Printer & Paper Recommendations
***Links to specific companies below are associated with referral or affiliate programs. This means if you place an order through one of these links or make sales through that company after signing up through that link, Painted Wings Publishing gets a small kickback from the business as a thank you. Whether or not we are part of a company's referral/affiliate program should not be taken as an indicator that they are more or less recommended than another. Each project has unique needs, and we put our authors’ experiences before any referral or affiliate program; the below information is based solely on our experiences and preferences.
Bells and Whistles
Indie authors have the burden (and freedom!) of research and decision. This includes which companies will produce and distribute their books. This is especially important for authors looking to make special editions.
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​We've taken the time to compile a highly detailed spreadsheet of options offered by various printers.​
Quality Standards
Print-on-demand printers aren’t exactly known for precision printing and binding, so if you’re spending the money to add all the touches, you want the best possible chance of it shining.
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First, let’s discuss printing variance/allowable margin of error with the following printers. We searched their websites and reached out to them for an answer when necessary. In no particular order, these are the answers we received:
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Lulu: Printing Variance—Our trimming tolerance is 0.125 in
KDP: If your issue is outside variance (for example, shifting more than 0.125"), contact us and we’ll investigate further.
IngramSpark: We allow for a 1/16” (0.0625 in / 2 mm) variance in printing.
48HourBooks: Our margin of error is 1/16th of an inch, or .0625.
B&N Press: Uses Lightning Source (aka IngramSpark)—there may be up to a 1/16” shift
Draft2Digital: Our print partners are actually IngramSpark, so the same printing guidelines for them will also apply when printing through D2D.
Bookvault: We have a tolerance of 2-3mm (up to 0.125”) for any movement during printing.
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In short, Lulu, KDP, and Bookvault allow themselves twice as much printing variance as the other leading printers do. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re twice as sloppy at creating your book, but it means they give themselves twice as much leniency. If IngramSpark (or B&N Press or D2D, since they both use IngramSpark’s presses) messes up your book because the pages shifted by .08”, they’ll refund or replace it. However, you would have no recourse with Lulu or KDP, since they still consider that error ‘acceptable.’
Recommendations Built on Experience—Embedded Edges
Every author’s goals and abilities are different, but since we often get asked, here’s where we stand after helping authors with hundreds (if not thousands already...) of books and after publishing over a dozen books under our own imprint:
*This only applies to print books, not ebooks.
Lulu: We haven’t used Lulu, but their reputation is good regarding quality. We don’t anticipate using them anytime soon for our own books due to their high prices and limited distribution network.
KDP: We use KDP for several books, especially for low-content books (e.g. lined and dotted notebooks). They’re friendlier with low-content books than the others. That said, you won’t hear us singing praises for KDP. If anything, they’re a necessary evil with the current options we have. We’re less impressed by their print quality as well as their binding and shipping. Their customer service can be absolutely abysmal, and the refund/replacement process on faulty books is trickier than IngramSpark’s.
IngramSpark: We use IngramSpark for several books, especially our hardbacks, special editions, and longer books because they have more options and fewer limitations. We like their printing and paper quality, but they give us nearly as many binding and shipping issues as KDP does. Their customer service can take a while, but they’re usually pretty good at assisting you and give you the option of a refund or replacement when they’ve messed up (KDP sometimes only refunds, so you have to reorder if you want replacements). We prefer IngramSpark’s distribution network above the others, but they do keep raising prices in a way that is getting rather discouraging. Often, they take longer to review and update files and listings than KDP, but they almost never give us ridiculous and superfluous ‘errors’ and demands the way KDP does on the exact same files.
48HourBooks: We’ve only ordered a few proof copies from 48HourBooks, and their reputation is good regarding quality. Their shipping prices are high, and their production prices can be as well, depending on what you choose. But they seem like a great option for large orders (100+ of the same book) and extra-special editions (they offer foiled letters & more!). They don’t, however, distribute the books they print. They’ll ship them to you, but you have to deal with direct sales. *Regarding our specialty edges specifically (embedded/printed/forced edges), they added limitations to design types at one point but it seems they may have relaxed their rules somewhat. We haven't been able to confirm this change yet.
B&N Press: We ordered a proof copy from them once. And exchanged a mind-numbing number of useless emails on very simple questions. Based on our experiences and those of many other authors we’ve heard from, we steer clear of them. Additionally, their website is missing a lot of key information, the customer service is non-existent, and using ISBNs you’ve bought can be tricky with them compared to their competition. Their quality is supposed to be good, but since they use IngramSpark as a printer, you may as well just go direct with IngramSpark and get a wider distribution network and all the other perks. Also, you are far less likely to have your book stocked in stores, included in sales, or allowed to do book signings if listed through B&N Press as opposed to being listed through IngramSpark (yes, very counterintuitive…)
Draft2Digital: We haven’t printed any books with D2D and don’t plan to anytime in the near future. Their options are a bit limited compared to their competition, and there’s a lot left to be desired when it comes to their policies. We we can’t speak to their customer service record, but like B&N Press, they use IngramSpark for their printer. We’d rather not fuss with paying a middleman more of our royalties for limited options.
Bookvault: We’ve placed a couple of orders with Bookvault with mixed results, but several of our authors use them regularly. Like 48HourBooks, they offer all sorts of fancy touches. That said, their website can be confusing, unclear, or completely void of important information, and their customer service is so-so when seeking answers. Frustratingly for us and the authors we work with, their interior templates are inaccurate and confusing. Additionally, we’re discouraged that they are more openly against our printed edge technique compared to other printers, despite accepting the files. While most of their fancy touches are not available for distribution and must be shipped from the UK, our printed edges can be applied to their standard US printing options and any POD book.
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What about printers in China?
We haven’t worked directly with any printers in China for our own books, but many of the authors we work with do. We haven’t gathered enough data on any specific printer in China to offer recommendations. That said, if you have the time and budget for large orders, most of these manufacturers do offer some amazing options. But they don't distribute your books.
Additional Recommendations—Alternative Inking
Our Alternative Inking technique is sometimes also referred to as 'Blackout Pages'. While we love this aesthetic, it's not a service we perform regularly due to the limited manufacturing options. Here’s what we know and recommend:
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KDP: While normally dead-last to receive our recommendation for print books, KDP actually stands out in this arena. You can easily print this type of aesthetic with their standard ink and paper without an upcharge.
IngramSpark: Not recommended—They may allow you to print a book with this level of saturation, but it will almost certainly be expensive and require you to jump through hoops. They generally print a proof copy without a problem, but then later tell you that you have to pay significantly more for higher-quality paper/ink because it’s too saturated. For most, it won’t be worth the hassle or expense.
48HourBooks: Not allowed. Their machinery is not equipped for this design technique.
B&N Press: Not recommended—Uses Lightning Source (aka IngramSpark).
Draft2Digital: Not recommended—Uses Lightning Source (aka IngramSpark).
Bookvault: Not recommended—Similar to IngramSpark, they will most likely fuss with the level of saturation.
China-Based Printers: They can usually handle this technique without problem. They may even print on colored paper and use special white ink when necessary, as opposed to KDP, where they ink the full page, leaving white portions uninked.
Paper & Print Quality Recommendations
If you’re spending the money to add all the touches, you want the best possible chance of it shining, right? (Though you’re also likely on a budget & want affordable books…)
Embedded Edges
Paper Recommendations: We generally recommend your printer's standard paper weight (55# or so). That said, there are pros and cons with thicker and thinner pages...
Printing Quality: Higher quality doesn’t always mean better results. Higher quality printing usually comes with thicker paper, which may sacrifice aesthetics you’d rather prioritize.
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Prioritize Paper Thickness or Printing Quality?
Which matters most to you? Saturated edges or sharper printing? Deep, crisp colors, or avoiding glare? Pricing and printer options aside, you may have to choose between your priorities. This folder contains a selection of pictures from proofs we’ve ordered from KDP for comparison. While each printer will obviously have some variance, the general differences will apply across the board.
—We usually prefer cream paper for lower eye strain on normal books, but if it’s image heavy or has our edge designs/alternative inking effects, we think white paper makes the ink pop more than cream paper does.
—Thicker paper stands up better to high amounts of ink. Thin pages may curl from being too saturated. That said, thicker paper does not allow the ink to saturate the page as well, in a way that negatively affects the color saturation of our edge designs. Thicker paper is usually better for our alternative inking effects (because the focus is on the internal pages), and thinner paper is typically better for our page edge designs (to draw focus to the edges).
—Other factors may matter to you, so make sure to compare and contrast using those pictures we linked.