As an aspiring author and loving parent, you likely have a children's story near and dear to your heart that you want to bring to life in print. Seeing your tale beautifully bound between covers makes that creative vision a tangible reality. But finding the ideal place to print your children's book can be a challenge.

In this comprehensive guide, I'll walk you through your options to print gorgeous, durable children's books, whether you need one copy or thousands. From local printers to online children’s book printing services, DIY solutions, and working with publishers, you'll discover the pros and cons so you can make the best choice for your project.

Local Print Shops: Community Support for Short Runs

Local print shops enable you to print high quality short runs while supporting businesses in your neighborhood. Lower minimum order quantities than large national printers make them perfect for printing small batches just for family.

The personalized service means you can see paper samples firsthand to ensure your book looks stunning. And their specialized equipment leads to faster turnaround so you can have your story printed quickly. The main downside is that per unit pricing is often higher than mass production.

Pros: Custom service, view materials in-person, fast turnaround
Cons: Potentially higher per book pricing

Large Printing Firms: Economies of Scale

For print runs in the thousands of copies, large printing firms leverage immense offset presses to produce books at the lowest cost per unit. They also offer specialty printing options like foil stamping, embossing, and spot UV enhancements to take your book's visuals to the next level.

The sheer size of these printers means higher minimum order requirements and lead times stretching to multiple weeks. But when durability and visual appeal are necessities for tiny hands, their expertise and capacity can enable gorgeous results.

Pros: Thousands of copies, advanced printing techniques, lowest cost at volume
Cons: High minimum orders, longer lead times

Print-On-Demand: Print Only What You Need

Print-on-demand (POD) services offer flexibility since they print one copy at a time instead of requiring bulk orders upfront. As each customer places an order, the book gets printed, bound, and shipped within a week typically.

Leading POD providers like Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, IngramSpark, and Booxtream make the process easy by handling everything after you upload your manuscript and cover art. Global distribution expands your reach as an author.

The variable print quality and higher per item pricing are tradeoffs. Yet for self-published authors, POD empowers you to print only what customers order instead of taking on inventory risk.

Pros: No minimum orders, easy to update manuscripts, integrated distribution
Cons: Higher per book pricing, limited control over print quality

Recommended Reading: Where to Print a Children’s Book​

DIY Printing: Creative Control on a Budget

Printing children’s books at home puts you fully in charge of creating a small batch based on your creative vision. As long as you have the necessary supplies like acid-free paper, bookbinding glue, and a way to print your pages, crafting books yourself is an affordable option if you only need around 25-50 copies.

Be realistic about equipment restrictions on printable sizes and binding complexity. Unless you invest in industrial machines, certain techniques like case wraps and hardcovers are extremely difficult to execute professionally. But DIY printing lets you experiment and see your tale brought to life without high costs.

Pros: Complete control, affordable way to print <50 copies
Cons: Limited to basic binding methods, steep learning curve, print/time investment

Key Factors When Deciding How to Print Your Book

As you evaluate the ideal printing solution for your beloved children’s story, keep the following factors at the top of mind:

Quality: Superior ink, image, and paper quality ensures vibrant, durable books that highlight your creative vision. Prioritize materials suitable for a child’s joy of reading the same book repeatedly.

Cost: Calculate total expenses based on printing techniques, order quantities, enhancements, materials, etc. DIY methods work for shorter runs under 50 copies, while offset printing lowers the cost per book for orders of thousands.

Quantity: Will this be a passion project for family and friends only or are you preparing for wider distribution? Print-on-demand enables flexibility for lower quantities while digital/offset methods require bulk orders driving down the per unit pricing.

Distribution: If selling online, ensure your chosen printer can ship books to customers directly and/or integrates with major sales platforms for fulfilment.

Bring Your Beloved Children’s Story to Print!

With countless printing options available, deciding how to turn your cherished children’s tale into a tangible book requires careful planning. Determine key factors like ideal print quality, costs based on volume, distribution requirements, and expected order size.

Once you select the printing method aligned with your goals as an author, you'll hold a polished children's book in no time. From imagination to the hands of readers, your creative journey deserves a partner who understands every step of the process. Start preparing to share your vision with GoBookPrinting, where we bring your ideas to life with exceptional printing services!