Activity Book Printing
Activity books are great fun and engage young minds in multisensory learning experiences that have been shown to improve cognitive skills, concentration, motor skills, and memory; enhancing learning through activities such as reading, writing, solving puzzles, and more.
At QinPrinting, we are dedicated to helping our activity book authors and illustrators produce the best, most entertaining, and effective activity books possible. With over 25 years of success in the industry, an expert and caring team, state-of-the-art technology, and unrivalled customer service, we are your first choice for activity book printing.
Activity Book Instant Quote
based on your choices
QinPrinting Rated Excellent
Whenever I have a creative idea, their team goes above and beyond to help bring it to life. I’ve printed four comic books with them, and each time, they’ve exceeded my expectations. If you’re considering a printer, take a chance on these friendly, reliable folks—they truly value your business. - Chad Townsend, Creator of The Black Phantom.
But working with Nelson was an absolute pleasure. He patiently addressed all my concerns, and my final printed book was just as I would hope it would be.
What Are Activity Books?
Typically aimed at children, activity books contain interactive content such as games, competitions, brainteasers, puzzles, quizzes, colouring pages, and other design features that require writing, colouring, or doodling within the book itself. They’re fun and engaging, but also support children’s psychological, emotional, and motor development.
However, they’re not just for children. Many adults enjoy them too, and they can be particularly useful for older children and students to revise and interact with their study subjects in more meaningful and memorable ways.
At QinPrinting, we work with educational and health institutions, commercial publishers, and independent creatives to provide world-class activity book printing services for kids and students. Our expertise and experience, combined with state-of-the-art technology and unparalleled customer care, ensure you receive a first-class product every time.
Activity Book Sizes
The most popular activity book sizes are:
- 148 mm × 210 mm (A5)
- 210 mm × 297 mm (A4)
However, you’re not limited to these options. If you’d like to customise the size of your activity book — and for certain markets, “jumbo” size activity books can also be very popular — that’s fine. We’ll be happy to advise you on the practical and technical requirements if you prefer a non-standard size for your book.
Activity Book Paper Choices
Most activity books—whether for children, students, or adults—require two types of paper: one for the interior pages and one for the cover. Paper can be gloss or matte coated, uncoated, and finished with varnish, lamination, or left natural. In most cases, for activity books that need to be drawn or written in, uncoated offset paper is the best choice.
Interior Paper Options
- 80 gsm uncoated text paper
- 100 gsm uncoated text paper
- 120 gsm uncoated text paper
- 140 gsm uncoated text paper
- 128 gsm coated text paper
- 157 gsm coated text paper
Cover Paper Options
- 250 gsm C1S paper
- 250 gsm coated cover paper
- 300 gsm coated cover paper
Special Finish Options
Shiny and reflective, perfect for vibrant graphics and photos.
Glossy highlights on specific areas for a striking contrast.
Smooth and non-reflective for a simple yet professional design.
Similar to matte lamination, but the resulting surface has a delightful, almost velvet feel.
A glossy finish applied to specific areas for a bold and distinct look.
Metallic or pigmented foil for a shiny, eye-catching effect.
Raised designs for added texture and elegance.
A recessed design that creates a tactile impression on the cover, adding texture and sophistication.
Cut a shape out of the paper material
Thin metallic foil—usually gold, silver, or bronze—is applied to the trimmed edges of your book's pages.
Custom patterns and images are sprayed on the edges for a truly unique appearance.
Print your design on a special paper that reflects light in a rainbow-like pattern.
Wrap your book in a durable synthetic leather material.
Cover your book with woven linen or cotton fabric.
Binding Styles for Activity Books
Several binding styles are suitable for activity books, and your choice will depend on your needs. These are the most popular options:
Saddle Stitch Binding
Also called “stapled binding,” saddle stitch is one of the simplest and most economical binding methods. The pages are collected, collated, cut, folded, and inserted one inside another before being stapled together along the central crease. Usually, two wire staples are inserted from the outer edge and securely crimped on the inside.
Perfect Binding (Sewn Perfect Binding)
Perfect binding involves printing, cutting, and collating the interior pages into a “block” which is fixed with EVA hot melt adhesive. This adhesive provides strong bonding while maintaining flexibility. The block is then glued into a thicker cover sheet that has either gloss or matte coating, or lamination. Finally, the cover and pages are trimmed on a precision cutting machine to create a neat, professional finish, which gives this binding method its name.
Wire-O Binding
Also known as double wire binding or twin loop binding, Wire-O binding uses a double wire coil to bind the interior pages and cover by threading it through pre-drilled holes along the binding edge, then twisting and crimping it to secure.
Spiral Binding
Sometimes called coil binding, this method involves drilling holes down one side of the pages and binding them with a coloured plastic coil twisted through the holes and crimped at the ends to keep it secure. The individual pages are not attached to each other but are held by the coil. Cover sheets or soft vinyl covers can also be added to complete the binding.
Activity Book Artwork and Design Tips
The quality of your artwork reproduction is always important, but never more so than when printing an activity book. Whether your activity book is for children or adults, you want your artwork to “leap off the page” into the reader’s imagination. With that in mind, here are a few useful tips to help you prepare your files for the printer.
Export your files as vectors in PDF format for the best results. Our recommended software options are Adobe InDesign or Adobe Illustrator. These also allow you to convert your colour space from RGB to CMYK, which is necessary for offset printing.
If you can't provide vectors — for example, exporting bitmaps from Photoshop — ensure the resolution is at least 300 dpi. With vectors, resolution isn't a concern, but all other images must be high definition to tolerate resizing without becoming fuzzy or pixelated.
Add a bleed zone of 3 mm around all pages. A bleed is an extended area beyond the final page size. After printing, we will trim the pages to the exact dimensions, removing the bleed to ensure your final image fills the page completely.
Within your bleed zone, mark the trim lines in green to define the finished page dimensions. Ensure any essential elements stop at least 10 mm inside the trim line.
Since your pages are for writing or colouring, we recommend a 15 mm inner margin on each page. Keep all colouring images or writing activities within this limit to avoid the area near the spine being difficult to access.
If you choose spiral binding, leave an additional margin of at least 15 mm on the bound edge to allow space for the holes.
If you’re working with a professional designer, they should be familiar with these print-ready requirements. If you’re designing the files yourself for the first time, these tips are essential before submitting your files. Our expert team will also manually check all files before printing. If we find any issues, we’ll inform you and help resolve them. At QinPrinting, we won’t print your activity book until we’re confident of a perfect result.
Need Help Preparing Your Files? We Offer a Free File Checking Service
Can’t find what you want? Contact us!
Activity Book Printing Prices
The cost of printing your activity book depends on several factors, including the size, format, paper type, page count, quantity, binding style, and more.
For books with fewer than 48 pages, we recommend saddle stitch binding. For books with more than 48 pages, perfect binding is usually a better choice.
To get an accurate quote tailored to your project, simply get in touch with us. In the meantime, you can refer to the general pricing chart below for an estimate.
How much does it cost to print a paperback activity book?
Softcover Activity Book Printing Price Chart (210 mm × 297 mm)
| Quantity | 100 copies | 500 copies | 1,000 copies | 2,000 copies | 5,000 copies | 10,000 copies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16pp + 4pp | Unit: A$3.69 Total: A$369 |
Unit: A$1.01 Total: A$505 |
Unit: A$0.62 Total: A$623 |
Unit: A$0.46 Total: A$922 |
Unit: A$0.38 Total: A$1,893 |
Unit: A$0.35 Total: A$3,450 |
| 24pp + 4pp | Unit: A$4.69 Total: A$469 |
Unit: A$1.28 Total: A$642 |
Unit: A$0.82 Total: A$819 |
Unit: A$0.60 Total: A$1,196 |
Unit: A$0.49 Total: A$2,449 |
Unit: A$0.44 Total: A$4,392 |
| 32pp + 4pp | Unit: A$5.01 Total: A$501 |
Unit: A$1.41 Total: A$703 |
Unit: A$0.89 Total: A$891 |
Unit: A$0.67 Total: A$1,332 |
Unit: A$0.56 Total: A$2,783 |
Unit: A$0.51 Total: A$5,095 |
- Please note that all prices are EXW (Ex Works) from our facility and do not include shipping costs.
- Cover: 250 gsm coated cover paper with matte lamination
- Interior: 100 gsm uncoated text paper
- Binding: Saddle stitch
- Printing: Full colour on both cover and interior pages
Talk to Us!
If you’re looking to print a beautiful, high-quality activity book — and personal customer service is just as important to you as a world-class product — then we’d love to chat. Get in touch today to discuss your needs or request a no-obligation quote. We can’t wait to help bring your dream activity book to life!
