Photo Book Printing
Photos are a kind of modern magic. Whether it’s holiday snaps, photojournalism, travelogues, fine art photography, portrait series or documentary collections, photography captures memories and stirs emotion through the alchemy of light on paper.
At QinPrinting, we’re passionate about showcasing the work of photographers—amateur or professional—through beautifully produced custom photo books. With over 25 years of experience, a skilled team, cutting-edge technology and unmatched customer service, we’ve earned a trusted reputation among self-publishing photographers worldwide.
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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.
Common Photo Book Sizes
The size of a photo book often depends on your images, layout preferences, and the number of photos you wish to include. A professional portfolio of black-and-white photography may call for a larger landscape format, while a wedding album might feature a deluxe edition for the couple and smaller “parent copies” for family.
Here are some common sizes suited to various photo book types in the Australian market:
| Professional portfolio: | 210 × 297 mm (A4 portrait) |
297 × 210 mm (A4 landscape) |
260 × 260 mm (square, premium portfolio size) |
| Family gift album: | 210 × 210 mm (square, compact) |
260 × 260 mm (square, standard) |
297 × 297 mm (square, deluxe) |
| Wedding photo book: | 260 × 260 mm (square, classic) |
297 × 210 mm (A4 landscape) |
320 × 240 mm (elegant landscape) |
| Travelogue: | 297 × 210 mm (A4 landscape) |
320 × 240 mm (generous landscape) |
420 × 297 mm (A3 landscape, extra-large) |
| Portrait gallery: | 210 × 297 mm (A4 portrait) |
240 × 320 mm (taller premium) |
297 × 420 mm (A3 portrait, exhibition format) |
Smaller sizes are easier to post or hand out, while larger sizes offer more impact and room for visual storytelling.
At QinPrinting, we also offer custom sizes tailored to your project. Just keep in mind that fully customised formats may involve additional setup time and cost. Still, for special editions or high-end photo books, it’s often well worth the investment.
Photo Book Paper Options
Even if your photo book includes some text, the images will always be the hero. For the best results, we recommend printing on gloss or matte art paper. Both finishes offer excellent colour reproduction, contrast, and fine detail.
- Gloss paper is ideal for full-colour spreads with minimal text, bringing images to life with sharpness and vibrancy.
- Matte paper is perfect if your book includes more written content. It still delivers beautiful photo reproduction—whether colour or black-and-white—while making the text easier to read.
You’ll need to choose at least two types of paper for your photo book:
- Interior pages
- Cover
You may also want to include endpapers, which can match the interior or be something different—such as a heavier, coloured, or textured stock.
Paperback Cover Paper
- 200 gsm gloss cover paper
- 250 gsm gloss cover paper
- 300 gsm gloss cover paper
- 350 gsm gloss cover paper
- 200 gsm matte cover paper
- 250 gsm matte cover paper
- 300 gsm matte cover paper
Hardcover Paper
- 157 gsm coated cover paper wrapped on 2 mm greyboard
- 157 gsm coated cover paper wrapped on 2.5 mm greyboard
- 157 gsm coated cover paper wrapped on 3 mm greyboard
- Other paper options wrapped on greyboard
Interior Paper
- 128 gsm gloss text paper
- 157 gsm gloss text paper
- 200 gsm gloss text paper
- 128 gsm matte text paper
- 157 gsm matte text paper
- 200 gsm matte text paper
Binding Tip
Sewn perfect binding—a high-quality paperback binding that opens flat without cracking the spine—is a popular choice for photo books. It requires a spine thickness of at least 3 mm.
Hardcover binding is also widely used for a professional, polished look. Both styles work beautifully with gloss or matte interior paper in the recommended weights above.
Special Finish Options
Here are some popular surface finishes that can enhance both the appearance and durability of your photo book.
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.
Bindings for Photo Books
Photo books come in all shapes and sizes, but the binding you choose plays a key role in how the final product looks, feels, and functions. Below are three of the most popular, professional-quality binding options. All of them allow the book to lie flat when open.
Perfect Binding (Sewn Perfect Binding)
This is one of the most common bindings we use for photo books. We collate the interior pages into sets (called signatures), sew them together, and attach them to a wrap-around cover made from heavier art paper or lightweight card stock.
It’s a reliable, high-quality option—ideal for photo books with a moderate page count.
Hardcover Binding (Sewn Hardcover)
For a more premium, durable finish, sewn hardcover binding is a top choice. Pages are grouped into signatures, sewn, and glued into a sturdy case covered by a printed sheet.
This binding looks highly professional, especially with extras like a dust jacket, endpapers, or a ribbon marker. It’s perfect for fine art collections, client presentations, or commemorative books.
Wire-O & Spiral Binding
This is a practical, flexible option often used for portfolios or workbooks. Holes are punched down one side of the pages, and a plastic or metal coil is threaded through, then crimped to secure it.
You can turn pages 360° and lay the book completely flat. We can laminate the pages to increase durability, add UV resistance, or use waterproof vinyl for the cover—making it a great choice for photo books with frequent use or functional purposes.
No matter which binding style you choose, we make it easy to get started. You’re welcome to use one of our free design templates. And if you’d like to feel the paper for yourself, let us know—we’ll happily send out a set of free paper samples. You just cover the postage.
Can’t find what you want? Contact us!
Photo Book Design and Artwork Tips
Whether you’re designing your own photo book or working with a professional graphic designer, it’s important to prepare your print files correctly. You’ll need to allow for bleed zones, safe areas, trim lines and borders—along with ensuring proper resolution and colour space. To help, we’ve put together some essential tips to guide you through the process.
Always export your final files as PDFs with vector data for the sharpest result. We recommend using Adobe InDesign or Adobe Illustrator for photo book layout, as they give you full control over bleed, trim and CMYK colour conversion—essential for offset printing.
If you're working in Photoshop or other bitmap-based software, make sure all images are set to at least 300 dpi at print size. Vector elements don't rely on resolution, but raster images need to be high-definition to avoid fuzzy or pixelated output.
Add a 3 mm bleed around every page. The bleed is the part of your image or background colour that extends beyond the final page size. After printing, we trim the pages to size—this extra space ensures your images extend cleanly to the edge without unwanted white borders. Mark bleed areas clearly (often in red).
Set your trim line inside the bleed zone—this indicates the finished page size. Be sure to keep any essential visual elements or text at least 10 mm inside the trim line to avoid accidental cropping.
If an image spans across two facing pages, avoid placing key content—like faces, logos or focal points—directly over the centre crease. This area can be distorted or partially obscured during binding.
If you're choosing spiral binding, allow for a 15 mm margin on the binding edge. This ensures space for the punched holes and prevents content from being cut off or difficult to read.
If you’re working with a professional designer, they’ll usually know how to prepare print-ready files. But if you’re designing your photo book yourself for the first time, these are the most important details to get right.
Final responsibility for supplying print-ready files lies with you, but don’t worry—we’re here to help. Our pre-press team manually checks all files before going to print. If we find any issues, we’ll let you know and guide you through the corrections.
For more details on artwork setup, visit our Pre-Press Artwork page, or reach out to our team for one-on-one support.
Need Help Preparing Your Files? We Offer a Free File Checking Service
Custom Photo Book Printing Costs
At QinPrinting, we help self-published photographers produce photo books of striking quality every day. But we understand that not everyone has the budget of a Bailey or a Leibovitz. That’s why we work hard to deliver exceptional-quality books at some of the most competitive prices in the industry.
Whether you’re a professional aiming to print a world-class portfolio or an everyday enthusiast preserving your memories, we offer our expertise at a price you can afford.
Don’t just take our word for it—see for yourself! Our easy-to-read pricing charts give you a quick snapshot of how much it will cost to print your custom photo book.
Unlike most offset printers that require minimum orders of 500 or even 1,000 copies, we offer a minimum order quantity (MOQ) of just 100 copies—all with competitive pricing. As you’ll notice, the more copies you order in one run, the lower the cost per book.
How much does it cost to print a paperback photo book?
Paperback Photo Book Printing Price Chart (210 mm × 297 mm)
| Page count | 100 copies | 500 copies | 1,000 copies | 2,000 copies | 5,000 copies | 10,000 copies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 72pp + 4pp | Unit: A$9.77 Total: A$977 |
Unit: A$2.81 Total: A$1,404 |
Unit: A$1.83 Total: A$1,831 |
Unit: A$1.39 Total: A$2,781 |
Unit: A$1.19 Total: A$5,900 |
Unit: A$1.09 Total: A$10,913 |
| 96pp + 4pp | Unit: A$12.16 Total: A$1,216 |
Unit: A$3.52 Total: A$1,756 |
Unit: A$2.30 Total: A$2,301 |
Unit: A$1.78 Total: A$3,572 |
Unit: A$1.51 Total: A$7,579 |
Unit: A$1.43 Total: A$13,490 |
| 128pp + 4pp | Unit: A$15.50 Total: A$1,550 |
Unit: A$4.54 Total: A$2,270 |
Unit: A$2.97 Total: A$2,972 |
Unit: A$2.31 Total: A$4,614 |
Unit: A$1.96 Total: A$9,788 |
Unit: A$1.85 Total: A$18,480 |
- Please note all prices are EXW from our facility and exclude shipping costs.
- Cover: 250 gsm coated cover paper with matte lamination on the outside
- Interior: 128 gsm coated text paper with full colour printing
- Cover and interior: full colour printing
- Binding: perfect binding
How much does it cost to print a hardcover photo book?
Hardcover Photo Book Printing Price Chart (210 mm × 297 mm)
| Page count | 100 copies | 500 copies | 1,000 copies | 2,000 copies | 5,000 copies | 10,000 copies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80pp | Unit: A$18.21 Total: A$1,821 |
Unit: A$5.15 Total: A$2,572 |
Unit: A$3.80 Total: A$3,803 |
Unit: A$3.19 Total: A$6,379 |
Unit: A$2.73 Total: A$13,652 |
Unit: A$2.61 Total: A$25,015 |
| 112pp | Unit: A$22.77 Total: A$2,277 |
Unit: A$6.47 Total: A$3,234 |
Unit: A$4.64 Total: A$4,642 |
Unit: A$3.82 Total: A$7,642 |
Unit: A$3.21 Total: A$16,032 |
Unit: A$3.06 Total: A$29,024 |
| 192pp | Unit: A$34.16 Total: A$3,416 |
Unit: A$9.75 Total: A$4,875 |
Unit: A$6.76 Total: A$6,759 |
Unit: A$5.41 Total: A$10,821 |
Unit: A$4.41 Total: A$21,229 |
Unit: A$4.20 Total: A$41,511 |
- Please note all prices are EXW from our facility and exclude shipping costs.
- Cover: 157 gsm coated cover paper with matte lamination, wrapped on 2.5 mm greyboard
- End sheets: 140 gsm uncoated text paper, blank
- Interior: 157 gsm coated text paper
- Cover and interior: full colour printing
For a more accurate estimate, try our handy online Printing Cost Calculator. Simply zoom in on the form, adjust your settings, and click for an instant quote! If you have any questions, get in touch — one of our enthusiastic, knowledgeable team members (not a robot or bored call centre operator!) will be more than happy to assist you.
Talk to Us!
Whether you’re a professional photographer, an indie author, or simply someone wanting to print a stunning photo book of exceptional quality at a great price, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch today to discuss your needs or request a no-obligation quote. We can’t wait to help you create your best photo book yet!
