Kids Picture & Story Book Printing

Picture books and storybooks are a wonderful way to spark imagination, entertain, and educate children of all ages. They combine vibrant illustrations with engaging stories, creating an interactive reading experience that encourages learning, creativity, and a lifelong love of books. From bedtime tales to educational materials, these books play an important role in a child’s development and enjoyment of reading.

We specialize in provide high-quality children’s picture and story book printing for global clients. Whether you’re an independent author, publisher, illustrator, or creating a personal project, we can bring your vision to life with premium quality and unbeatable prices. We offer a variety of sizes, paper types, bindings, special finishes, and custom features—such as lift-the-flap, mirrors, jigsaw puzzles, pop-ups, and more—ensuring each book is unique, durable, and captivating.

Hardcover Picture Book Printing with Dust Jacket

A removable dust jacket not only protects your hardcover children’s picture story book but also adds style and visual appeal. We offer full-color printing on one or both sides, with finishes like glossy or matte lamination, spot UV, foil stamping, embossing, and die-cutting, creating a durable, eye-catching, and premium presentation.

Cloth Bound Picture Book Printing

Our cloth hardcover children’s picture books are available in a variety of cloth textures and vibrant colors like red, yellow, blue, pink, and more. To elevate the design, we offer options like full-color printing, spot UV, debossing, and tip-in images for a unique, eye-catching finish.

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spot uv or full color printing on cloth cover
Spot UV
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Foil Stamping
tip-in image printing
Tip-in Image

Kids Story Picture Book Printing Sizes

The most popular and cost-effective paperback and hardcover children’s story picture book sizes include 8″ × 8″, 8.5″ × 8.5″, and 8.5″ × 11″, while board books are commonly produced in a compact 6″ × 6″ format. Book size can vary depending on age group, reading level, and genre. Below are some widely used standard sizes:

  • Board Books: 6″ × 6″

  • Picture Books: 8″ × 8″ to 12″ × 9″

  • Early Reader Books: 5.5″ × 8.5″ to 8.5″ × 11″

  • Young Adult Books: 5.5″ × 8.5″ to 6″ × 9″

  • Educational Books: 8.5″ × 11″ or A4

Square: 

  • 6″ x 6″

  • 7″ x 7″

  • 8″ x 8″

  • 8.5″ x 8.5″

  • 9″ x 9″ 

  • 10 ” x 10″

  • 152 mm x 152 mm

Portrait:

  • 5.5″ x 8.5″

  • 6″ x 9″

  • 8″ x 10″

  • 8.5″ x 11″

  • 9″ x 12″

  • 210 mm x 297 mm

  • 148 mm x 210 mm

Landscape:

  • 8.5″ x 5.5″

  • 9″ x 6″

  • 10″ x 8″

  • 11″ x 8.5″

  • 12″ x 9″

  • 297 mm x 210 mm

  • 210 mm x 148 mm

While selecting a standard size is generally more cost-effective, custom trim sizes can be a great option when you need to fully support your creative vision or specific design needs.

Paper Options for Picture Story Book Printing

For paperback children’s book covers, we typically use 250–350 gsm coated cover paper to provide strong support and protect the inner pages. The covers can be finished with glossy, matte, or soft-touch lamination, adding durability while enhancing color, texture, and overall visual appeal. These finishes help guard against scuffs, fingerprints, and everyday handling.

For hardcover children’s books, durability are essential. Covers are constructed with 2–3 mm gray board, forming a rigid and protective structure suitable for frequent use. The board is wrapped in 157 gsm art paper, available in glossy or matte finishes, and completed with glossy, matte, or soft-touch lamination.

Choosing the right interior paper is just as important, as it directly affects image quality, texture, and the reading experience. For illustration-heavy picture books with minimal text, glossy art paper delivers bright, vivid colors and sharp detail. Matte art paper offers a softer, glare-free finish while maintaining rich color reproduction. For text-focused storybooks or minimalist illustrations, uncoated paper provides a natural, comfortable, and eye-friendly reading experience.

For board books designed for toddlers, extra durability is required to withstand bending, chewing, and frequent handling. In these cases, coated one-side (C1S) paper is the preferred choice. By mounting multiple sheets together, C1S paper creates thick, sturdy pages with smooth printable surfaces, ensuring long-lasting performance, vibrant artwork, and a safe, child-friendly finish.

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Glossy Art Paper
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Matte Art Paper
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Uncoated Paper
coated one side or C1S paper
C1S Paper

Glossy Art Paper

  • 128 gsm / 86 lb Text

  • 157 gsm / 106 lb Text

  • 200 gsm / 135 lb Text

Matte Art Paper

  • 128  gsm / 86 lb Text

  • 157 gsm / 106 lb Text

  • 200 gsm / 135 lb Text

Uncoated Paper

  • 100 gsm / 68 lb Text

  • 120 gsm / 81 lb Text

  • 140 gsm / 95 lb Text

  • 160 gsm / 108 lb Text

C1S Paper

  • 250 gsm C1S mounted 250 gsm C1S

  • 300 gsm C1S mounted 300 gsm C1S

  • 350 gsm C1S mounted 350 gsm C1S 

Not sure which paper is right for your project? Get in touch with our printing experts for personalized recommendations.

Common Book Binding Options

Choosing the right binding depends on factors like the target age group, budget, and how durable the book needs to be. For children’s picture and storybooks, paperback and hardcover bindings are commonly used. For toddlers’ books, self-cover board book binding is preferred, providing extra strength and resilience to withstand frequent handling and rough use.

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Sewn Perfect Binding

Sewn perfect binding is one of the most popular bindings for softcover children's books. The binding process involves sewing the pages in groups after printing, folding, and collating, then gluing the spine on the flexible cover.

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Hardcover Binding

Hardcover binding not only looks high-end, but also feels better to read and use. For hardcover binding, the pages are printed, folded, collated, sewn in groups, and then glued onto a hard case.

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Board Book Binding

Board book binding is commonly used for children’s board books, pop-up books, and similar projects. It is made by mounting two sheets of coated one-side paper together with glue.

If you’re unsure which binding best suits your project or can’t find the option you need, please contact our expert team or visit our “binding” pages for detailed guidance.

Special Finish Options

To give your picture book a polished and professional look, we provide various surface finishing options. Here are some popular choices:

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Glossy Lamination

Glossy lamination adds a shiny, reflective finish that enhances colors, protects the cover from scratches.

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Matte Lamination

Matte lamination provides a smooth, non-reflective finish that feels soft to the touch, reduces glare.

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Soft-touch Lamination

Soft touch lamination creates a velvety, suede-like finish that feels luxurious, reduces fingerprints.

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Spot UV

Spot UV adds glossy, raised highlights to specific design areas, creating contrast, enhancing detail.

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Foil Stamping

Foil stamping applies metallic or pigmented foil onto the surface using heat and pressure, creating eye-catching, luxurious accents.

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Emboss

Embossing creates a raised, three-dimensional design on paper or cardstock, adding texture, depth.

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Die Cut

Hardcover children’s picture books can feature custom die-cut covers, lift-the-flaps, windows, tabs, and other interactive elements.

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Rounded Corner

Rounded corners give books or printed materials smooth, curved edges, enhancing durability, reducing wear and tear.

Questions & Answers

Our minimum order quantity for children’s story picture book printing usually starts at 100 copies. As we use offset printing for bulk print runs, we recommend start for 500 copies; the unit price will be lower.

The most cost-effective page count for children’s picture books is usually 32 pages. This industry standard works well because printing and binding are optimized in multiples of 16 pages—so 32 pages fits perfectly into two signatures—minimizing paper waste and production costs. A 32-page format provides ample space for a full story with illustrations while keeping material and printing expenses manageable. It’s suitable for both small and large print runs, making it an ideal choice for self-publishers and publishers who want to balance quality, storytelling, and cost efficiency.

Yes! We care about both quality and the environment. All of our children’s books are printed using soy-based inks, which are non-toxic and safe for kids. We also offer FSC-certified and recycled paper options, allowing you to create beautiful, eco-friendly books that are sustainable and child-safe.

Yes! You can order a physical sample before placing an order to check our paper, binding and finish and printing quality.

We recommend high resolution(at least 300ppi) PDF files with embedded fonts and images, including a 3 mm bleed. If your files are created in InDesign or Illustrator, please export them as print-ready PDFs.

For small files, you can upload them directly through our online inquiry form or send them via email to sales@bookprintingchina.com. For large files, please share a download link using platforms such as WeTransfer, Dropbox, or Google Drive.

Yes, our prepress team offers free file checking, include bleed, image resolution, layout and other technical details to ensure your files are print-ready. We can also provide templates, spine width calculation, basic layout guidance if needed.

Yes, we offer several proofing options, including PDF proof, physical sample, dummy sample, digital printed sample, and offset printed sample.

After you complete the deposit and before mass production, we usually provide a free digital printed sample for your confirmation.

If your book includes Pantone colors or requires strict color accuracy, we recommend ordering an offset printed proof of a few pages. Please note that offset proofs are not free, the cost depends on factors such as the number of pages, Pantone colors, and other specifications.

The story picture book production time usually takes 10-18 days after the final file is approved. The exact timeline depends on the order quantity, binding style, design complexity, and our current production schedule. Shipping time will vary based on your destination and chosen shipping method.

We offer air, sea, and express shipping (DHL, FedEx, UPS). Our team will recommend the most cost-effective and reliable method based on your delivery time and budget.

Picture Book File Specifications

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Bleed

Bleed is the extra margin trimmed after printing, preventing white edges. A standard bleed size is 0.125 inches (3mm).

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CMYK

CMYK is the correct color mode for printing. RGB files convert automatically and may shift colors. Use 100% black for text.

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Resolutions

Images in prepress files should be at least 300 dpi to ensure sharp details, clear images, and professional print quality.

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File Format

We recommend using high-quality PDF files, as Adobe InDesign exports print-ready PDFs for precise, consistent printing results.

Visit “hardcover cover file setup” to learn about how to prepare a hardcover cover file. At BookPrintingChina, we offer professional file-checking services and custom templates. If you’re unsure how to layout your artwork, feel free to contact us; we’re happy to provide detailed guidelines and support.

Order Process at BookPrintingChina

1

Request a Quote

Submit specs and receive your tailored quote within 1-2 hours.

2

Upload Your Design

Send your print-ready PDF via email or shared link easily.

3

Review Your File

We check your file for free to ensure perfect print readiness.

4

Approve Proof

Pay the deposit, then make a free digital printed proof for approval.

5

Production

Upon approval, we begin full production with strict quality control.

6

Shipping

After balance payment, we pack securely and ship by air or sea.

BookPrintingChina Reviews

Excellent 4.9
5 star review

Based on 212 reviews

Why Choose Us For Story Picture Book Printing

Unbeatable Pricing

With over 25 years of printing and shipping experience, we help you save 30–40% on costs than other online printers.

100% Satisifiation

We guarantee 100% high quality; if you’re not completely satisfied, we promise a reprint or a full refund.

Expert Support

One-on-one professional, responsive online assistance, including pre-press artwork, material selection, shipping, etc.

Eco-friendly

All books use non-toxic soy-based inks and offer FSC-certified paper options for safe, eco-friendly, sustainable printing.

Full Customization

Provide various size, cover materials and interior paper stock, finish, or specialty feature to match your vision.

Global Shipping

Secure, cost-efficient worldwide shipping options ensure your books arrive safely and on time.

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We’re Love to Hear From You

We appreciate your interest in BookPrintingChina. Our goal is to deliver a kids story book printing experience that is smooth, cost-effective, refined, and efficient from start to finish.

For general questions, simply submit the enquiry form and our sales specialists will respond promptly. To receive a precise project quote, we encourage you to use our online Quote Form, which helps us match the best options to your specific requirements. You may also contact us directly at sales@bookprintingchina.com.

Our team is available seven days a week, with most enquiries answered within 1–2 hours. We look forward to turning your ideas into beautifully printed products with the quality and attention to detail BookPrintingChina is known for.

TrustScore: 4.9 | 229 reviews

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