Print your book only when readers order it. Each copy is printed after someone orders it, so there is no stock sitting in a warehouse, no wasted paper, and no risk of losing money on unsold copies.
If you have written a book, the next big question is how to get it printed. The old way meant paying for hundreds or thousands of copies upfront, then hoping they sold. Most authors do not have a spare room to store boxes of books, and most do not have the budget to gamble on a big print run either.
This is where a print-on-demand service comes in. Each copy is printed only after someone orders it. There is no stock sitting in a warehouse, no wasted paper, and no risk of losing money on unsold copies.
Print on demand has changed how independent authors approach getting into print. Instead of committing to a large batch before you know how a book will sell, you can start small and grow at your own pace. It suits first-time authors just as much as it suits publishers with a long backlist, because the printing side adjusts to however many copies you actually need.
At Northern Star Press, we handle the printing side so you can focus on writing and selling. Whether you are self-publishing your first novel, printing a run of poetry, or producing a cookbook for your local community, we print the books as the orders come in.
It is simply a book that gets printed one copy at a time, right after it is ordered, rather than in one large batch printed months in advance. The file for your book sits ready in our system. As soon as a customer places an order, that single copy goes to print, gets bound, and gets sent out.
This is different from traditional offset printing, where you might need to order five hundred or a thousand copies to get a good price per unit. With print on demand, you can order one copy or a hundred, and the cost per copy stays fair either way, because the process is built for smaller, flexible runs from the start.
For most independent authors and small publishers, this makes far more sense than gambling on a big print run before knowing if the book will sell.
We offer a full book printing service built for authors, small publishers, and independent writers across the UK.
We print both paperback and hardback books. You choose the format that suits your book and your budget. Paperbacks are the most common choice for novels, memoirs, and non-fiction. Hardbacks suit gift books, special editions, and books you want to feel a bit more premium.
Some books need colour throughout, such as children's picture books or recipe books. Others only need black and white text, such as most novels. We print both, so the finish matches what your book actually needs.
Books come in different shapes and sizes. We offer standard trim sizes used across the trade, along with a choice of paper weight and finish, so your book feels right in the reader's hands.
Your cover is the first thing a reader sees. We print covers in matt or gloss finish, and we can add extras like spot lamination if you want your cover to stand out on a shelf.
Print on demand suits a wide range of people, not just first-time authors. We regularly work with:
If you fall into one of these groups, or somewhere close to it, our service is built with you in mind. It does not matter if you need five copies or five hundred over the course of a year. The process works the same way either time.
We also hear from people printing something a bit different, such as a family memoir for relatives, a photo book tied to a local project, or a short run of a workbook for a course. If your project is a bound book with pages, there is a good chance we can print it, so it is always worth asking even if your project does not fit neatly into a standard category.
A lot of authors ask why they should not just order a big print run instead. Here is the honest answer.
You are not paying for a thousand copies before you have sold a single one.
You do not need a garage full of boxes you cannot shift.
If your book sells slowly, you have not lost money on stock that will not move.
Found a typo after publishing? With a book print-on-demand setup, your next copy can include the fix straight away, without wasting old stock.
Order ten copies for a book launch, or let orders come in one at a time through your online shop.
Fewer books end up pulped or thrown away because they never sold.
This is why on-demand printing has become the standard choice for most new authors in the UK, rather than the exception.
Getting your book printed with us is a straightforward process. Here is what happens, from start to finish.
You send us your finished manuscript and cover files. We will tell you exactly what file format and specification we need, so there is no guesswork on your end. If you are new to this, we can walk you through it over email or a phone call.
Before anything gets printed, we check your files for common issues, such as margins, bleed, and image quality. This step catches problems early, before they end up printed on a real page. It is a small step that saves a lot of frustration later.
We send you a proof copy, either digital or physical depending on what you choose, so you can see exactly how your book will look before it goes to full production. Nothing goes live for sale until you are happy with it.
Once you are happy, your book is set up and ready. From here, copies are printed as orders come in, whether that is through our platform, your own website, or another retailer you work with.
Each order triggers a fresh print of exactly what is needed. Books are printed, checked, and sent out to your customer, or straight to you if you are ordering author copies for an event.
Choosing the right partner for on-demand book printing makes a genuine difference to how smoothly your publishing journey goes.
You are not locked into decisions made months ago with a big, unchangeable print run.
Your budget goes towards editing, cover design, and marketing, rather than sitting in a warehouse as unsold stock.
Print a small number of copies to see how your book is received, then scale up naturally as demand grows.
Every copy, whether it is the first or the fiftieth, is printed to the same standard.
We are not just a print shop. We work with authors every day and understand the questions you are likely to have.
You are not chasing storage units or negotiating bulk print deals. The process is built to be simple from the start.
There are several print-on-demand companies UK authors can choose from, so it is fair to ask what sets us apart.
We have not tried to be a printer for everything. Our paper stock, binding, and finishing are all chosen with books in mind, not posters or flyers.
You can start with a single copy and grow from there. We will not push you towards a bigger run than you actually need.
You get a clear cost for your book before anything is printed, so there are no awkward surprises on your invoice.
Shorter delivery times, easier phone calls, and no time difference to work around.
You see and approve your book before full production starts, so mistakes get caught early, not after a hundred copies are printed.
If a file needs fixing or a question comes up, you get a straight answer from a person, not a wall of automated messages.
We built our service list around the real gaps that stop authors from finishing and launching their books. Here is what falls under our roof.
Your book represents months, sometimes years, of work. It deserves to be printed properly. We check paper quality, binding strength, and print clarity on every job that goes through our doors, so the finished book matches the effort you put into writing it.
We know self-publishing can feel like a lot to manage on your own. Printing should be the part that just works, without you needing to become an expert in paper stock or binding methods. That is exactly what we aim to offer, as part of a wider printing & publishing service built around independent authors rather than large-scale commercial orders.
Pricing depends on a few things, including your book's page count, trim size, paper choice, colour or black-and-white printing, and cover finish. A short paperback novel will cost less per copy than a large full-colour hardback.
We will always give you a clear quote before any print run begins, based on the exact specifications of your book. There are no surprise costs added after the fact. If you want a rough idea of pricing before sending files, just get in touch and tell us about your book, and we can talk you through it.
It also helps to think about pricing per copy rather than the total cost of a big batch. With print on demand, the price per copy stays steady whether you order one book or fifty, so you can plan your budget around what you actually need, rather than trying to guess how many copies you might sell in the next year.
If you have a manuscript ready, or you are getting close, we would like to hear about it. Send us your details, and we will walk you through the next steps, from file checks to your first proof copy. Northern Star Press is here to make book printing straightforward, so you can get back to what matters most, which is writing and reaching your readers.
Get in touch today to start printing your book the smart way, one copy at a time.
Yes. It is often the easiest way to start, because you are not risking money on a large print run before you know how your book will sell.
Turnaround depends on the size and specifications of your book, along with current order volumes. We will give you a clear timeframe once we have your files and confirm your specifications.
Yes. You can order author copies for events, gifts, or your own stock, in whatever quantity suits you. There is no minimum order that forces you into a large print run.
Look for a printer that focuses on books rather than general printing, gives you a proof before full production, and is upfront about pricing. Those three things usually point to a service that will look after your book properly.
Yes. We print novels, memoirs, poetry, cookbooks, training manuals, local history books, and more. If it is a book, we can most likely print it.
We will confirm the exact specifications once you get in touch, including margins, bleed, and resolution requirements for your cover and interior files.
Yes. One of the main benefits of this way of working is that you can update your files between print runs, so future copies include any corrections or changes, without wasting the copies you already have.
Whether you have a finished manuscript or just an idea you keep coming back to, tell us about it. We will map out your fastest route to publication, free of charge.
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