Printing Choices for Self-Publishers

As a self-publisher, you have many choices and decisions to make before you begin production on your book.  

Self-publishing has been around in one form or another since the beginning of publishing but in recent years, self-publishing has exploded with the emergence of print-on-demand (POD) digital printing technologies and online bookselling. The next paragraphs describe and clarify the differences between publishing using traditional offset lithography and the new POD model of digital printing and publishing. 

First and most important, you will need to determine the right method to print your book. Whether you print your book in black-and-white or whether the content requires full-color printing—such as art and photography—how to achieve acceptable print quality at a price you can afford is the first critical decision for a self-publisher. And how to position your book into the myriad sales channels is just as important. Read through the following descriptions and qualifiers to choose the option that is right for you. 

Offset Lithography

The best quality method of printing to date—whether black-and-white or color—is traditional offset lithography. This method of printing color illustrations, developed at the end of the 18^thcentury, became the basis for high-speed printing today. Inked images are transferred (offset) from a plate to a rubberized blanket, then to the printing surface. This technology is sharp and accurate. It’s also the best way to gain cost benefits on longer print runs, and it’s the best for quality where images, photos, and full-color reproductions are concerned. 

The biggest drawback to offset lithography is the expense: make-ready and setup, printing plates, inks, and wash-ups all take time and money. To receive the cost benefits (read: profit), the minimum print run required would be between 500–1,000 copies. Depending on the page count of your book, that may represent a substantial outlay of cash and inventory storage space for a book whose sales potential is unknown. In addition, most traditional offset printing companies do not typically offer distribution and sales for self-publishers, so you would also need to find a distribution or sales company to handle these functions for your book or set up a structure to inventory, sell, and invoice book sales on your own.

The Expense of Printing in Color

If you are a successful artist who sells originals through galleries, or an agent represents your work, you may have the profile, the resources, and the financial justification to choose offset lithography for your book. If you are a businessperson, in demand as a speaker, or an expert whose book topic is timely, offset lithography could be a good choice. Professionals with fully developed business platforms, or business or administrative infrastructure should have fewer obstacles reaching readers and successfully selling their books. Artists and professionals with mature practices might opt to print using offset lithography, not only for the higher quality it affords, but because printing on offset presses also gives you more latitude in design choices, including unique trim sizes and paper selection. Most digital printers have limited options for papers, trimming, and binding the books they print. 

The books marketed by traditional publishers fall into general categories based on their size, which is relative to the number of pages that fit on one sheet of paper running through a press. A trim size of 4.25 x 6.75” is the standard for mass-market paperbacks. The next tier, what are called trade paperbacks, measure 5.5 x 8.5” and 6 x 9”. Standard textbooks are in the 7 x 10” and 8.5 x 10” range. Large format books over 8.5 x 11” require larger sheet sizes, more press forms, folding, and cutting, so they are more expensive to produce. Most art and coffee table books are in this category.

Printing using offset lithography also offers the added benefit of a larger selection of paper stocks. Consider that the paper’s weight, type, and color are all important characteristics that will subtly signal your book’s quality to readers. Your cover design, paper stock, coatings, and finishing can all be used creatively to increase your book’s visibility and quality using offset lithography. But it comes with a price… and a print minimum of 500–1,000 books to gain the rewards of a low unit cost and higher profits. 

Whatever size or paper you choose for your book, query your printer about cost savings for various sheet sizes in advance. Get referrals to offset printing companies that produce books regularly and have performed well for people you know. Their representatives will help educate you, especially if you know the right questions to ask. Understanding the key differences—and benefits—of offset lithography and digital printing technologies is the first step in building your book’s production strategy. 

Digital Printing with Print-on-Demand

Digital print-on-demand (POD) printing differs from offset lithography in many ways, and is the preferred production method for most self-publishers. It is not only a different technology, but also a different production model altogether. The main benefit of this method is that you can print one book at a time. Beyond a modest first-time setup charge, the unit cost for each book will be the same, whether you print 50 or 500 books. 

In addition, books are printed only when orders are placed, so there is no inventory to store, and there are no returns. Another benefit for self-publishers is that most POD vendors these days will automatically list your book with Amazon.com and other online retailers. POD is a good solution to reduce big cash outlays and the responsibility of maintaining inventory and overhead on a product whose sales potential is unknown. Plus, you get the added help with online listings.

There are issues with POD if you choose to print your book in full color, however.

The first issue is quality, and the second is profit. The word among users of POD full-color printing is: “The quality is not there… yet.” Digital inks and toners are different from those used in offset lithography, and the way they are transferred to paper is also different—resulting in less color brilliance and crispness. Yet, some self-publishers have reported various levels of success printing color with POD providers such as KDP, IngramSpark, Blurb, and others. Simple, black and white books are the best candidates for POD, and new color technology is developing rapidly. 

On the whole, the issue of quality is both subjective and relative. For example, an accomplished painter with sensitivity to hue may have higher expectations for color reproduction than a model airplane hobbyist. A professional photographer who shoots subjects in a natural setting may have a higher standard for light and color than the author of a family cookbook that includes folksy color illustrations. You can go to any POD providers’ websites to browse their bookstores and buy a copy of a book in your genre to see if it meets your standards for print quality, but the real issue is profit. 

If your book requires color printing and you can accept the current quality of POD color, the next difficulty is a profitable economic model. You can always buy a few books, as there is a low cost barrier, but the most important number to pay attention to isn’t total cash outlay, but unit cost (cost per book). The cost per book is critical to profit. Even with the current, lowest cost-per-page for POD color printing, the total cost per book makes it difficult—if not impossible—for the publisher to assign a competitive retail price and make much profit.

Many self-publishers rush into producing full-color books before they realize that POD price structures won’t work in their favor.

What to do, then, if your project requires color? Go back and review your objectives to consider whether to publish using offset litho, switch to printing in black-and-white, consider printing only a few signatures in color, with the balance in black-and-white —or lower your expectations for profit. Is profit your main goal, or are you aiming at other rewards? You may decide that recognition for your thesis, or that being seen as a leader in your field is more important than maximizing profit. Plan carefully if you choose the offset litho route as you will need a place to store the books, will have to create an accounting system to handle sales, and will have to get into the sales channels on your own.

You might consider the first copies of your POD book as a market test to see how buyers respond, or use POD copies to hook interest from a bigger publisher who might pick up your book. Before you settle on a final decision between offset litho and POD, keep working with your goals and objectives, and then calculate a profit and loss equation for your production costs. That will help you to make an informed decision.  

Print Quality and Aesthetics

When I committed to my first self-published art book, I was determined to break through the stigma that has made it so difficult for self-published writers to get respect and to garner critical reviews. I set a goal to produce the very best full-color book possible to gain visibility as an author and legitimacy as a publisher.

I knew I could get great quality with offset lithography—but it would cost. I found I could save a significant amount of money up front if I used print-on-demand technology instead. But I’d spent many hours color correcting art in the book to match the originals, and I wasn’t entirely convinced that POD color would give me the high quality that I was striving for in a book on fine art. 

I considered other alternatives too. Maybe I could print the book in black-and-white and bind a CD with a full-color gallery into the back of the book? I thought of “tipping in” a signature or two of color pages in the center of a black-and-white volume. I even weighed the possibility of printing the book in simple black-and-white. 

I finally decided that I would take on the financial risk and print in full-color using offset litho. I went back to the drawing board, tinkered with my plan, and found a way to raise the money. With those figures—and lots of faith—I took the leap. 

The risk paid off. I’m proud to say that my book, Living into Art, Journeys Through Collage was named a finalist in ForeWord’s Book of the Year Award in the art category alongside several prestigious museum and university presses. 

 Royalty Calculators

One of the most important items to examine on POD sites is the royalty calculator. Authors must reasonably set a competitive cover price. The calculator then figures the POD’s share of profit and your author royalties. These POD companies make their money on printing services—and they profit on each book sold, no matter who buys it, including you. To guarantee their profit, POD companies assign and limit the wholesale discount—which dictates your share of royalties.

The terminology and services are changing and expanding all the time, and will continue to evolve along with the technology and growth in the market. The important listings to look for are:

1. How you will submit your files and what services you need to buy to get them print-ready
2. Whether you can choose your wholesale discount (or the POD assigns it)
3. Who owns the final files and the ISBN
4. What kind of marketing or distribution listings you receive in your contract, and who can else sell your book. 

If you plan your production strategy in advance, create a detailed book budget, and research the top POD sites, you’ll have total confidence in the success of your self-published book.

If you’re not sure if your book is a good idea, or you don’t have a clear plan, download my FREE GUIDE. 

If you want guidance and help creating a plan, schedule a FREE DISCOVERY CALL with me to see how I can help. 

Plan for Success!

 Lindsay