Glossary
Print cost
Also called printing cost, unit cost
Print cost is what the printer charges to make one copy of a book, set by the page count, trim size, paper, ink and binding.
What it means
Every printed copy has a cost before anyone earns anything. With print on demand, the printer charges it per copy. With an offset print run, you pay for the whole run up front and the cost per copy falls as the run grows.
What moves the print cost:
- Page count: more pages, more paper.
- Ink: black and white is cheaper than color.
- Trim size: bigger pages cost more.
- Paper and binding: cream or white paper, paperback or hardcover, a dust jacket, sprayed edges.
A 300-page novel in black and white is one of the cheaper books to print. A full-color cookbook or a picture book costs much more per copy. A special edition with foil and sprayed edges costs more again.
Shipping is separate, and for heavy books it can be as much as the printing.
Why it matters when you sell direct
Retailers take the print cost off your royalty. When you sell direct, you pay the printer yourself, so your price needs to cover the print cost, shipping and payment fees with something left for you. Knowing the print cost for each edition is the start of pricing it.
How Lanternbee handles it
Print orders from your store will go to BookVault or Lulu (sending them automatically is being built now), and they charge you for printing and shipping on your account with them. You set the book price and the shipping rates for each zone on your store, so readers pay for shipping where you choose. Lanternbee does not mark up print costs.