Getting Started
The answer really depends on what stage of the process you are in:
1. If you’re not quite ready to order and would like to first see our work, click here to order a hardcover, softcover, or boardbook sample.
2. If you still need to format your files, please download our handy formatting guide. You may also request custom dieline measurements based on your book quote, simply email us with that request and we’ll return those in 1-2 days.
3. When you’re ready to submit files, you can share them to business@pufferprint.com via Dropbox, Google Drive, or by using www.wetransfer.com and we’ll return a digital proof within 1-2 days. A digital proof gives you a chance to review the files before we print anything.
4. Once you approve the digital proof, you can then order a physical proof for $100.00. Physical proofs typically take 3 weeks to produce and deliver.
5. Once you’ve received your book proof, you can request any final edits or simply notify us that you’re ready to move forward and we’ll share a final invoice and checkout link and then get your book into the print queue. Production typically takes 7-14 days before the books are ready to ship from our print facility, but this may vary depending on the complexity of the book you are printing, or the number of orders ahead of yours.
The time it takes will vary based on the shipping method you use, and if you choose to order a proof first. The shortest period of time, with no proof and using expedited air shipping would be roughly 28 days from the day you submit files to receive your order. If you order a physical proof and use sea-shipping, the process could be as long as 13 weeks from the day you submit your digital files. Here’s how the individual steps break down:
– Create and send you a digital proof: 1-3 days,
– Produce and deliver a physical (hard) proof to your address: 3 weeks,
– Produce a full print run: 7-14 days,
– Shipping by air: 7-16 days OR shipping by sea: 6-8 weeks.
Let’s talk! PufferPrint prides itself on the 1-on-1 service we can provide to support our first-time, self-published authors. We can meet you anywhere you are in your journey to get you print-ready! Soon enough you’ll be holding a physical copy of your own book concept in your hand.
Yes we do! Grab a quote today. Check out some of the board books we’ve printed on this page. Our default settings produce board pages that are roughly 1mm thick but we can customize your board book to any thickness you like! Our board books default to rounded corners (to protect little humans!) and are printed with soy-based inks.
You bet! Our goal is to help you produce bookstore-quality books like you’d find on the shelf at a bookstore. We know many of our authors are new to the process so we are happy to walk you through the options, match the specs of any book you send us, or choose the best options for you based on your goals and desired aesthetic. Reach out today by email to start a conversation!
We offer both options but all quotes imply offset printing (the highest quality). Physical proofs and novels without images are produced using digital printing, but a full order is always done using offset printing.
Click here to read more about what makes offset printing the best option for your book illustrations.
Our minimum order quantity is 250 books.
Yes! Printing larger quantities will result in a lower cost per book for you, which can help you improve your profit margins. Even an additional 50 copies will result in a lower price per book and we’re always happy to quote you multiple quantities so you can see the difference!
Preparing Your Files
It is best to submit files in PDF format. We’ll need a file of your front cover, spine, and back cover as a single spread and a multi page PDF of your interior pages, preferably as spreads.
Files should be 300dpi resolution (or better), all colors should be CMYK (not RGB) and all black text ideally should be formattted as “1c” rather than “4c”. You can download our formatting guide here, and our blog offers step-by-step instructions on many of these processes.
Have no idea what we’re talking about here? We also offer print formatting services starting at $199 to help you get your files print-ready. Email us if you’re interested!
We recommend sending us your files via Dropbox, Google Drive, or WeTransfer. You can send them to business@pufferprint.com using any of those services.
It is not a requirement that your book have an ISBN or barcode, but it can be quite useful if you plan to sell your book at any type of retail establishment or online.
You’re welcome to supply your ISBN or we can provide you with one for $49.99. Once you have your ISBN, there are a number of free online barcode generators that you can use to create a barcode for your book.
Check out this blog post for more information on ISBNs and where to get them!
Absolutely! We offer print formatting services starting at $199. Prices will be quoted after we see the files and understand the finished product you are trying to achieve.
Yes, we will print and deliver a proof of your book before you commit to printing a full run of 250 or more copies. Click here to order a proof of your book!.
We also offer a crowdfunding discount where in exchange for putting our “we print with PufferPrint” logo on your Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign page, we’ll print your proof at no cost. Click here for all the details on our crowdfunding discount.
Proofs take roughly 3 weeks to produce and deliver to your doorstep.
Customizing Your Book
Yes we do! You can make that selection on our quote form.
Yes, we can do all colors of foil stamps from silver and gold, to blue, green, holographic, and more! You can make that selection on our quote form.
Dust Jackets, embossing, debossing, ribbon bookmarks, gold foiling, cover padding (soft/squishy cover padding), pop ups, cutouts, board books of any thickness. Have a special request? Just ask! Odds are we can make it happen.
Payment & Shipping
We offer two shipping options:
– Standard sea shipping is roughly a 6-8 week delivery time from the day your order leaves our production facility.
– Expedited air shipping typically takes 7-14 days to reach your final destination.
We can also split orders. Meaning that if you are ordering 500 books, for example, we can send 250 by air so that you receive them faster, and the remaining 250 by sea, to save you on the total shipping expense.
If it’s on planet earth and mail can get there, then yes, we can ship to your location.
No, PufferPrint takes care of all shipping logistics and costs for you and this is included in your price!
You can order a sample book that we’ve printed by clicking here. And a you can order a Physical Proof here. Due to the custom nature of our quotes, to place a full order, PufferPrint will email you a final invoice with a custom PayPal checkout link. We prefer 100% payment up front but will accept 50% to place the order and 50% after production, before the order ships.
Absolutely. A run of even 250 books can weigh hundreds of pounds. Imagine selling each one of those individually, taking the order, printing the label, packaging the book, dealing with returns etc.
PufferPrint has warehousing and fulfillment partners across the country that can help take care of those tedious tasks for you so you can get back to marketing your book (and writing you next one!) You can even choose to have your PufferPrint order delivered straight to one of our fulfillment partners saving you even more time and effort!
Email us today for more details!
About PufferPrint
Our print facility is located in Beijing, China and our main office is located in Asheville, North Carolina.
The print industry requires a lot of natural resources not only to source the paper to print books, but also to produce and ship large quantities of books around the world. Planet earth is our only home and it’s in trouble, thus we believe that as a business, we need to do everything we can to lighten the footprint of our operations. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Climate Neutral Certified to help us perform an annual accounting of all of the climate-warming gasses that our business is responsible for, and then offset that footprint by supporting projects such as hydropower for rural villages, and forest expansion in place where those projects wouldn’t otherwise happen.
Yes it is! All PufferPrint books are printed on 100% FSC-certified paper stocks.
Ready to get your free quote?
I worked with PufferPrint to publish my children’s board book and they did a fantastic job. I was really appreciative of their communicativeness and professionalism. I felt like they were truly working WITH me, and were invested in making my book as high of a quality as I wanted it to be. Will be recommending them and hopefully working with them again in the future!
Jes McCutchen
Lil’ Space Explorer
PufferPrint is the absolute best for self publishing. The Adventures of Yaya staff is very happy with the decision we made with going through this company. Customer service is second to none and the quality of our children’s book is beyond what we expected. We are looking forward to a long lasting relationship with Pufferprint because they are simply THE BEST!!
Yaya Dayiti
The Adventures of Yaya
PufferPrint guided me through the book printing process and addressed all of my questions promptly. The book looks amazing. I highly recommend PufferPrint!
Janet Beaulieu
Be Brave Little Pirate
I’m so glad I found PufferPrint and I would highly recommend their services. It was a joy to work with such dedicated, prompt and talented customer service. Such meticulous attention to detail, I’m completely satisfied with my book, and PufferPrint. Don’t hesitate, you won’t be disappointed – thanks PufferPrint!
Denise Mathus
Big Potato and Small Fry
