How to Print a Picture Book at Home

You don't need a print shop to hold your child's book in your hands tonight. With a regular home printer, some good paper and a stapler, you can print a picture book at home that feels like a real book. Here's exactly how to do it, from paper and printer settings to trimming and binding.

What you need to print a picture book at home

Gather these before you start. Most of it is probably already in your house.

• A color printer. Inkjet or laser both work. Check that you have enough ink, since picture books use a lot of color.
• Paper for the inside pages. Regular copy paper is fine for a first draft. Heavier paper, around 32 lb (120 gsm), feels nicer and keeps pictures from showing through.
• Card stock for the cover. A heavier sheet for the front and back covers makes the book last much longer in little hands.
• Something to cut with. A paper trimmer is easiest. A metal ruler and a craft knife on a cutting mat also work.
• Something to bind with. A stapler, a hole punch and ribbon, binder clips, or a trip to a copy shop for comb binding.
• Your book as a PDF. If you haven't made it yet, you can start a book in the makeabook.fun maker for free, right in your browser, with no sign-up.

Which paper should you use?

Paper makes a bigger difference than most people expect. Thin copy paper lets pictures on the back of a page show through, and it wrinkles quickly when a toddler turns pages.

For inside pages, a heavier paper around 32 lb (120 gsm) is a good middle ground: sturdier, brighter, and still easy for most home printers to feed. For the covers, card stock gives the book a firm shell. Check your printer's manual for the heaviest paper it handles, and feed card stock one sheet at a time if it tends to jam.

Matte paper is forgiving and easy to write on, which is handy if your child wants to sign their name inside. Glossy photo paper looks bright but can smudge and is harder to fold.

Printer settings that matter

The most common home-printing problem is pages that come out the wrong size. That almost always comes from scaling in the print dialog.

• Scale: Actual size or 100%. Turn off "Fit to page," "Shrink oversized pages," or similar options. Otherwise your trim marks won't line up with your book size.
• Paper size: match your paper. Choose US Letter or A4, whichever you loaded. Our free PDF comes on either.
• Quality: high or best. It uses more ink but gives smoother color in pictures and drawings.
• Paper type: match the paper. If your printer has a setting for heavy or matte paper, use it so ink dries properly.

Print one page first and check it before printing the whole book. It saves a lot of ink and paper.

A note on edges: most home printers can't print all the way to the edge of the sheet, and borderless printing is limited on many models. That's why the free makeabook.fun PDF places each book page in the center of the sheet with small corner trim marks. You print, then cut along the marks.

Single-sided and stapled, or a folded booklet?

There are two simple ways to put a home-printed picture book together. Both work well; they just feel different.

Single-sided pages, stapled on the side

This is the easiest method and works with the free PDF. Each page prints on its own sheet, you trim each one, stack them in order and bind along the left edge. Pictures never show through, and you can reprint a single page if you spot a typo.

Fold-and-staple booklet

A booklet looks and opens more like a store-bought picture book. The pages are arranged so that when you print double-sided and fold the stack in half, everything lands in the right order. The keepsake edition, $2.99 once per book, includes this fold-and-staple booklet layout, along with print-shop quality files at the exact book size and no makeabook.fun mark. If you edit the book later, you can re-download it free.

To print the booklet: print double-sided, choose flip on the short edge, fold the stack in half, then staple on the fold. Getting the flip edge right is the key step. If the back of each sheet comes out upside down, switch the flip setting and try one sheet again.

How to print a picture book at home, step by step

Here's the full process using the free print-at-home PDF and simple side stapling.

1. Finish your book in the maker. Flip through it in the reader to catch typos and check that every picture looks right.
2. Download the free PDF. Choose US Letter or A4 to match the paper you have.
3. Load your paper. Use heavier paper for inside pages. Set aside card stock for the front and back covers.
4. Set the printer to Actual size or 100%. Turn off any fit-to-page option and choose high quality.
5. Print a test page. Check the colors and make sure the corner trim marks look even.
6. Print the inside pages. Then print the cover pages separately on card stock, one sheet at a time if needed.
7. Let the ink dry. Give inkjet pages a few minutes so nothing smears when you stack them.
8. Trim each page. Line up your trimmer or ruler with the corner marks and cut all four sides.
9. Stack in order. Front cover on top, then the inside pages, then the back cover.
10. Bind it. Clip the stack so it doesn't shift, then bind along the left edge using one of the options below.

Binding options for a homemade picture book

Pick the binding that fits your book's thickness and how much handling it will get.

• Staples. Two or three staples along the left edge, about a quarter inch in, work for thinner books. A long-reach stapler helps for booklets stapled on the fold.
• Ribbon or yarn. Punch two or three holes along the left edge and tie the pages together with ribbon. It looks sweet, and kids enjoy choosing the color.
• Binder clips. A couple of sturdy clips hold a thicker stack and let you add pages later. Good for a book that keeps growing, like a collection of drawings.
• Comb or coil binding. Many copy shops can do this for you. The book lies flat when open, which is nice for reading aloud.

Whatever you choose, leave a little space between the binding and any words on the page so nothing gets hidden. If you're still deciding how big your pages should be, our guide to children's book sizes walks through each option.

Tips for a book that lasts

• Use card stock for both covers. The covers take the most wear.
• Keep words away from the edges. Trimming isn't always perfect at home, so a little breathing room keeps text safe.
• Print a second copy. One for reading at bedtime, one to keep safe or give to a grandparent.
• Save a Backup file. Books save in your browser on that device. A Backup file lets you move the book to another device or reprint it later.

Punita, who started makeabook.fun, once made her oldest son a book about a bunny who was afraid of swim class after he got water in his eyes. Years later he still pulls it out. A homemade book doesn't need to be perfect to become a favorite.

What if you want a printed paperback instead?

If you'd like a bound paperback, makeabook.fun also gives you free Amazon KDP files: inside pages with 0.125 in bleed, padded to KDP's 24-page minimum, and a wraparound cover with the spine width calculated from your page count. Author copies are ordered at printing cost. For a full walkthrough of writing and self-publishing, see our free 7-day guide.

Not sure what to make yet? Browse our children's book ideas, or turn a pile of artwork into a book with our guide to turning kids' drawings into a book.