
How to Print Board Books To Sell
Your step-by-step guide
Got a brilliant idea for a board book but not sure where to begin? You're in the right place! In this blog, we'll break the printing process into simple, manageable steps—so you can turn your vision into reality without feeling overwhelmed.
Understanding your board book's audience
Before we dive into the printing stuff, let's talk about your vision. What kind of board book are you envisioning? An educational series for schools, an interactive touch and feel board book for toddlers or maybe a beautiful “baby’s first” book. Whatever your goal, knowing your niche helps shape every marketing decision that follows.
Getting your files print-ready (don't worry, we'll help!)
This is where some people start to feel a little nervous, but trust us—it’s not as daunting as it seems! While having print-ready art files is ideal, we understand that not everyone has an illustrator with print experience, and that's perfectly okay! To help, here are some book-friendly tips:
For The Visuals: Think simple but engaging - board books work best with clear, bold images that grab attention. High-resolution images are your friends here (we'll help you make sure everything looks crisp and professional when printed).
For The Text:Keep it clean and readable. Remember, less is more with board books. We recommend fonts that are easy to read and spacing that gives your words room to breathe.
Hire a Pro: Many authors worry about the cost associated with book formatting. Generally speaking, if you’re working with an illustrator experienced with self-publishing they will know the industry standard artwork guidelines so packaging up your print-ready files should not be a problem.
IF your illustrator is not experienced, we recommend involving a book formatter in the process from the beginning. The price of formatting is worth every penny in our experience, and is less than you’d think. Of course, the price can vary depending on the complexity of the project (and if formatter has to fix mistakes made by an illustrator who isn’t formatting well).
Children’s book formatters we recommend
Below is a list of professional book formatters we have worked with or our clients have recommended to us. You can book a call and look at examples of their work to see which is most relevant or reflective of your specs.
- Tamara Dever: TLC Book Design: https://tlcbookdesign.com/services/
- Melinda Martin: https://melindamartin.me/services/
- Get Your Book Illustrations – https://getyourbookillustrations.com/
- Children’s Book Mastery offers a range of services: https://childrensbookmastery.com
Get 3 quotes for everything in life
(including book formatting and printing)
We recommend you get 3 printing quotes from 3 separate printers. This may seem odd of us to suggest but we are confident that our pricing, quality and service will be the best. But don’t just believe us!
You can grab an instant quote from us for standard size board books or request a personalized quote if your book features custom sizes or special design elements. (Just a heads-up—our minimum print run is 300 books)
To make the process even easier, we've itemized the 6 simple steps you can expect when you want to move forward with boardbookprinting.com as your printing partner.
Working together, we’ll make your book shine
Here's where it gets exciting! Once you’ve chosen to collaborate with us, we'll work together to make sure your board books meet our high-quality standards while keeping the process smooth.
As your printing partner, we’ll…
- Review your files personally and offer helpful suggestions (if asked :)
- Provide guidance on technical specifications
- Share samples of similar projects, if you'd like to see examples
- Send you a physical printed proof of your book to review. This is included in your quoted price. We recommend sharing the proof with family and friends as this is your chance to make any final tweaks.. We want you to be absolutely thrilled with the final product.
Let's create something amazing together
Creating a board book doesn't have to be overwhelming or complicated. With our team by your side, you'll have expert and honest support at every step of the journey.
Have questions? Feeling excited but not quite sure where to start? That's exactly why we're here! Drop us a line for a friendly chat about your project. We love nothing more than helping turn great ideas into beautiful board books that will delight your audience.