Basic Full Color Publishing
Basic Full Color Publishing Package
For a book that needs colour on the inside, such as a picture book, a simple photo book or an illustrated guide, without a premium budget. We lay out your pages in colour, design the cover, proofread the text and help you keep the printing cost, and so the list price, sensible.
- Layout and cover by one in-house team
- Layout style agreed with you first
- Revisions included until the brief is met
- No lock-in on standard services
The problem
Colour books can price themselves out of the market
On print-on-demand, colour pages cost far more to print than black and white, and that cost comes out of every sale. An illustrated book that is laid out without thinking about printing can end up with a minimum list price well above similar books on the same shelf, and readers notice.
The Basic Full Color package is built around that problem. We design clean colour layouts for images you already have, and make choices about page count, trim size and colour printing options that keep the per-copy cost under control.
- Colour page layouts using the images and illustrations you supply
- Formatting of text and captions consistently throughout
- Proofreading of the text for spelling, grammar and consistency
- Cover design suited to the type of book and its readers
- Budget printing advice: page count, trim size and colour options that control per-copy cost
- Publishing guidance through set-up and release
Not sure which option fits?
Send us the brief. You will get a scope, a timeline and a fixed price within 24 hours — no obligation.
Good fits
Books this package suits
Picture books with finished art
You have the illustrations; we place the text, design the spreads and prepare the files.
Simple photo books
Family, travel or hobby photo books with captions, laid out cleanly in a consistent style.
Illustrated guides and workbooks
Short guides where colour diagrams or photos help the reader follow along.
Keeping costs down
How we control the cost of a colour book
Some print-on-demand platforms offer more than one colour printing grade. On Amazon KDP, for example, paperbacks can be printed in standard colour or premium colour, and the two differ in price, page-count limits and how rich the images look. Standard colour can be a sensible choice for a guide or workbook; a picture book where the art is the point may justify premium.
Page count matters too, because printing cost rises with every page. Tightening a layout by a few spreads, or choosing a trim size that fits the images better, can lower the cost of every copy you ever sell. We show you the numbers before you decide.
What it is not
When to choose a different package
Basic Full Color assumes your images already exist and your text needs proofreading rather than full editing. If you need illustrations created, custom interior design, deeper editorial work or help managing a print run, the Ultimate Full Color package covers those.
If your book is mostly text with a few images, a black and white interior is usually far cheaper to print, and the images can often be converted to greyscale successfully.
How it works
How the package runs
1. Image check
We review your images for resolution and colour before layout, and flag any that will not print well.
2. Agree the style
We agree the layout style with you on the first pages, so the look is settled before the whole book is built.
3. Layout and cover
Full interior layout, proofreading and cover design, reviewed with you.
4. Release
Files prepared to platform specifications and guidance as you publish.
Free proposal
Tell us the goal. We’ll send the plan.
Share your requirements and a strategist gets back to you within 24 hours with scope, timeline and a fixed price. No obligation, no sales pressure.
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Response within 24 hours
Usually much sooner during business hours.
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Talk to a strategist
Not a call centre — the person who scopes your work.
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Fixed pricing upfront
You approve the number before anything starts.
Prefer to talk?
[email protected]Questions
Questions about Basic Full Color Publishing
Still unsure about something? Talk to a specialist — no script, no sales pitch.
Colour page layouts for images you supply, formatting, proofreading, cover design, advice on keeping colour printing costs down, and publishing guidance. It is designed for colour books where the artwork or photos already exist. Illustration and full editing are part of the Ultimate Full Color package instead.
Colour printing costs more per page than black and white, and on print-on-demand that cost is charged on every copy. Platforms set a minimum list price that covers it. We help you keep the page count and print options sensible so your price stays competitive.
For print, the common guideline is at least 300 DPI at the size the image will appear on the page. A small image stretched to fill a page will look soft, even if the file says 300 DPI. We check every image and tell you which ones need replacing.
No. This package lays out finished artwork. If you need illustrations created, choose Ultimate Full Color Publishing, which includes illustration services, or add our custom illustration service. If some art exists and a few pages still need illustrating, ask us, because a mixed project can often be quoted as Basic Full Color plus a small illustration add-on.
Colour books can be published as ebooks, but image-heavy layouts usually need a fixed-layout ebook so the design holds together. Ask us whether an ebook edition suits your book and we will include it in the quote if it does.
Works well with
Pair it with the rest of the stack
Ready when you are
Ready to work with the pros?
Get a free proposal in 24 hours — scope, timeline and fixed price. No obligation, no lock-in contract.
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