Photo Book Printing

Photo Book Printing
hardcover photo book
online photo book printing
professional photo book printing
print instagram photos book
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Photo Book Printing
hardcover photo book
online photo book printing
professional photo book printing
print instagram photos book
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Compile your photos into a stunning, world-class photo book with our custom offset printing services

Photos are a kind of modern magic. Holiday snaps, photojournalism, photo-travelogues, art photo book, portraiture, and documentary collections all conjure memories and evoke emotion through the alchemy of light captured on paper.

At QinPrinting we love elevating photography and photographers—amateur or professional—with stunning custom photo books. 25 years of success in the industry, an expert team, the latest technological wizardry, and unrivaled customer service — sustain our first-class reputation among self-published photographers around the globe.

“Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”

Dorothea Lange, photojournalist

Instant Quote

Quantity
We are an offset printer, rather than a digital or print-on-demand service, so we must impose a minimum order quantity (MOQ). We’ve set ours as low as possible, at 100 units. But with offset printing, the higher the quantity you order in a single print run, the lower the cost-per-unit.
Size
Choose preset dimensions from the dropdown menu or click “CUSTOM SIZE” to enter your own custom dimensions.
Please use the format, width x height;

size

so, 5.5" x 8.5" would mean 5.5" wide and 8.5" high. The possible size range is 3.74" to 11.69" in width or height, allowing for portrait or landscape orientation.
Cover
The cover is composed of four pages. They are the front cover, the inside front cover, the inside back cover, and the back cover.
Cover Paper
If you need special paper not shown in the dropdown menu, please contact us.

1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Cover Paper

Lamination
We laminate only the outside of the cover.
Surface
We offer a comprehensive selection of special surface finishes which we can apply to most covers, with a few limitations. For example, spot UV can only be applied to matte laminated and soft-touch laminated covers.
These options are only suitable for gold or silver foil stamping up to a 5.9" x 1.18" area; and embossing, debossing, or spot UV up to a 7.87" x 1.96" area. If the special finish area you need is larger than this, please contact us to get a quote.
Besides gold and silver foil, we can foil stamp designs in a range of colors. If you need a special color foil stamp or have specific surface requests, please contact us. We’ll be happy to help.
Inner
Page Count
One sheet of paper is equal to two pages.

page-sheet

page-sheet

 

The total page count is a multiple of 4. When printing and binding your book, we fold sheets into “signatures”.
If your book is larger, say, 8.5" x 11" or A4 size, one signature will have 16 pages. So, the inner page amount should be divisible by 16. Making your page counts match signatures is the most economical solution.
Inner Paper
Please select your paper choice for your internal pages from the dropdown menu. If you have a special request not listed here, get in touch. We’ll do everything possible to satisfy your needs.
1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Text Paper
Binding
If your book has 48 pages or fewer, we recommend saddle stich as your binding option.
If you have more pages and choose fairly thin paper, such as 80 gsm /54 lb or 105 gsm / 71 lb text paper, we recommend perfect binding.
If your book has heavier interior paper or the page count exceeds 200 pages, sewn perfect binding will be your best choice.
Wire-O and spiral binding are other options and both of them open flat.
perfect binding
sewn perfect binding
wire-o binding
saddle stitch binding
spiral binding
EXW Price 
Calculating
*The price doesn’t include shipping costs.
Estimated weight:
Quantity
We are an offset printer, rather than a digital or print-on-demand service, so we must impose a minimum order quantity (MOQ). We’ve set ours as low as possible, at 100 units. But with offset printing, the higher the quantity you order in a single print run, the lower the cost-per-unit.
Size
Choose preset dimensions from the dropdown menu or click “CUSTOM SIZE” to enter your own custom dimensions.
Please use the format, width x height;
size
so, 5.5" x 8.5" would mean 5.5" wide and 8.5" high.
The possible size range is 3.74" to 11.69" in width or height, allowing for portrait or landscape orientation.
Cover
A hardcover book’s cover is printed on one side only; the outer-facing side. The inside front cover and inside back cover are glued to the end sheets.
Cover Paper
As standard, we wrap the grayboard casing in 157 gsm / 58 lb cover paper. If you need a special material or a solid color paper for the cover, please contact us first to discuss your options.
157 gsm

157 gsm ≈ 58.0 lb Cover Paper

Grey Board Thickness
Lamination
We laminate only the outside of the cover as the inside is glued to the end sheets.
Surface

We offer a comprehensive selection of special surface finishes which we can apply to most covers, with a few limitations. For example, spot UV can only be applied to matte laminated and soft-touch laminated covers.

These options are only suitable for gold or silver foil stamping up to a 5.9" x 1.18" area; and embossing, debossing, or spot UV up to a 7.87" x 1.96" area. If the special finish area you need is larger than this, please contact us to get a quote.

Besides gold and silver foil, we can foil stamp designs in a range of colors. If you need a special color foil stamp or have specific surface requests, please contact us. We’ll be happy to help.
End sheet
The end sheets connect the hardcover casing and the interior pages when binding the book. So, there are two end sheets, one at the front and one at the back and both glued to the grayboard cover.
blank end sheet option
color end sheet option
End Sheet Paper
If your book size is 8.5" x 11" or less with an interior page count of fewer than 320 pages, then a good option for the end sheets is 140 gsm / 95 lb offset paper.
If your book size is larger than 8.5" x 11", then 170 gsm / 115 lb offset paper would be better.
If your end sheets will be printed and your book’s interior uses gloss or matte art paper—say, for an art book or coffee table book—to make sure the colors match well, use 157gsm / 58 lb gloss or matte art paper for your end sheets.
1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Text Paper
Inner
Page Count
One sheet of paper is equal to two pages.
page-sheet
page-sheet
 
The total page count is a multiple of 4. When printing and binding your book, we fold sheets into “signatures”.
If your book is larger, say, 8.5" x 11" or A4 size, one signature will have 16 pages. So, the inner page amount should be divisible by 16. Making your page counts match signatures is the most economical solution.
The maximum page count for a hardback book is 800 pages. If your book is more than 800 pages, please contact us for a tailor-made quote.
Inner Paper
Please select your paper choice for your internal pages from the dropdown menu. If you have a special request not listed here, get in touch. We’ll do everything possible to satisfy your needs.
1 gsm ≈ 0.68 lb Text Paper
Binding
We use high-quality sewn hardcover binding which gives a “square” printable spine.
Sewing and hardcover
EXW Price 
Calculating
*The price doesn’t include shipping costs.
Estimated weight:

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Custom Photo Book Printing Costs

At QinPrinting, we help self-published photographers print photo books of striking quality every day. But we appreciate that not everyone has the budget of a Bailey or a Leibovitz. That’s why we work hard to deliver exceptional quality books at the most competitive prices you’ll find anywhere in the industry. Whether you’re a professional who wants to print a world-class portfolio or an everyday enthusiast collecting your memories for posterity, we put our expertise at your disposal at a price you can afford.

But don’t take our word for it. Look for yourself! You can get a snap-shot of how much it will cost to print your custom photo book by checking out our at-a-glance pricing charts. Unlike most offset book printing services — which have a minimum print order of 500 or even 1,000 books—we offer a minimum order quantity (MOQ) of just 100 copies and still with a competitive price tag. But as you’ll see from the charts, the more photo book copies you order in a single run, the less you pay per unit.

Paperback Photo Book Printing Price Chart (8.5" x 11")

All prices listed in USD

Quantity 100pcs 500pcs 1000pcs 2000pcs 5000pcs 10000pcs
Page count
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
72pp + 4pp
$6.05
$605
$1.73
$863
$1.12
$1,120
$0.85
$1,698
$0.72
$3,591
$0.67
$6,663
96pp + 4pp
$7.53
$753
$2.17
$1,083
$1.41
$1,410
$1.08
$2,158
$0.92
$4,579
$0.86
$8,583
128pp + 4pp
$9.60
$960
$2.80
$1,398
$1.82
$1,824
$1.41
$2,818
$1.19
$5,937
$1.12
$11,161
  • Please note that all prices are EXW our facility and do not include shipping costs.
  • Cover: 250 gsm / 92 lb coated cover paper with matte lamination outside
  • Interior: 128 gsm / 86 lb coated text paper, full color printing
  • Cover and inner: full color printing
  • Binding: sewing and perfect binding

Hardcover Photo Book Printing Price Chart (8.5" x 11")

All prices listed in USD

Quantity 100pcs 500pcs 1000pcs 2000pcs 5000pcs 10000pcs
Page count
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
Unit
Total
80pp
$11.27
$1,127
$3.17
$1,584
$2.33
$2,330
$1.96
$3,912
$1.67
$8,345
$1.60
$15,956
112pp
$14.09
$1,409
$3.98
$1,989
$2.85
$2,848
$2.34
$4,678
$1.96
$9,802
$1.87
$18,728
192pp
$21.15
$2,115
$6.00
$3,000
$4.14
$4,138
$3.31
$6,619
$2.69
$13,432
$2.56
$25,633
  • Please note that all prices are EXW our facility and do not include shipping costs.
  • Cover: 157 gsm / 58 lb coated cover paper with matte lamination wrapped on 2.5 mm thickness greybeard
  • End sheets: 140 gsm / 95 lb uncoated text paper, blank
  • Inner: 157 gsm / 106 lb coated text paper
  • Cover and inner: full color printing

For a more focused estimate, try our convenient online Printing Cost Calculator. Just zoom in on the form, adjust your settings, and click for an instant quote! If you have questions, get in touch and one of our enthusiastic, knowledgeable, expert team members — not a robot or a bored call center operator! — will be delighted to help.

Common Photo Book Sizes

The size of a photo book typically depends on your photos, how many images you include, the layout and orientation. A landscape oriented professional portfolio of black-and-white art photography will be larger, for example; and a wedding album may have a large format original edition for the bride and groom and reduced “parent copies” for relatives. But to help you decide, here’s a list of the most common sizes for different styles of photo books.

  • Professional portfolio: 8.5″ x 11″, 11″ x 11″ and 11″ x 14″ are all good
  • Family gift album: usually square, 8″ x8″, 10″ x10″ and 12″ ×12″ are popular choices
  • Wedding photo book: an 8″x 8″ square or 14″ x 11″ landscape orientation are traditional formats for wedding albums
  • Travelogue: landscape-oriented photo books at 11” x 8.5”, 14” x 11” and 17” x 11” are ideal for most travelogues
  • Portrait gallery: portrait-oriented books at 8.5” x 11”, 11” x 14” and 12” x 17” work well

Smaller sizes are practical if you need to mail out a lot of copies. Larger sizes make a stronger impression. You’re not limited to the suggestions above. At QinPrinting, we’re happy to create custom photo books in any size or format you wish. Only remember that extensive customization incurs higher costs and slower turnaround times because we need to do a lot more pre-press work and setup. But for certain projects, the added investment could be worthwhile. It’s your decision.

Portrait photo book printing
Portrait
landscape photo book printing
Landscape
large size photo book printing
Large Size

Photo Book Paper Options

Even if you include some text, the images are the focus of any photo book. So, we recommend printing on gloss or matte art paper to get the best results. Gloss and matte both have ideal surfaces for vibrant printing that will reproduce your photos with faithful color, perfect contrast, and fine detail. Gloss paper is often best for books with full-color spreads and less text, whereas books with more text may benefit from matte paper. Matte paper will still give gorgeous color or black-and-white reproduction while making the text easier to read.

You’ll need at least two paper specifications for your photo book: one for the interior pages and one for the cover. You may also wish to include end papers, which may be the same paper as the interior, or you can choose something different; a heavier, colored or textured paper, for example.

Paper Stock for Photo Books

Sewn perfect binding—a style of paperback which can lay flat with the pages open without breaking the spine—is a popular choice for high-quality photo books. This binding style needs the spine to be at least 3 mm thick. Hardcover binding is another popular option, especially for a professional, high-end look and feel. We recommend a paper weight of 128 gsm / 86 lb, 157 gsm /106 lb and 200 gsm / 135 lb gloss art paper for the interior pages in both cases. It’s beautiful to see and touch, faithfully reproduces your original photography, and has good durability.

Paperback Cover Paper

Hardcover Paper

Interior Paper

Bindings for Photo Books

While photo books come in all shapes and sizes, the choice of binding is very important for reasons of appearance, durability, and purpose. Let’s look at the three most common, professional-looking options. You can open all the following bindings flat.

We use this binding style for most photo books we print. We collate the interior pages into sets called signatures, which are then sewn together and fixed into a wrap-around cover made of heavier art paper or lightweight card stock. For photo books with a moderate page count, this is a great option.

In this binding, we organize the interior pages into signatures which are then printed, cut, sewn, and glued into a hard casing covered by a printed sheet which forms the cover. This binding is the most durable and professional-looking, especially if you add a dust jacket, end sheet papers, and a marker ribbon, for example.

This binding is another popular choice for photo books used as college portfolios or for presenting examples of work to potential clients, for its practicality and flexibility. We punch or drill holes into the pages down one side and then bind them with a plastic coil which spirals through the holes. We crimp the coil at both ends so the pages don’t come loose. You can turn the pages of a spiral-bound book through 360° and also lay the open book completely flat. We can laminate the pages to make them extra-resistant to UV light and we can make the covers from waterproof vinyl. This is a superb choice for a photo book with a job to do!

Whichever binding style you choose, we like to make it easy for you to design your photo book. So, you can use one of our ready-made design templates if you wish. And ask us for paper samples. We’ll be happy to drop them to you in the mail. The samples are free, so you need only pay the mailing charges.

Photo Book Design and Artwork Tips

Whether you’re preparing your own photo book design or commissioning a professional graphic designer, it’s important to understand how to prepare the files for printing. You’ll need to allow for bleed zones, safety areas, trim lines, and borders, for example, and make sure that the resolution and the color space are correct. With that in mind, here are a few useful tips to help you when you’re preparing your files for the printer.

PDF

Export your files as vectors in PDF format for the best results. Our recommended software options for photo book design are Adobe Illustrator or Adobe InDesign. These will also allow you to convert your color space from RGB to CMYK which you will need to do for offset printing.

300dpi

If you can’t deliver vectors — say, if you’re exporting bitmaps from Photoshop — then make sure the resolution is at least 300 DPI. With vectors, you needn’t worry about resolution, but all other images must have a high definition to tolerate resizing without becoming fuzzy and “pixilated”.

3 mm bleed zone

You’ll need to add a “bleed zone” of 3 mm around all your pages. A bleed is an extended zone at the periphery of your photo, which falls outside the area that your finished page will cover. Once we’ve printed your pages, we’ll cut them to the exact size needed for your photo book format. This “bit extra” gets cut off and makes sure that the finished image fills the page with none of it being lost. You should mark bleed zones as red lines.

trim line 10mm

Inside your bleed zone, don’t forget to mark the “trim lines”. These will define the final dimensions of the finished page. Make sure that any necessary elements of your images stop at least 10 mm short of the trim line.

along the center crease

If a photo crosses over two pages in a “spread” make sure that nothing essential—like the subject’s face or other important details—lie along the center crease.

spiral bound margin

For a spiral bound photo book, leave an added margin of at least 15 mm on the edge that we’ll bind the book to allow for the holes.

If you’re working with a professional designer to create your files, they should understand what’s needed to make everything “print ready”. But if you’re working with design software yourself for the first time, these are the vital tips to remember before you submit your files. The responsibility for sending “print ready” files is yours. But please don’t worry! We’ll be happy to “hold your hand” through the process, explain what’s needed, liaise with your designer, and manually check everything ourselves to make sure it all goes smoothly and you end up with a perfect print edition of your photo book.

To learn more about preparing your photographs, text, and layout for printing, please check out our Pre-press Artwork information page.

Talk to Us!

If you’re a professional photographer, an indie author, or a private individual wanting to print a lavish photo book of unrivaled quality and at an unbeatable price, we should talk. Get in touch today to chat through your needs or to ask for a no-obligation quote. We can’t wait to help you make your next photo book the best!

Get in touch