> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://brookevitale.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What Are the Best Print on Demand Book Services? - URL: https://brookevitale.com/blog/print-on-demand-books/ - Published: 2021-12-20T14:25:47.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-09T20:15:19.000Z - Description: A guide to the best book printing services for print on demand books, including the pros and cons of Amazon print on demand, IngramSpark, Blurb, BookBaby, & Lulu xPress. - Author: Andrew Vitale - Tags: Printing ## What are print on demand books? Print on demand services are companies that offer book printing on demand, meaning as they are ordered. Files for the print on demand books are stored on the company’s servers, and a new copy is printed each time a sale comes through. The on demand book printing model means that there is no extra inventory of books. There is no money spent in advance of sales on book printing. And print on demand books can be delivered to a reader in as little as a few days from the time files are sent to the printer. Like a traditional offset printer, on demand book printing services charge authors a fee to print the books. The fee for printing is typically higher than what an author would pay if printing a large quantity of books upfront, but it is not paid until the order for the book is in place. For authors without the resources to print, store, and distribute books, or those who are just dipping their toe in the self-publishing business, on demand book printing can be an appealing model. > Pro Tip: It is important to note that print on demand books are generally less cost efficient than printing through a traditional offset printer, particularly for children's books. It can be much harder to turn a profit through print on demand companies, however, there are benefits to printing this way. For a full breakdown of the pros and cons of traditional offset printing versus print on demand books, check out my article [Children's Book Printing | Hardcover Book Printing | Printing Effects](https://brookevitale.com/blog/childrens-book-printing-and-offset-printing/). The print on demand book model is growing in popularity. And with so many authors eager to self-publish their books, is it any wonder? Print on demand books are fast and convenient. But with so many book printing services available, which is the right fit? Let’s take a look. ## What is Amazon KDP? KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) is Amazon’s answer to independent book publishing. Amazon print on demand offers authors the ability to create print on demand paperback books and hardcover print on demand pbooks (in a limited capacity) with direct sales on Amazon's platform. ### What are the pros of Amazon KDP? - Amazon print on demand is easy to use. The upload process is clearly broken down, step by step, and Amazon KDP’s online resources provide incredibly detailed explanations to get through the process should a problem arise. - Amazon KDP is free to use. Although Amazon charges a book printing fee and takes a cut of sales, there is no cost to actually upload a book for sale. More importantly, changes can be made to print on demand books at any time, free of cost. - Publishing through Amazon KDP allows easier access to run Amazon ads, a key component of any book marketing plan. - Using Amazon KDP’s on demand book printing service offers authors access to Amazon A+ content—an enhanced marketing tool not available to authors self-publishing through other print on demand companies. - Linking eBooks and print books is easy. Since most authors release eBooks through Amazon print on demand, setting up both books at once is convenient. - Amazon print on demand books are available for Amazon Prime shipping, a feature many Amazon customers look for when buying book. - Publishing a book directly through Amazon print on demand means the book will always be available on Amazon's platform. It is far less likely that a third-party bookseller will gain control of the buy button for the book and raise the price. - Amazon print on demand offers a high royalty—60 percent—for books sold and fulfilled directly on Amazon. - Amazon KDP offers the lowest book printing costs. To learn more about price and determine how much a book will cost, check out their [calculator](https://kdp.amazon.com/en%5FUS/help/topic/GSQF43YAMUPFTMSP?ref=brookevitale.com). ### What are the cons of Amazon KDP? - Although Amazon KDP offers expanded distribution into other markets, it is a slow process and can take several months for non-Amazon sellers to receive a copy of the book. - Traditional retailers view Amazon as competition, and are not likely to carry a book printed using Amazon print on demand. This makes it hard for authors going the print on demand path through Amazon to get books placed outside of Amazon. - Hardcover print on demand books do not offer much flexibility in page count. Hardcover books must be a minimum of 75 pages and a maximum of 550 pages. While not a problem for authors self-publishing novels, this is a challenge for children’s books. - The print quality on Amazon KDP is slightly less than on other platforms. - Although there are many book trim size options, there are no choices for a landscape book—a fact that frustrates many children’s book authors. > The bottom line: Amazon KDP is great for authors who want to sell books through Amazon, but may not be ideal for those hoping to sell through traditional retailers. ## What is IngramSpark? The second-most popular print on demand book service, IngramSpark offers authors the ability to create print on demand paperback books and hardcover print on demand books with a wide distribution around the world. ### What are the pros of IngramSpark? - Hands down, the number one pro of on demand book printing through IngramSpark is the ability for authors to “go wide.” IngramSpark is part of Ingram Content Group, a major book distributor. Most traditional retailers have accounts with Ingram and use their catalogs to purchase books. Choosing on demand printing through IngramSpark means an author’s book will appear in Ingram’s catalog and can easily be ordered by stores, libraries, and schools. - IngramSpark offers direct distribution to over 40,000 retailers. By choosing their global distribution option, author enable their books to be listed on websites such as Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart, and more. - IngramSpark's printing services are a good choice for hardcover print on demand books, with a minimum page count starting at 16 pages. IngramSpark's on demand book printing also offers the option to include a dust jacket on the book. - IngramSpark has now partnered with Bowker to offer its users a discount on ISBNs. This is the only place authors can receive a discount on Bowker ISBNs - IngramSpark offers many book trim size options, including one landscape trim size for children’s books. - IngramSpark's on demand book printing service allows authors to decide their own royalties, as well as the discount at which books are sold to retailers. It also enables authors to decide whether a book will be returnable. For information on determining royalty and discount, check out IngramSpark’s [calculator](https://myaccount.ingramspark.com/Portal/Tools/PubCompCalculator?ref=brookevitale.com). > Pro Tip: Most retailers expect a discount of over 50% and will demand that the book be returnable. ### What are the cons of IngramSpark? - IngramSpark's print on demand book services don't come free. IngramSpark charges a setup fee of $49 to upload a book. Once files have been approved and a book is live, additional changes to a book cost $25 per upload. - Books purchased on Amazon must still be printed through IngramSpark. This makes delivery time longer, and authors run the risk of their book saying “unavailable.” - IngramSpark’s upload process isn’t particularly user-friendly and may be challenging for authors who are not great with technology. - IngramSpark’s global distribution comes with a risk: because third-party sellers have access to the book through Ingram’s catalog, it is not uncommon for them to list a copy of the book for sale on Amazon—even if they have not yet purchased a copy. (If they make a sale, then they will buy the book.) When this happens, the book will typically be listed at a higher price than the list price. If the book says “unavailable” on Amazon when this happens, the third-party reseller can take over the buy button on Amazon, making it hard for an author to sell books themselves. > Pro Tip: Consider signing up for a Seller Central account on Amazon and listing copies of the book through your own account. This will ensure there is always an option at the correct price. > Bottom Line: IngramSpark isn’t great for selling through Amazon but it’s the best print on demand site for getting books into traditional retailers. ## What is BookBaby? BookBaby offers authors the ability to create print on demand paperback books and hardcover print on demand books. ### What are pros of BookBaby? - BookBaby is known for being an easy to use on demand book printing service. The upload process is simple, and the company even offers phone support for authors who need help. - BookBaby is fast. It can deliver a large print run of books in a short amount of time. - Compared to other print on demand book printing companies, BookBaby offers a higher quality book. - BookBaby offers a variety of book trim sizes, including several landscape options. ### What are the cons of BookBaby? - BookBaby does not work like traditional on demand book printing. Rather than books being printed and billed as they are sold, BookBaby requires that authors pay for books upfront. BookBaby has a minimum order quantity of 25 books. Only after these books have been paid for can authors enroll in on demand book printing. - BookBaby is expensive. The setup fee for print on demand is $399, while their packages for printing and book distribution begin at $1,099. - Physical books are pricy, costing upwards of $11 for a paperback book to be printed. - Although BookBub does offer global distribution, it does it through IngramSpark, which means authors pay BookBaby to be the middleman. > Bottom Line: Product is high quality, but BookBaby is not a good bet for cost-conscious authors. ## What is Blurb? Blurb offers authors the ability to create print on demand paperback books and hardcover print on demand books. Blurb specializes in art books, which makes it a solid print on demand company for authors with art-heavy books. ### What are the pros of Blurb? - The big sell on Blurb is quality. The on demand book printing is top-notch with a wide variety of papers and trim sizes to choose from. - Blurb is free to use. Books can be setup at no cost. - Blurb offers design tools that partner with Lightroom, Photoshop, and InDesign to make setting books up easier. ### What are the cons of Blurb? - Book printing costs through Blurb are higher than with Amazon KDP or IngramSpark. - Blurb offers global distribution through IngramSpark, which means the royalty received is lower than publishing directly through IngramSpark. - Blurb prints their watermark on all print on demand books. Getting rid of this is costly, increasing the price of an on demand book by up to 25 percent. > Bottom Line: Great for artsy books that need that extra touch but not ideal for standard novels or children’s books. ## What is Lulu xPress? Lulu Xpress is on demand book service that offers authors the ability to create print on demand paperback books and hardcover print on demand books. ### What are the pros of Lulu xPress? - Lulu xPress has no upload costs or minimum order quantities on parint on demand books. - Lulu xPress offers high quality print on demand books with a wide variety of book trim sizes and papers. - Lulu xPress prints and ships books quickly around the globe. - Lulu offers its own store, directly on its website, with a great royalty to authors for books sold directly from the site. ### What are the cons of Lulu xPress? - Lulu’s upload process is not user friendly, which will be a turnoff for authors who are not tech-savvy. - Customer support on Lulu isn’t great. Questions are answered through FAQs, with little email or phone support. - While royalties for print on demand books selling through the website are high, they are low for print on demand books sold through other websites. > Bottom line: Great if you plan to sell through their website, but not ideal to sell elsewhere ## What is the best print on demand site? The truth is, there is no right or wrong answer. The best print on demand site depends entirely on an author’s needs. So consider what you hope to get out of a book. Think about how you plan to sell. Will it all be online or will you hand-sell copies? And remember, it’s okay to mix and match. The top two on demand book printing companies are Amazon KDP and IngramSpark. Many authors choose Amazon print on demand for paperback books and IngramSpark for hardcover print on demand books, and then link the two on their Amazon page. That way they can take advantage of Amazon ads and A+ Content while still having non-Amazon books available for traditional retailers. Whatever works best for you, good luck with the publishing!