Ultimate Full Color Publishing
Ultimate Full Color Publishing Package
For illustrated books that start with a manuscript and an idea, not finished artwork. We create the illustrations, edit the text, design every page and the cover, and manage printing, so a colour book comes together as one consistent piece of work.
- Created by one in-house team, never subcontracted
- Illustration style agreed before production
- Revisions included until the brief is met
- No lock-in on standard services
The problem
Illustrated books fall apart when nobody owns the whole
A typical self-published illustrated book involves a writer, an editor, an illustrator, a layout designer, a cover designer and a printer, often hired separately. Each does their part well, but nobody owns how the parts fit. The illustrator leaves no room for text. The layout designer receives art at the wrong size. The cover uses a different style from the inside.
Ultimate Full Color Publishing puts all of that with one team. The text, illustrations and page design are planned together, so the art is drawn for the page it will sit on and the cover belongs to the same book.
- Custom interior design: typography, page grid and spreads designed for your book
- Editorial services on the text, from editing through to proofreading
- Illustration services, with characters and style agreed before production
- Cover design that matches the interior illustrations
- Print management: proofs, colour checks and liaison with your printing platform or printer
- 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 is built for
Picture books
Story and art developed together, with page turns, text placement and character consistency planned across every spread.
Cookbooks
Recipe layouts, illustrated or photographed dishes and section openers designed for use in a kitchen.
Illustrated nonfiction
Nature guides, history books and how-to titles where illustrations explain as much as the text.
Gift and coffee table books
Large-format books where the paper, finish and image quality are part of the reason people buy them.
How it works
How an illustrated book comes together
1. Format and storyboard
We fix trim size and page count, then map text and images to each page so everyone works to the same plan.
2. Style and characters
Character sketches and a style sample for your approval before any final illustration starts.
3. Illustration and layout
Final art produced at print resolution and placed into the designed pages, with editing on the text in parallel.
4. Proofs and print
Colour proofs reviewed, corrections made, and printing managed through release.
Print management
Why print management matters for colour books
Colour on screen and colour on paper are not the same. Screens are lit from behind; paper reflects light, and images usually print darker and less saturated than they look on a monitor. Print-on-demand colour also varies more than offset printing.
Print management means checking files and proofs with that in mind: adjusting images for print, ordering a proof copy where the platform allows, and comparing it against the design before the book goes on sale. If you want an offset print run for special finishes or large quantities, we can prepare files to your printer's specifications and liaise with them.
Pricing
How this package is priced
Illustration is the largest variable, so this package is quoted per project: the number of illustrated pages, the level of detail in the art, and whether the cover needs its own original illustration. You see a written scope and fixed price before production begins, and the style is agreed before any final art is made.
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 Ultimate Full Color Publishing
Still unsure about something? Talk to a specialist — no script, no sales pitch.
Custom interior design, editorial services on the text, illustration services, cover design, print management and publishing guidance. It is our most complete package for colour books, and it suits projects where the illustrations do not exist yet and need to be created to fit the pages.
Ownership and usage rights for the artwork should be set out in writing before production starts, especially if you plan merchandise, sequels or other editions. Ask us to confirm the rights terms for your project with the quote. Having it agreed early avoids disputes when a successful book leads to new editions.
Yes. Character sketches and a style sample come first, and final illustration only starts once you approve them. Changing direction at the sketch stage is quick; changing it after final art is finished takes much longer. It is the most important approval in the whole project.
Because printed colour rarely matches a screen exactly. A proof shows how the images and skin tones actually print on the chosen paper, so problems can be fixed before readers receive copies. We review proofs against the design as part of print management.
It is different, not simply better. Basic Full Color lays out images you already have and proofreads the text. Ultimate Full Color creates the illustrations, edits the text and manages printing. If your artwork is finished and approved, Basic may be all you need.
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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