We can see various of children's book in bookshop, supermarket, library, etc. But do you know how is a children's book printed? Most of the people can't answer this problem. In fact, for children's book printing, we often divided into three printing ways. They are print on demand books, short run digital book printing and traditional offset book printing.
Print on demand books
What's print on demand books? Print on demand often refers to personalization. Print on demand can meet anyone's need to print their own book. You can print your own words and pictures into beautiful photo albums according to your own needs. Print on demand, due to its quantity, can't reach the MOQ of offset book printing. So it often uses digital book printing. Thus, many authors or publishers, if they want to print children's book on demand. They often find the local printing house to print their book or print by their own printer.
Because we print on demand books with digital printing. Which makes its printing effect is not good as offset printing.
Short run digital book printing
What's short run digital book printing? Short run digital book printing is refer to fast printing. And doesn't need to make a printing plate and change the version. Because short run digital book printing can do any personalized customization. In China printing services, when we make the proofing or simple and small quantity printing. We often with short run digital book printing.
Short run digital book printing is suitable for individual, short-run prints, low budget, and a small quantity printing. If you want to print your own children's book. And your quantity is small, budget is not enough, the needs of printing quality is not too high. Short run digital book printing is your best choice.
Traditional offset book printing
What's traditional offset book printing? Offset book printing method is to transfer the ink on the glue surface to the paper surface through a roller-type glue stamp. Since the rubber surface is flat and has no concave patterns. So we print the pattern on the paper, also flat, with no three-dimensional effect. Offset printing requires less ink and molds are less expensive to manufacture than gravure printing. Traditional offset book printing is very common in children’s book printing industry.
Different from digital printing, offset book printing need to make the printing plate and needs to change the version. So its printing time and cost are higher than digital printing.
When we custom child's book by traditional offset printing. Its printing steps are :
1.Electronic file
When you finish your artwork and send it to the children's book printer. Their designer will check your file. If your artwork has some places need to fix. They will fix them and send back to you for confirmation. After you confirm the final artwork, and will make the printing plate.
2. Plate making
Plate making, this step is the key to your children's book printing. Because the plate making will affect your book printing quality. Different children's book printers, whose workers plate making skills level are different. Make that the effect of plate making has a big different. Like BookPrintingChina, whose plate making worker has over 10 years of plate making experience. Because premium plate making and then make the high quality printing. Which makes BookPrintingChina always satisfies clients.
3. Printing
After compete the step of plate making, your children's book will be large bulk printing. Children's book printing often uses CMYK printing and Pentone color printing (spot color printing).
Four-color printing with CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) four-color overprint to print the desired color.
Spot color printing refers to the printing process in which other color ink than yellow, magenta, cyan, and black ink are used to reproduce the original color.
CMYK is suitable for the children's book with a rich color image. Such as photo children's book. Photos taken by color photography that reflect the colorful changes in nature, color artworks by painters. Or it must process other pictures containing many colors for technical requirements or economic considerations. Electronic color separation machine or color desktop system scan color separation. And then use four-color printing process to copy to complete.
Spot color printing is suitable for large area background printing,such as cover and package.
A children's book can use CMYK printing and Pentone color printing at the same time. CMYK printing prefect restore the image through to control the solid density. Pantone color printing by properly increasing the ink volume. The visual effect of uniform and thick ink color can be obtained.
4. After printing crafts
When complete the children's book printing, often with some crafts to make the book look more rich and attractive. Common finishing for custom children's book are: glossy or matte or velvet, laminated, UV, foil stamping, embossing, etc.
Over oil varnish and lamination on the book surface make it be more smooth and with waterproof function.
Hot stamping and embossing on the book cover, the book will look more high end and elegant.
More crafts advantages can visit before article: 4 Common Processes For Custom Children's Book Printing.
5. Binding
Binding is an important part of children's book printing process. The fine binding will let the children's book be more strong and high-end. The common binding ways for custom children's book are: wire-o binding or spiral binding, saddle stitched binding, specialized board book binding, hardcover, etc.
Wire-o and spiral binding is with iron wire or rubber ring through pre-drilled book holes and link them together. Because this binding method is simple, fast, and the cost is cheaper. Many clients favor to use this binding way to custom their children's book.
Saddle stitched binding is with staples to bind the pages together. But saddle stitched has the pages limited. This binding way is suitable for the pages less than 32 pages. If the pages are too much, it will not be strong and easier to disperse. More important, when long time use, the staples will be rust. So it is suitable for the cheapest children's book printing.
Hardcover often with glue or sew to bind the book. Children's book with hardcover binding. It not only makes the book more stable, it also looks more high end. A good quality hardcover children's book, even for long time use, it is not easier to damage. Thus, this binding way is always hot popular with children's book printing field.
Specialized board book binding is also hot popular with children's book printing field. Board book printing is use the glue to mount two one side coated papers. Because of this binding way is durable and it can make the book stand up. The children can use it to read or play. So specialized board book binding are favor by children's book market.
6. Quality inspection and package
After compete the children's book, the last step is quality inspection and package. Before arranging the package, the QC will spot check or all check the book. If everything is no problem, will package your children's book in the carton. Then shipping to your home.
Above three printing ways are common for print the children's book. To sum up, print on demand books and short run digital book printing are suitable for small quantity, fast and low-cost children's book printing. Traditional offset book printing is suitable for large bulk quantity, high-quality children's book printing.
