In brief. Print on demand lets you publish a paperback with no print run, no warehouse and no upfront stock, because each copy is printed when someone orders it. This is the UK version of that story: how it works, what a copy costs in pounds, the UK-only steps (Nielsen, trim sizes, VAT) that American guides skip, and the distinction that saves new authors the most money, between a platform that sells your book and a printer that just prints it. Every cost is from the vendor’s own page with the date I checked it. When you want the head-to-head numbers on KDP against IngramSpark against Lulu, that maths lives in one place: the full four-platform comparison.
Costs checked on the vendors’ own pages 5 September 2026. Page reviewed by Robert Prime, 5 September 2026.
What print on demand is
A book is printed individually, or in a very small batch, only after it has been ordered. Traditional publishing prints thousands of copies and stores them; print on demand prints one and posts it. Inventory cost drops to nothing, waste drops to nothing, and the price you pay is a higher cost per copy than a print run of a thousand would give you.
For a self-published author that trade is almost always worth making, because the alternative is a garage full of books you have already paid for. The question is not whether to use print on demand. It is which kind.
The distinction that matters: a platform or a printer
There are two different services hiding under the same three letters, and most guides conflate them.
A print-on-demand platform exists to put your book on sale somewhere. KDP puts it on Amazon. IngramSpark puts it in Ingram’s catalogue, where bookshops and libraries order from. Lulu puts it in its own store and, for a fee, out to Amazon and Ingram. They print the copy when a stranger buys it.
A printer does something simpler: it prints your book and posts the copies to you. No listing, no retail, no ISBN registration. You hold the stock and do the selling.
That second thing is what you want more often than new authors expect. Copies for a launch night. Stock for a table at a fair or a festival. Review copies for bloggers and local press. Books for a workshop or a school visit. Routing those through a POD platform means paying retail-facing costs and waiting on retail-facing timelines for books you were always going to hand over yourself.
The honest rule: if a stranger needs to be able to buy your book, you need a platform. If you need to hand someone a book, a printer is usually cheaper and better made. Plenty of authors use both, and there is nothing contradictory about that.
How I rate the routes
The same four ratings I use on every roundup here, one to five.
| Rating | What 1 means | What 5 means |
|---|---|---|
| Impact | Copies exist | The channel your book will actually sell through |
| Difficulty | Upload a PDF, press publish | Wholesale discounts, returns, your own ISBNs, trade metadata |
| Technical | If you can attach a file, you can do it | PDF/X-1a, spine maths, bleed, barcode |
| Budget | Free to start | Hundreds up front |
| Route | Impact | Difficulty | Technical | Budget | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Free; prints in the UK; sells on Amazon.co.uk. Weak beyond Amazon |
| IngramSpark | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Free setup; the route into bookshops and libraries; you need your own ISBN |
| Lulu | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | Own storefront and unusual formats; £4.99 one-off to distribute wider |
| BookBaby | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | US package: $199 or $399 up front |
| A UK printer (Doxzoo, Mixam, YouLovePrint) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Prints copies and posts them to you. No listing anywhere |
Impact is about where the book will sell, which is why the two platforms with real retail reach sit at the top and a printer, which sells nothing, sits in the middle despite being the right answer for a lot of jobs.
The UK process, step by step
1. Prepare the manuscript to UK standards
Formatting is where most authors stumble, and it is where I make my living, so read the last section before taking my word for it.
- Use a UK trim size. B-format, 129 × 198mm, is the standard UK trade paperback; A5 (148 × 210mm) is common for non-fiction; 6 × 9in is accepted everywhere and is the American default.
- Set a gutter: extra inside margin for the binding. In Word that is Layout, Margins, Custom Margins. On a full-length book allow around 20mm inside; a thin book can take less.
- Use a legible book face (Garamond, Baskerville, Minion and their free equivalents). Avoid decorative fonts for body text.
- Fiction uses first-line indents and no space between paragraphs. Non-fiction can use block paragraphs.
- Embed every font and keep images at 300 dpi.
- Export a print-ready PDF. IngramSpark asks for PDF/X-1a; KDP accepts a standard print PDF with fonts embedded.
Use real page breaks, not runs of blank lines, to control pagination. If you are in InDesign, set the document to the trim size exactly and use master pages for running heads. I spent longer than I would like to admit getting the gutters right on my own book, and it is the thing I now check first on every file that comes in.
2. Buy your ISBN from Nielsen
In the UK, ISBNs are not free. Verified on the Nielsen UK ISBN Store, 2 September 2026, all prices including VAT:
| Quantity | Price | Per ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £93 | £93 |
| 10 | £174 | £17.40 |
| 100 | £387 | £3.87 |
Ten costs less than twice one, so if there is any chance of a second format or a second book, buy the block. Each format (paperback, hardback, ebook) needs its own.
KDP and Lulu will give you a free ISBN. It names them as publisher, the trade notices, and it cannot travel with you to another platform. If you only ever intend to sell on Amazon it costs you nothing. If you might want shops or libraries, buy your own. I used a free one on my first book on someone else’s advice and had to re-issue. ISBN UK requirements has the detail.
3. Build the cover to the printer’s specification
The cover is one file: back, spine and front, with bleed.
- Spine width is page count multiplied by paper thickness, roughly 0.06mm a page on standard white paper, so a 300-page book has a spine of about 18mm. Use the platform’s own spine calculator; that is the number the printer will hold you to.
- Add 3mm bleed on every outside edge.
- Put an EAN-13 barcode of the ISBN on the back. Free generators exist; the platforms will also add one for you.
- Work in CMYK, not RGB, or the colours will shift in print.
If you are not a designer, the cover design guide covers briefing one, and KDP cover formatting covers the file itself.
4. Choose the route
For selling: KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu or BookBaby, compared with every fee dated in the four-platform comparison. For copies in your own hands: a printer, in the next section.
5. Upload and set the metadata
Each platform has its own dashboard: files, then title, subtitle, author, description, categories, keywords, ISBN, price. The description and categories are what sell the book on Amazon, so do not treat them as a form to get through. Amazon book categories and writing a book description cover both.
6. Order a physical proof
Never skip this. A proof shows you paper weight, cover finish, margin and gutter alignment, colour, and whether the spine text sits where you thought. UK-printed proofs typically arrive within a week or so; the platform states its own time at checkout.
In the files that come across my desk, the errors a proof catches are the same three every time: a gutter too tight, a spine a millimetre out, and a colour cover that printed darker than the screen. A proof costs a few pounds. A run of wrong books, or a reader’s photo of a wrong book, costs more.
7. Price it
Your retail price has to cover the print cost, the retailer or wholesale discount, and what you want to keep. The order of operations matters: every platform pays a percentage of the list price and then subtracts print, not the other way round. The four-platform comparison runs a £9.99 paperback through each; self-published book pricing covers where to set the number.
What a copy actually costs
Figures from the vendors’ own pages, dated. Where a vendor only quotes through a calculator, I say so rather than print a range I made up.
| Item | Figure | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| ISBN | £93 for one, £174 for ten, inc VAT | Nielsen UK ISBN Store, 2 Sept 2026 |
| KDP print, black ink, UK | £1.93 flat for 24–110 pages; £0.85 + £0.010 a page for 110–828 pages. A 300-page book is £3.85 | KDP printing cost, 5 Sept 2026 |
| IngramSpark print, black ink, UK | £1.12 a cover + £0.0094 a page on its public sheet, so £3.94 for 300 pages. That sheet is dated March 2020; the live rate is in the account calculator | IngramSpark All Markets pricing sheet, read 5 Sept 2026 |
| IngramSpark fees | Setup free; revisions free since 1 Feb 2026; 1.875% market-access fee on distributed sales | IngramSpark Support, “Changes in Print Cost, Market Access Fee, and More”, read 22 Sep 2026 |
| Lulu | Free to publish; £4.99 one-off to enter global distribution; 80% of gross profit after print on its own store | Lulu Creator Revenue Guide, 5 Sept 2026 |
| BookBaby | $199 (Bookshop) or $399 (Bookshop + Amazon POD); print cost quoted separately | BookBaby print-on-demand page, 5 Sept 2026 |
| Formatting, done for you | From £69. This is my company | publishing.co.uk |
| Cover design | Depends entirely on the designer; see the cover design guide | |
| UK printer, short run | Quote-based on every site I checked; no minimum order at Doxzoo or Mixam | 5 Sept 2026 |
A worked example. A 300-page, £9.99 paperback on KDP, sold on Amazon.co.uk: KDP pays 60% of list at £7.99 and above, so £5.99, minus £3.85 print, leaves £2.14 a copy. The same book through IngramSpark at the 55% wholesale discount the trade requires leaves well under £1 a copy, and the reach is what you are buying. The full working is in the comparison.
UK short-run printers: the other kind of print on demand
These print your book and send it to you. None of them lists it for sale anywhere.
Doxzoo. A UK online printer. Its own pages state no minimum order, so you can order one copy as a sample before a larger run, and delivery in as little as three days depending on spec and turnaround chosen. Prices come from an instant quote tool, so I cannot print a per-copy figure that would be true for your book. It does not register ISBNs or distribute.
Mixam. UK-based (Watford), with the same model: no minimum order on any book size, from a single copy to a full run, priced through its configurator. Checked 5 September 2026.
YouLovePrint. The online printing arm of Pureprint Group, one of the larger UK printers, printing in-house rather than brokering abroad, with no minimum order. I could not load its website on 2 September or 5 September 2026 (a 502, then a dropped connection), so I have not confirmed anything from its own pages this month and have not linked to it. Check it is up before you rely on it.
How to use them. Get the same spec quoted by two of them and by KDP’s author-copy price for your book. For a handful of copies KDP’s author copies are often hard to beat; for a hundred copies for an event, a printer usually is. Order one as a proof first.
UK-specific considerations
ISBN ownership. Covered above, and worth repeating: a free ISBN is fine for Amazon-only, and a liability the day you want a shop or a library to order.
Print quality expectations. UK trade paperbacks are typically on 80gsm to 90gsm cream or white stock with a matte laminated cover. Heavier stock feels premium and costs more per page. Spine text must be centred and legible; printers reject files where it is not.
VAT. Printed books are zero-rated in the UK, and ebooks have been zero-rated since 1 May 2020. Audiobooks carry standard-rate VAT. Services around the book (formatting, design, platform fees from a UK supplier) generally carry VAT at 20%. If you are VAT-registered, keep the invoices.
Shipping and fulfilment. KDP and IngramSpark print in the UK, so author copies and customer orders move quickly and cheaply. Lulu prints in the US and parts of the EU. BookBaby ships from the US. For copies you will hand over yourself, a UK printer avoids all of that.
Common mistakes
- Taking a free ISBN, then wanting the trade. It names the platform as publisher and does not travel.
- Using a US trim size for a UK-facing book. 6 × 9in is accepted, but B-format and A5 are what UK readers and shops expect on the shelf.
- Uploading a Word export and hoping. Unembedded fonts, no bleed, wrong margins, wrong PDF standard. It is the single most common cause of rejection, and the reason I format books to spec.
- Skipping the proof. See step six.
- Routing your own event stock through a retail platform. You pay retail-facing costs for books you were always going to hand over. Use a printer.
- Confusing KDP’s Expanded Distribution with real trade reach. At 40% of list minus print it pays pennies and UK shops rarely order through it. IngramSpark is the route.
What I could not verify
- YouLovePrint’s current terms. Site unreachable on both days I tried this month. Described from its own earlier pages; not linked.
- Per-copy prices at Doxzoo, Mixam and Book Printing UK. All quote-based. I have not printed ranges.
- IngramSpark’s live UK print rate and current fee percentage. The public sheet is dated March 2020 and the current one is behind an account login. The page says so.
- Cover design prices. They vary too much by designer to print a range honestly.
If any of this has changed, tell me and I will re-check and re-date.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common mistake UK authors make with print on demand?
Using a free ISBN and then discovering it names the platform as publisher and will not travel to shops or libraries. Second is uploading a file that was never made print-ready: unembedded fonts, no bleed, the wrong PDF standard.
How much does print on demand cost in the UK?
KDP’s own formula makes a 300-page black-and-white paperback £3.85 to print; IngramSpark’s public sheet is within pence. A single Nielsen ISBN is £93, or £174 for ten. Cover design and formatting are on top; formatting from £69 here, and I own that service.
Which print on demand service should I use in the UK?
KDP for Amazon, IngramSpark for bookshops and libraries, Lulu for direct sales and unusual formats, and a UK printer (Doxzoo, Mixam) for copies you will hand over yourself. Most authors end up with two of those.
How long does print on demand take in the UK?
A KDP paperback can be live on Amazon within a day or two of approval. A proof from a UK-printing platform typically arrives within about a week. Doxzoo’s own pages quote delivery in as little as three days for a printed run, depending on the spec and turnaround chosen.
Can I do print on demand myself or should I pay someone?
You can do all of it yourself, and plenty of authors do. The step people most often pay for is the file: a print-ready PDF that passes first time. If you enjoy the technical side, do it; if you have looked at the margin settings twice and closed the tab, that is what formatting services exist for, mine included.
What UK-specific requirements should I be aware of?
Nielsen ISBNs at £93 or £174 for ten, B-format or A5 trim sizes, 3mm bleed, PDF/X-1a for IngramSpark, zero-rated VAT on the book itself but not on services, and a W-8BEN if you use a US platform so that 30% is not withheld from your royalties.
Related guides
- KDP vs IngramSpark vs BookBaby vs Lulu: every fee, dated, and the same £9.99 book run through all four
- ISBN UK requirements: what Nielsen charges and why the free one costs you later
- KDP cover formatting: spine, bleed and the file that passes
- Best book formatting software: the tools that make the print-ready PDF
- Self-published book pricing: where to set the number once you know the cost
