 USD for the design updates and
$48 USD for the file re-submission to the printer.
If the changes are substantial we would also recommend getting another printed proof to review them, costing an additional
$48 USD. It is advisable to allow time for all this. If you have other book
formats (paperback, casebound, ebook) then you will probably want to update these as well in order to keep all versions in-step.
- can I use more than one printer?
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At some point in the future you may decide to print a batch of books with another printer. There are just a couple of things
to be aware of.
your files will need adjustment
Each printer has specific setup requirements, so book and cover files that have been prepared for one printer cannot
be submitted to another. If you have selected a second printer, please ask them for their specifications and forward
them to us. Our designers will then assess what changes would be needed to prepare these additional files. For most
interiors this is typically a case of adjusting bleed and color settings. For covers it is most likely that the layout
template and spine width will need adjustment where a slightly different paper thickness is used by each printer.
you may require a new ISBN
Firstly, if Wordzworth has provided your ISBN number then that ISBN is assigned to our company and must not be used
if the book is printed elsewhere. It must be removed from your file. Secondly, even if the book you have printed with
us includes your own ISBN, if your new books are being printed at a different trim size (e.g. 5" x 8" vs. 6" x 9") or
binding (e.g. hardback vs. paperback) then it will still require a new ISBN.
- how do I order books?
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Once your printed proof is approved you may want to purchase a number of copies of your book. You can do this by
placing a book order in your Authorzone on our website. As the author you can buy your book here at cost price,
allowing 1-2 weeks for printing and shipping. We also offer express print and shipping speeds if you’re in a hurry.
Increasing levels of discount will apply for volume orders of more than 100 books. The exact discount varies depending
on a number of factors including number of books, binding type, trim size and shipping location. They will be displayed
to you automatically in our calculator once you have selected your options.
- what is your returns policy?
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Print-on-demand books are printed to order. Once paid for, an order cannot be cancelled or refunded. However, in the
unlikely event you believe there is an issue with the manufacture or shipping condition of any books you receive then
there is a process for requesting their replacement. All claims must be submitted within 30 days of receipt.
manufacturing issue
Please take a clear photo of the books you believe to be faulty. If you also have a non-faulty copy for comparison
then it can really help to photograph both books together to illustrate the difference. We will also need a photo
of the back page of your book as this includes the batch number and manufacturing details which the printer requires
in order to investigate.
shipment issue
If it is clear upon arrival that your shipment has been damaged in transit then it is very important to sign the
freight receipt noting the damage and the number of books affected. Without this record it is almost impossible to
have a claim accepted by the carrier. Please also take a clear photo of the books you believe to be damaged.
- is your printer eco friendly?
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We only have one planet so it's important to protect it. There are a number of ways our printer play their part.
POD
Unsold books from a traditional offset litho run will be destroyed, resulting in wasted paper, energy, pulping and
landfill. In contrast, print-on-demand means no supply chain waste, no excess greenhouse emissions and no wasted
natural resources.
papers
Ingram expects their paper suppliers to be environmentally responsible and not use papers sourced from endangered
old growth forests, forests of exceptional conservation value, or the Amazon Basin.
certification
All paper is sourced from certified mills. However, since these mills are a mix of FSC®, SFI®, or PEFC™ certified,
it is not possible to include any one of these logos or state that your book is printed on fully recycled paper.
If you include either of these statements, it will be removed.
- what are your terms?
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We do not have a written contract for you to sign. Instead we ask that you have read this questions answered
section and accept our general terms and conditions which
we have tried to make short and readable.