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How to print a PDF picture book: local shop, online printer or home printer

22 October 2026

You have three ways to print a 32-page PDF picture book. A local print shop is fastest, often the same day. An online printer takes one to two weeks with shipping. Your own printer is free but needs heavy paper and a way to bind. Check the file first, then pick one route below.

Quick comparison

Prices change by shop, paper and country, so this guide gives none. Ask for a quote with the sentence in Route 1.

Step 0: Check the file before you print anything

Most printing problems start in the file. Open the PDF and check these seven things.

1. Page size. Look at File, Properties in your PDF reader. A picture book for US and Canadian shops is usually 8.5 by 11 inches (Letter), portrait. In Australia most shops work in A4, so tell them the page is 8.5 by 11 inches and ask what they can do. If there is a bleed, the page is a little bigger: 8.75 by 11.25 inches for a 0.125 inch bleed on every side.
2. Page count. Count the pages. A saddle stitched booklet needs a page count divisible by four. 32 works. 30 does not; the shop will add blanks.
3. Single pages or spreads. Pages in reading order, one page per PDF page, is what shops want. Do not send spreads (two pages side by side) unless a printer's own page tells you to. The shop's software arranges the sheets. If you impose spreads yourself and they impose them again, your pages come out in the wrong order or two to a sheet.
4. Bleed. Bleed is art that runs past the trim line so there is no white edge after cutting. If the art goes to the edge of the page, you need it. The file should come with crop marks or a no-marks version. Ask which one the shop wants.
5. Fonts. The fonts must be embedded in the PDF. In Adobe Acrobat Reader: File, Properties, Fonts. A missing font changes the type when the shop opens the file.
6. Colour. Full colour, sRGB. Do not convert it to CMYK yourself. The shop's software does that, and a double conversion makes colours dull.
7. Resolution. 300 dpi at print size is the standard for pictures. A phone screenshot of a page is not print quality. Use the original PDF.

Then look at every page on a screen. If a page is wrong, fix it before paying anyone to print it.

Route 1: A local print shop

Chain print shops and most independent copy shops print and bind booklets. Call first and confirm the following.

Say this, word for word:

"One copy of a 32-page booklet, 8.5 by 11, portrait, full colour, full bleed, trim to the crop marks. 100 lb gloss or matte text, self cover, saddle stitched."

What they might ask, and what to say:

• "Do you have a cover file?" If you have a separate cover file, give it to them and ask for a heavier cover stock (100 lb cover or 14 pt). If you do not, say "self cover": the first page is the cover and prints on the same paper as the rest.
• "Is this a spread file?" Say no, single pages. They arrange the sheets.
• "We can't print to the edge." Ask for oversize paper trimmed down to the crop marks. That is how full bleed is done.
• "Which paper?" 100 lb text is heavy enough that the art does not show through the page. Matte keeps cream paper tones soft; gloss makes colours brighter. If the shop will print one page as a test, say yes. Cream tones vary from printer to printer.
• "Colour or black and white?" Colour. Ask for a quote for one copy before you hand over the file.

Call ahead and ask for the turnaround. A booklet that needs cutting and stapling is often same day at a copy shop. That is not guaranteed, and a December rush changes it. Bring the file on a USB stick or send it through the shop's own upload page, not by email attachment to a store address.

Route 2: An online printer

An online printer gives you a cleaner finish and often better paper. You pay for it in time: plan one to two weeks with shipping.

Other online printers work the same way. The short version of what they ask for: the exact trim size selected in their tool, the page count, a PDF with fonts embedded, a bleed if the art goes to the edge, and a cover file when they use a separate cover. Every printer has its own upload checker. Run it and read the warnings.

Saddle stitch versus perfect bound:

For a 32-page toddler picture book, saddle stitch is the usual choice. Staples through the fold let it lie open on a lap. Perfect bound looks more like a book on a shelf.

Route 3: At home

You can print a picture book at home. The weak points are the paper, the page edge and the binding.

Paper. Use the heaviest matte paper your printer accepts.

Print one side only unless the paper is thick enough that the art does not show through. Print pages 4 and 5 first as a test. Inkjet pages need a few minutes to dry before you stack them. Smudges happen when you stack wet matte paper.

The page edge. Home printers cannot print to the edge. Use the file without crop marks. In the print dialog choose "Fit to page" or "Scale to fit". You get a small white border. Full-bleed art survives that.

The Booklet setting, and a limit you should know. Your print dialog may offer a "Booklet" option. That setting puts two pages on each side of a sheet. On Letter paper the finished booklet is half Letter: 5.5 by 8.5 inches. It does not make an 8.5 by 11 inch book. For a finished 8.5 by 11 booklet you need 11 by 17 inch paper and a printer that takes it. Most home printers do not. If you have only Letter paper, print the pages one at a time at full size and bind them by one of the methods below.

Binding at home.

• Staples along the left edge with a standard stapler works for a short book, but the pages will not open flat.
• Saddle stitch with a long-reach stapler works if you printed a true booklet on 11 by 17 paper. Open the booklet at the centre, place the stapler head over the fold and drive two staples through. A standard stapler is too short to reach the fold on an 11 inch sheet.
• Comb or coil binding is done at a copy shop in a few minutes. Take your loose home-printed pages and ask for coil. It is cheap compared with printing the whole book there.
• A slim ring binder or three-hole punch with a folder is the simplest. It does not look like a book, but a child can turn the pages.

If it comes out wrong

Take a photo of the problem page and show it to the person at the counter. A photo ends the conversation faster than a description.

A printing timeline for Christmas

Work backwards from the day you want the book in hand.

• Local shop: call two days before. Confirm same day or next day.
• Online printer: add production time (Lulu says 3 to 5 business days) and the shipping option you pick, then a few days of buffer. Order early in December at the latest.
• Home: one evening, plus drying and binding.

Whatever route you pick, send the file for a test page first. Then print the rest.

What Firefly Jar sends you

If you order a Firefly Jar book, four PDFs and a one-page version of this guide come in the email: a screen version for tablets, the 32-page book as single pages with bleed, a cover wrap file and a print-shop version with crop marks. The book is painted from the photos you upload. It costs $49 as a PDF, and you print it yourself or read it on a screen. A printed hardcover is coming at $79. The book arrives by email almost anywhere in the world (not yet in the United Kingdom); the printed hardcover ships to the United States and Canada. The order page is fireflyjarbooks.com.

Frequently asked questions

Should I send a print shop single pages or spreads?
Single pages in reading order. The shop arranges the sheets. If you send spreads, they may arrange them again and the order breaks.

What is saddle stitch binding?
Pages are folded in half and fastened with two staples through the fold. It lies flat and is usually the cheapest binding. The page count must be divisible by four.

What paper is best for printing a picture book at home?
The heaviest matte paper your printer takes. 32 lb bright white is the floor. Matte photo paper or 65 lb cardstock looks closest to a real book.

Can I use my home printer's Booklet setting for an 8.5 x 11 book?
Not on Letter paper. The Booklet setting makes a half-Letter booklet (5.5 by 8.5 inches). For 8.5 by 11 you need 11 by 17 inch paper, or print single pages and bind them.

How long does it take to print a PDF picture book for Christmas?
A local shop can sometimes do it the same day, but ask. An online printer needs about a week to print and then shipping. Start early.