When talking about the print-on-demand e-commerce business model, the focus is mainly on items like clothing, accessories, equipment, appliances, etc.
however, print on demand works just as well for book publishing as any of the elements mentioned above.
You are reading: Self publish photo books
print-on-demand photo book publishing allows you to publish one photo book at a time, both for yourself and your clients.
Whether you want to publish some wedding anniversary photo albums to distribute to your friends or family, create a catalog to showcase the products you’re selling, or sell travel photo albums without printing many copies in advance, the print on demand is the best option. way to do it.
However, the problem many people have with print on demand is choosing the right platform. many print on demand platforms are available online and you need the best ones to be successful.
In this article, we’ll go over the top 10 print-on-demand photo book publishers.
best print on demand photo book publishers
1. propaganda
blurb is a popular print-on-demand book publisher that allows you to publish photo books, trade books, catalogs, magazines, and wall art.
Photobooks start at just $24.99 for 20 pages of high-quality photos (always be sure to check up-to-date prices here).
Photo albums come in various sizes, from 7″ x 7″ to 13″ x 11″. For the cover, you have three options: a paperback, a glossy dust jacket hardcover, or an image wraparound hardcover that has a matte finish and images printed on the front and a book on the back.
Hardcover versions can cost up to twice the price of paperbacks for the first 20 pages. adding additional pages will generally cost $0.49 per page.
Within the book itself, you can choose from different types of paper quality: standard paper, premium gloss, premium matte, uncoated proline, pearlized photo proline, and standard layflat.
In addition to standard photo books, you can create other types of photo books, including wedding photo books, travel photo books, family photo books, magazines, e-photo books, and business books.
A trade book is a good option if you want to create paperback or hardcover books to showcase the products you sell.
for magazines, you can create premium magazines with matte stock and a semi-gloss cover or standard magazines that have a newsstand look and glossy pages with lower quality images.
blurb gives all its users free access to the bookwright publishing tool, which you can download to your desktop. you can create your own design from scratch or use one of the customizable templates to get started.
According to the hype, they’ve been around for over 15 years and over 320,000 books have been created using the bookwright tool.
When you create your photo book, you can create an e-book from the same file, saving time. you’ll even get a free isbn for each version of your book.
adobe indesign and adobe lightroom are two other great tools you can use to edit your photos for your book. There are also special blurb services you can sign up for, like photography, book advice, interior and exterior design, and more.
You can sell your photo albums on the blurb bookstore to tap into the existing blurb customer base. Alternatively, you can sync them with Amazon or distribute them to tens of thousands of retailers, bookstores, and libraries through distribution networks like Ingram.
you can also sync your photo book with apple ibooks. Of course, if you wish, you can keep them to yourself and distribute them only to close friends and family.
2. baby book
bookbaby lets you order your first photo book sample for just $99 before placing more orders.
According to bookbaby, they’re the only publishers of the Outdoor Photographers American Landscape Photo Book Series, so you know you’re in good hands.
once you order your first sample and are satisfied with the results, you can place your final order. the minimum order is 25 books, but there is no maximum limit on how many books you can order.
There are a few different styles to choose from. softcover and hardcover options are available.
these are some of the different styles available in bookbaby:
- 10″ x 10″ glossy hardcover
- 12″ x 9″ glossy softcover
- 8.5″ x 11″ perfect binding
You can upload a pdf to create your book design or have the people at bookbaby create a design for you.
Once you’ve designed your photo book and placed an order, you can distribute it to stores like Walmart, Amazon, and Barnes & nobles.
You can also distribute them to bookstores and libraries through the ingram distribution network or sell them directly from the bookbaby bookstore online store.
If you create an eBook version of your photo book, you can also sell it on Apple iBooks.
although bookbaby requires a minimum order of 25 books, it works out cheaper than blurb or lulu (the next option on this list) if you order more books.
plus, if you work with bookbaby, you’ll get access to some useful features and services, like a professional review of book archives.
While you must order at least 25 books, once you do, you can purchase the print-on-demand plan as an add-on.
this will allow you to sell one book at a time; As soon as an order arrives, even if it’s just for one book, Bookbaby will print a copy and send it to your customer.
3. lulu
lulu has a very wide selection of photo book versions and styles to choose from. These are just some of them:
- us letter hardcover
- small square softcover
- square hardcover
- small landscape hardcover
- us letter landscape soft cover
- hard cover a4 landscape
Prices vary by size and whether you want a hardcover or paperback book. for example, the small landscape paperback starts at just $7.81 for 50 pages, but the US print hardcover book starts at $12.83 for 50 pages.
Always check lulu’s photo book page for up-to-date pricing. Alternatively, use lulu’s price calculator to calculate how much your book will cost to print.
there are several places where you can sell your lulu photo album. One place to sell it is lulu’s market, but you can also branch out and sell it on amazon, on your own site, or through a distribution network that will make it available to retail bookstores and libraries.
See Also: LynDee Walker – Book Series In Order
In addition to regular photo books, you can also print and create yearbooks, calendars, and e-photo books. Whether your school has already created a yearbook and you just need to print it, or you need help designing a yearbook, lulu can help.
Personalized calendars are perfect if you want to give someone a gift. these calendars can contain custom dates and custom photos.
you can also create comics with lulu. Just like with standard photo books, you’ll have a few different book-style options to choose from.
There is no minimum order at lulu, but if you want to order more than 100 photo albums at a time, you can apply for a special discount.
4. ingramspark
ingramspark is a well-known name in desktop publishing, but not many know that you can also create and publish photo books with them. here’s a story of how two authors created their photo book with ingramspark.
Unless you want to create a black and white photo book, you’ll need to choose one of two options: standard color or premium color. If you’re on a tight budget, you can choose the standard color, which is available in the Binding Style and Perfect Binding options.
on the other hand, if you want your book to look even better with sharper graphics, choose premium color. there is a four page minimum for premium color bound books and 20 pages for premium color perfect bound books.
For both options, there are tons of sizes available, ranging from 4″ x 6″ to 8.5″ x 11″ and many specific sizes in between (like 6.625″ x 10.25″).
It costs $49 to publish a book with ingramspark, in addition to the cost of printing the actual book(s); This fee allows you to publish an eBook version of photos for free along with your print version. printing costs will depend on the type of book you choose to print and its size.
you can use history here’s one to check updated pricing information.
Ingramspark has its own distribution network that will allow you to sell your book to retail bookstores, libraries, and schools around the world, as well as on Amazon. Of course, you can also simply sell the book on your own website or in your own store.
5. amazon kdp
While I usually recommend amazon kdp as my #1 choice for beginner print-on-demand book publishing, it’s not my recommended choice if you want to create a photo book as it’s geared towards regular books.
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however, it is still definitely possible to create and publish a photo book with amazon kindle directpublishing, as this author did.
Actually, it’s quite simple. Act like you’re creating a regular book, but be sure to follow Amazon’s KDP formatting guide for inserting images into your paperback.
Although you can only publish paperback photo books with amazon (there is no hardcover option with kdp), you still have a few options to choose from in terms of the style of your book.
for example, you can choose a matte finish for a simple look or a glossy finish if you want your photo book to look nice and shiny.
There are also several sizes and a few different ink options available. You can even publish two versions of your photobook: a black and white version and a color version (a color version will cost more to produce).
all amazon kdp print options are shown on this page.
amazon kdp is pretty easy to use. One of the advantages of working with Amazon KDP is that there is no minimum order; Plus, your photo book will be available within 48 hours, which is longer than most print-on-demand photo book publishers can promise.
You can always ask for a sample of your photo album before you post it to make sure it turned out right.
once you’re ready to publish your book, you can make it available on amazon in the usa. USA, Europe and Japan. If you decide to make an eBook version of your photo album, it will be available in additional markets, including Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.
You can also choose to join the expanded distribution network, which will make your photo book available for sale in bookstores, libraries and schools around the world. This distribution network is based in the United States, but people from all over the world can use it.
6. ice cream
gelato is a print-on-demand publisher with a wide range of products, from mugs and t-shirts to photo books and business brochures. There are two styles of photo books you can publish with gelato:
- a paperback photo book
- a hardcover photo book
gelato has several production sites in more than 32 countries, allowing it to reach people all over the world. With the Shopify and Etsy integrations, you can sell your photo album on Etsy or on your own Shopify site.
plus, gelato integrates seamlessly with other ecommerce platforms like woocommerce, bigcommerce, wix, and squarespace. you can also connect via api and order desk. there is also an api that allows you to connect ice cream to your custom online store.
Alternatively, you can order products manually, one by one, as orders arrive.
gelato works with some popular design platforms, making it easy for you to design or import your photobook.
these platforms include canva, optimprint print, mapiful, andy okay, photowall and positive prints. So far, the platform has fulfilled more than ten million print orders.
gelato claims to deliver most products within 72 hours. however, it depends on the type of product and the customer’s country. Delivery is fastest for European countries, followed by North American and South American countries.
You can run your print-on-demand book publication with gelato without paying any money. the platform has a free account that you can use forever.
The free account gives you access to the many production locations in over 33 countries and an intuitive layout editor.
If you want to scale your photo book publishing to higher numbers, you may need to go for a premium plan.
The good thing is that gelato has a relatively affordable monthly plan, which is only $9.99. the other option is the annual plan, which costs $599.
7. trees
If you want to publish a photographic yearbook, treering is a print on demand company that specializes in that. As their name suggests, they are environmentally friendly and focused on helping preserve forests.
treering is associated with trees for the future, which has been around for 30 years. treering itself has been around for 11 years.
the deal is simple: if you buy a book, treering will plant a tree. They claim to have already planted four million trees!
in addition, treering uses partially recycled paper to print its books, further reducing its environmental impact and preserving forests.
There is no minimum order with treering. you can order photo yearbooks for your child’s entire class or just one for your child; everything is on demand with no contracts or commitments.
See Also: 10 POETRY BOOKS TO READ THIS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK – The Poetry Book Society
There are over 300 photo yearbook templates to choose from. All books are printed on thick, high-quality paper that will last a long time, allowing your child to cherish their graduation memories for decades to come.
You can even request a free yearbook idea if you’re lost and don’t know where to start.
The nice thing about treering compared to gelato and other print-on-demand photo book makers is that treering gives each student two personalized pages for free.
This means that each child in the class will receive two pages containing photos that are unique to them. These photos can be from school or even from outside of school, like trips you took with your family.
It’s easy to upload the photos you want to print on these custom pages.
just connect google drive, google photos or dropbox. You can even connect your own or your child’s Facebook or Instagram account and upload photos from there!
treering will automatically fill those two pages with photos from google drive, google photos, dropbox, facebook or instagram. then you can leave them as they are or edit them further and customize those pages.
treering has even more great integrations and features. for example, students can electronically sign their classmates’ yearbooks with photos and stickers.
8. photo books pro
photo books pro is a print-on-demand book publisher that focuses exclusively on photo book publishing.
You can use programs like indesign, illustrator, pixellu smart albums, and affinity publisher to create a pdf photo book and then upload that pdf to turn it into a printed photo book.
Alternatively, if you haven’t created a pdf photo book yet, you can upload your photos to the online tool, choose a template, and make a book there.
photo books pro offers a few different types of photo book pages, as well as six different binding and cover options.
Available styles and sizes include landscape photo books, square photo books, portrait photo books, and mini photo books (there are 22 different sizes to choose from in total).
price starts at just $9.99 per book. however, if you order more than five books at a time, you will be eligible for a discount.
Discounts start at 5 percent for five or more books, 10 percent for 10 or more books, 15 percent for 100 or more books, and additional discounts if you order more than 500 books at a time. Of course, be sure to check the pricing page for up-to-date pricing information.
Although professional photo books focus primarily on color photo books, they also offer a black and white photo book option.
photo books pro even has its own white label custom business service. they will create a custom print site for you within 48 hours and take care of printing and fulfillment for your clients; You can learn more about this service here.
9. milk books
milk is a publisher that claims to be one of the best print-on-demand photo book brands on the market. In case you’re wondering, milk represents “moments of inspiration, love, and kinship.”
milk has an interesting history. It was founded by Geoff Blackwell, who collected 40,000 photographs submitted to a contest and selected the best 300 to create three photo albums: Family, Friendship and Love.
That’s where the idea of milk was born.
one of the advantages of working with milk is that they offer a wide range of photo book options.
Classic Milk Photo Albums start at just $32. you can choose from seven different linen fabric cover options and various sizes, and you can even add an optional hand-bound presentation box!
If you want to up your game a bit, you can opt for a premium photo book, which starts at $62. You’ll be able to choose from six different color formats and add a classic or designer cover design and presentation box.
For something a little fancier, you can opt for a moleskin photo book, which starts at $76. is available in five different formats.
You can even order a three-piece set that comes with three separate photo books.
In addition to photo books, you can order a professional photo album. classic photo book starts at $198.45; will lay flat when open and comes with semi-gloss pages.
Premium photo albums, starting at $243.60, come in six formats. to preserve the family legacy, opt for a premium family photo album, which starts at $389.35.
milk specializes in photo books for milestones like weddings, births, travel, Christmas and more.
Milk is a bit pricey, but the quality is top notch. Always be sure to check their website for up-to-date pricing information.
In addition to ordering books for yourself, you can also order photo books or albums to sell at fundraising events. Not only that, but you’ll get an online photo book that you can share with anyone, as well as unlimited cloud storage for your images.
10. pwinty
pwinty is a print-on-demand publisher that will print and ship photo books within 24-48 hours, whether you order them for yourself or for a client. It’s a white label service, with no pwinty branding on any of the books they ship.
Photobooks are available in hardcover and softcover and sizes range from 14cm square to a4 landscape.
You may want to consider pwinty among other pod photo book editors as it is completely free. the platform does not charge fees and you will only pay the price of the photobook product and the shipping cost to get it to your customer.
In addition, pwinty is among the leading white-label print-on-demand services. Your customers won’t see any pwinty branding on the photobooks they receive, and you can add your branding if you’d like.
pwinty is able to maintain a turnaround time of 24-48 hours because the machines in their print lab run non-stop.
You can serve customers in almost any country, as pwinty also works with print partners. so far, the platform has more than 30 fulfillment partners.
With pwinty, you get some of the most affordable product prices. This is because the platform allows you to place aggregate orders based on the volume of orders from your customers.
interestingly, other users of popular print-on-demand platforms like redbubble, printicular, pictarine, wedpics, posterhaste, and printastic.
wrapping it
If you’re looking for the fastest and easiest way to print photo albums on demand without spending a lot of money up front, blurb is the way to go.
they have many styles available and the bookwright tool makes it easy to design your book.