How Much?

48HrBooks.com Cost Calculator

When using our Cost Calculator, simply enter the number of black-and-white pages (front and back count as two pages), the number of color pages, the number of books, the size, the type of paper, and your zip code. Hit the red "UPDATE PRICE" button and you'll see prices for your books in three different binding types. You can order as few as 10 books, but if you order 100 or more, we'll automatically add in 25 free, and then calculate your true "per book" cost. If you'd like any additional options, they are listed below the Cost Calculator, along with their costs. Have an odd-sized book? Choose the next larger size, and tell us the actual size in the "Comments" section when you place your order.

Your Expected Delivery = Production Time + Shipping Time.

Our "Standard" service means we print, bind and ship your perfect bound books within 2 business days of your artwork approval, and Coilbound and Hard Cover books within 5 business days of your artwork approval.

"Rush" service speeds it up by one day, and "Super Rush" service speeds it up by two days. Since "Super Rush" service is only available on a limited basis, please call to confirm its availability.

Additional Options:

Most of our clients send us "ready-to-print" PDF files. They don't have any special requirements, so they don't have any extra charges. The price they pay is the price on the Calculator above. But, if you need help with your files or if you want one of the options below, simply add the cost of the options to the Calculator price above.

Speeding up Production or Shipping or both:

Remember: Your Expected Delivery = Production Time + Shipping Time.
Our standard PRODUCTION time is 2 business days after artwork approval for Perfect Bound books and 5 business days after artwork approval for Coil Bound or Hard Cover books. Shipping times vary depending on where the books are being shipped.
You can speed up PRODUCTION by selecting Rush or Super Rush when you place your order. You can also speed up SHIPPING by selecting a faster shipping method when you place your order. You'll be given several shipping options, with times and costs listed.

Create-a-Cover Layout ($100):

If you have a cover file already, there's no charge. But if you don't have a cover designed yet, use our Create-A-Cover feature. It's a real steal at $100. Simply choose from our collection of cover designs, then pick a color combination and texture. Send us the wording you want, and any photos or artwork, and we'll put it together according to your instructions. Then we'll send you a PDF Proof to approve before we print your order.

Self-publishing? You'll want a barcode ($20, generated from your ISBN number):

Your book doesn't have to have an ISBN and barcode, but if you're planning on selling it through major bookstores or online bookstores, you'll need one.

We recommend getting your own block of ISBN numbers. That way, you will be your own publisher. You'll retain all rights to your book. Of course, we still want to print your books, but you'll have total control. So simply click here to order your ISBN. They have a simple online order form, where you can buy a single ISBN for $125, a block of 10 ISBNs is $250, or a block of 100 is $575. You'll need to get a barcode, too, but we can help you with that. We only charge $20 to create a barcode from your ISBN number. If you already have an accurate barcode, send it along and there's no charge.

Printed Proof ($40):

We send a FREE PDF proof for you to look at and approve, but if you also want a PRINTED PROOF sent to you via UPS Next Day Air, say 'Yes' to Printed Proof when you place your order. You'll still get the PDF proof, but after you OK that, we'll print, bind and ship a printed proof to you. We pay the shipping. All you pay is $40 for the proof itself.

Re-formatting your files ($75 minimum):

Suppose your files are set up for 8.5 x 11, but you want your book to be a different size and have no idea how to re-format it. We can re-format your files for you. Of course, we have instructions to help you do it yourself and save that $75, but if you're new to book publishing and you'd rather just let us do it for you, we'd be happy to.

Converting files to PDF ($50):

You can convert your files to PDF for free by following these simple instructions or, if you're a new self-publisher and don't want to mess with it, just send us your Word files and we'll convert them for you for $50.
Are you running a Mac?
PDF conversion is built right into your system. Simply hit 'File > Print', then from the Print dialogue box, at the bottom left, click on 'PDF' and select 'Save as PDF ...'. Are you running Windows?
Download a great new FREE converter called doPDF. Simply click here to download doPDF and select 'RUN' when prompted. This installs a virtual printer named 'doPDF' on your computer. You'll be able to use it not only for your self published books, but for just about any file that you want to convert to a PDF. To create a PDF file, simply open your file, select 'File > Print ...' and choose 'doPDF' as your printer. The first time you use doPDF, hit the 'Preferences' button and change 'Graphic Resolution' to 600 dpi (near the bottom right of the window.) Hit 'OK' and your Preferences are all set. Hit 'Print', make sure 'Embed fonts' is turned ON, and it will create a PDF. Be sure to check your PDF file CAREFULLY before sending it to us for printing. Any errors on your PDF will show up on all of your books.

Landscape format - binding on the short edge

For Perfect Bound or Coil Bound books, add $25 setup.
    And if it's more than 9" wide, also add $1 per book.

For Hard Cover books, add $50 setup.
    And if it's more than 9" wide, also add $2 per book.

Sending us revised files ($50):

Please proofread your files carefully before submitting them. We do a lot of work on your files before sending you the PDF proof or the printed proof. If you need to submit new files, we'll need to start over from scratch, so there is a $50 charge to cover the work we've already done on your original files.

Cancelled orders ($100 + any other options chosen):

As soon as you place your order, it's put into our production schedule. We put a lot of work into your files and reserve press time for printing your book. If you cancel your order, we'll be happy to return any deposits or credit card authorizations, minus $100 and any other options chosen that we have performed.

Decisions to Make

Type of Binding

The first choice you have to make is what type of binding you want. We offer Perfect Bound books (like a paperback book, our most popular choice), Hard Cover books and Spiral Coil Bound books.

Our Perfect Bound books have a 10 pt. C1S cover, printed full-color with a high-gloss UV Coating. The inside pages are printed on 60# Bright White Offset, providing great contrast for better readability. Other cover options and inside page options are listed below. Covers are scored before the books are bound, and have a hinge-score about 1/4" away from the spine that takes stress off of the spine, giving you a much more durable book. If your books don't have this hinge-score, they're much more likely to fall apart during heavy use.

Our Hard Cover books feature sewn pages, with full-color covers, laminated for strength, and glued onto a heavy 100 pt. Book Board. If they are over 100 pages, they'll have decorative headbands and footbands applied to the spine. Add $10 per book and three days to the production time.

Our Spiral Coil Bound books are great for cook books, work books, or just about any book that you want to lay completely flat. All pages are punched along one edge, then a sturdy plastic spiral coil is inserted into the holes. The coil ends are crimped to keep the binding secure. They feature a heavy 10 pt. cover, printed full-color with a high-gloss UV Coating. The inside pages are printed on 60# Bright White Offset. Other cover options and inside page options are listed below.

Orientation (Normal or Landscape)

Most books are the normal format, with the binding on the LONG edge. But more and more books today are being produced in landscape format, with the binding on the short edge. That's no problem. For Perfect Bound or Coil Bound books, add $25 setup, and if it's more than 9" wide, also add $1 per book. For Hard Cover books, add $50 setup, and if it's more than 9" wide, also add $2 per book.

Choices for your Cover

Our standard cover is a 10 pt. C1S (stands for "Coated 1 Side"), which is then coated with a high-gloss UV Coating. Because these are printed digitally, some cracking can occur near the spine, especially with solid colors. To avoid this, we recommend choosing one of our laminating options on your covers. We also offer a slightly heavier 12 pt. C1S, lamination instead of the UV Coating, and 2 new Premium Uncoated Covers: Smooth and Linen. The additional cost for these vary based on the size of your book, but it tells you the cost on the Order Form.

For Hard Cover books, covers are printed full-color on a gloss stock that is then laminated and glued to a heavy 100 pt. book board. Other options are a little more limited on Hard Cover books, but we do have a Matte lamination and a Linen lamination available.

All of our book covers are printed full-color on the outside (front, back and spine) but are blank on the inside. Printing on the inside is highly discouraged, because it will interfere with the binding quality, but it is available at an additional cost if you must have it.

Choices for Inside Pages

Our standard paper for inside pages is 60# Bright White Offset, which offers great contrast, and therefore better readability. We also offer Bright White Offset in 50#, 70# and 80#, Cream Offset in 60# and 70#, Matte Text in 80# and 100#, and Gloss Text in 80# and 100#. All are at an additional charge, with specific costs shown on the order form.

Printing Your Books in Full-Color or Black-and-White

You can have your inside pages printed in black-and-white, or in full-color, or a combination of both. So if you've got a family history with 220 pages, and 10 of those have full-color photos, we can handle that!

And don't forget to download our FREE Book Templates for use with Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, Pages, Open Office, and just about any other word processor program.