Whether you are printing children’s books in China or looking for a Chinese book printer for a coffee table or cookbook, we are here to answer some common questions about the process
China is the world leader in book printing. The country’s book printing industry is flourishing and U.S. authors and companies who publish printed word have taken notice. Book printing in China has massive advantages for clients worldwide including price, quality and speed of delivery.
New authors and publishers looking to make a switch to Chinese book printers typically find themselves in a sea of questions when researching a new printing partner.
Who to print with is definitely one of the biggest decisions you can make as a publisher or author. That is because printing is often the most expensive budget line for a book project.
It’s not only the cost of printing but the logistics of shipping often thousands of pounds of books across the country or world.
How to find a book printer?
The usual starting place for those seeking a new printer is often the internet. Unfortunately browsing search engines to find an affordable book printer is a muddy process at best.
Dozens of results are going to pop up for book printers in China ranging from Chinese companies to Alibaba promising cheap book printing and great communication. The problem is many of these companies assume publishers or authors are already established in the world of printing and can handle printing decisions, specifications and global logistics on their own.
Other book companies in the United States or Canada are not competitive price-wise and feature extended lead times that stretch months for a book of the same caliber.
Why should I consider book printing in China?
The biggest reason to consider book printing in China is the price vs. quality ratio. Printing a hardcover book in China can typically save you upwards of 50% on a project versus printing in the U.S. This is especially true in print runes of more than 500 copies.
Click here for a free book printing quote.
Offset book printing requires expensive printers that take up a lot of space and resources and require skilled technicians to operate them at a high level. Printing with offset printers in the U.S. and in North America, in general, is expensive. Costs increase even further when printing four-color, full-color hardcover books such as children’s books, cookbooks and coffee table books.
Printing children’s books in China, for example, either hardcover or board books (thick heavy pages geared for young children) results in massive savings for publishers.
Chinese book printers are technically advanced and operate top-of-the-line printers. Because of this, they are able to offer a magnitude of paper types, bindings and special touches such as embossing and gold foil at affordable prices.
Offset printing : When to choose an offset printer over digital
What about shipping prices when printing in China?
An obvious concern when printing overseas instead of in North America is shipping and global logistics.
There are undoubtedly extra expenses when printing books overseas including shipping. Those include air or sea transport, import fees such as customs duties, taxes and handling multiple modes of transportation. The reality is, even with these fees, a book printed in China will end up significantly more affordable.
One of the most difficult parts of printing in China is handling the shipping process. Many China-based printers rely on publishers to take care of shipping, importation and final-leg transportation to their warehouse or office.
For new authors, some printers will offer to handle those aspects of logistics, but typically inflate the true costs and add on significant fees that will hurt the final price-per-book cost.
How is communication with printers overseas?
Communication between authors or publishers and book printers overseas can be difficult and cause delays and even errors in projects. This can complicate things even further for authors or publishers without years of experience with the minutia of printing.
Another point of concern when printing in China is the time difference and the language barrier. Communicating by email with a 12-hour delay or more can lead to delayed projects and a lack of clarity in the printing process.
At Prensa Press, our representatives handle all communication for our clients as well as all shipping and logistics. We ensure the printing process is simplified and easy to swallow. We started this company after working with overseas printers for years as a publisher. Our publisher struggled through frustration, delays, disagreements and costly misunderstandings with multiple printing partners.
We built a structure that takes the guesswork out of the process. Our goal is to ensure door-to-door delivery of custom printing projects at better rates than the competitors offer. We want our publishers to be comfortable and in feel in control.
What types of bindings and books are available?
Contrary to popular belief, printing in China usually expands the range of options of paper types, bindings and special features for book projects.
We specialize in offset printing of hardcover books and are able to offer high-end printing of custom jobs of any size. The typical book types we deal with are cookbooks, coffee table books, textbooks, children’s books and baby board books. We also specialize in magazine printing, notebooks, calendars and paperbacks.
Hard-bound books (hardcovers) can either be bound in a square or rounded spine and either casebound or sewn.
The minimum page count for a hardcover book is 32 pages and the minimum print run is 500 copies to make the project economically feasible.
For projects of under 500 copies, we can utilize a digital printer. This results in a faster turnaround time and a more cost-effective per-copy rate.
Related: How to publish a coffee table book
Can I handle shipping myself?
One of the points of pride at Prensa Press is our full-service approach to printing overseas. But for customers who wish to handle logistics themselves, that option is available.
Be forewarned, the shipping process can be complicated. Missteps along the way with customs, importation or third-party logistics can be very costly.
We promise our clients a set quotation for door-to-door delivery taking risk out of the equation.
How long does it take to print in China?
The timetable from file delivery to the books arriving at their final destination is often shorter than printing in North America.
We work with publishers to get their book printing files ready to send to the printer. Once they are in good shape, the process of obtaining a hardcopy proof takes about a week to receive.
Once our clients approve the sample, production takes roughly two to three weeks depending on the complexity of the print job.
Finally, shipping and final delivery take between two and three months depending on the state of logistics globally. COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to the global logistics chain that have had lingering effects.
Click here for more details about how to print in China and overseas and why.
Copyright Page Requirements for Books Printed Overseas
U.S. copyright law has very specific requirements for publishing and the copyright page typically found inside the first few pages of a book.
Like almost any product made outside the country, books must carry information stating where they were printed.
Customs officers use this information to ensure publishers and shippers paid the proper taxes on the import. It is also for consumers to know where the good was made.
Publishers must print the words “Printed in China” or “Printed in India” on the copyright page in the same size type as the address of the publisher. The publisher’s name can be printed larger or in bold, etc.
Publishers must ensure the “Printed in China” is close to the publisher’s address so as to not confuse readers that the address of the publisher is not the printer’s address as well, according to The Book Designer.
This piece of information should also be close to the publisher’s address so that the consumer is not misled into assuming the address of the publisher is also the manufacturing address.
What’s next?
Now that you know a bit about printing in China, we hope you are more confident with your big decision for your next book.
If you have any further questions please email us directly at info@prensa.press and we will get back to you quickly.
If you are ready to print, please fill out our free quotation form and we will get back to you within 24 to 48 hours with a detailed printing quote that includes door-to-door shipping.