Comic Book Printing. Self-Publish Your Idea

Congratulations on getting your comic book printing ready for lift off. How good does that feel, did you enjoy the writing and design process?

So, what happens next?

Well, we will guide you through the process of finding out how much does it cost to print a comic and making sure your PDF file is print ready. Then we’ll send your artwork to our top of the range machines and deliver the finished comic in 3-5 working days. Easy! We’ll even pay the delivery costs for you within the UK ?

? Start Your Print Journey!

Which step are you at? 

Scroll through the Journey and dive in ? Everything you need to print the perfect comic is here in helpful detail.

➡️ Get Started on your Print Journey

Or keep going down this page to get inspired by showcase examples of previous comic printing and decide which visual aesthetic and style you like best.

Any questions, please do give us a shout. Our patient, friendly team is here to help on email, phone and live chat.

We have been doing this a while now and have seen a lot of impressive comics come off our presses. To give you a head start with your comic printing, here are four print specifications which work well (and photos of them, see right). Each has its own characteristics which have proven to be winning combinations from a production perspective, based on how much comics cost to print and most importantly, they have reader appeal. With our team’s expertise, we can bring your artwork to life and create a successful and visually stunning comic for your readers to enjoy.

If any of our showcase options would work for your project, take a note of the spec and jump on our project builder to receive your bespoke quotation. Or ping us an email on hello@exwhyzed.com if that is easier.

Showcase Style 1 – a high impact, stapled graphic novel:

A4 Saddle Stitched Booklets
4pp Cover onto 250gsm Gloss
Gloss Lamination to outer
16 Inner Pages onto 170gsm Uncoated
Four colour print throughout.

Showcase Style 2 – a standard cost-effective, A5 self cover comic:

A5 Booklet
20pp Self Cover onto 115gsm Uncoated
Four colour print throughout
Trimmed, collated and staple bound.

Showcase Style 3 – a dynamic, chunky A4 solution:

A4 Perfect Bound Books
4pp Cover onto 300gsm Uncoated
Matt Lamination to outer
40 inside pages onto 170gsm Silk
Four colour print throughout.

Showcase Style 4 – an impressive, perfect bound comic to show off the whole portfolio:

A4 Perfect Bound Books.
4pp Cover onto 350gsm Silk.
Matt Lamination and Gloss Spot UV varnish to outer.
Full colour print to outer.
112pp Text onto 170gsm Silk.
Full colour print throughout.

Amendments you could consider to the print specs shown above>>>

• As a paper weight guide: 100-130gsm are thin/standard paper weights. 170gsm is thick paper. 200-250gsm is thin card and 300-350gsm is a thick card cover.
• Switch to gloss lamination for a shiny aesthetic.
• Stapling for up to 76 pages (over 40 pages will bounce when folded)
• Perfect binding for 32 pages or more.
• If you can edit the content and reduce the number of pages, that will save you money and provide cheap comic book printing.
• Decreasing the trim size to from A4 to A5 or from A5 to A6 will also save money and make the publication more pocket-sized. OR you could increase to A4 for a larger surface area and a more impressive graphic novel.
• For a more dynamic front cover, pick out a logo or the comic’s title on the cover and apply Spot UV varnishing to makes it shine and dance when titled towards the light (this is an additional £280 which is a flat fee for 1-500 copies).

There are almost infinite possibilities on size, finishing and papers so we offer expert knowledge and advice before your job goes to press.

Comic Printing Paper Choices

Not sure where to start, ask us for a free paper sample pack to get the ball rolling. It is much easier to make an informed decision on the kind of finish and appearance you’re after when you can see and hold the paper rather than guessing over email.

Broadly speaking, there is a choice of silk, gloss or uncoated finish in all weights from 100gsm to 350gsm.

In the meantime, have a look the following page for paper inspiration.

Comic Binding choices

This is easy…if you have up to 40 pages then we recommend stapling your comics (also called wire stitching and saddle stitching). We can staple up to 72 pages but the paper has to be very thin to achieve that – a self-cover comic with all the pages onto 100gsm works well if you are staple binding more than 40 pages. For printing your comic book, you can choose to have it as a single PDF file with all pages in order, including the outside front cover, inside front cover, inside back cover, and outside back cover, as single pages instead of spreads. Alternatively, for a more professional and durable finish, you can opt for perfect bound comic books, which require a cover file PDF of 2 spreads (outer cover and inner cover with spine).

If the number of pages is 32 or more then the comics will be thick enough for us to glue as a perfect bind publication. This method gives a professional looking, book style finish with a square spine.

How much will it cost?

We specialise in beautifully printed comics from our top of the range Indigo digital presses. If you are printing up to 700 copies then digital printing is your winning choice. For more established publications which print 700 copies or more, our litho presses provide you with the best pricing for your comic printing needs.

We always try and quote for a few quantity options to help bring your unit price down. We’re keen to see your artwork in print so if there’s a more cost effective size or way to print then we’ll let you know. Our team is always accessible and ready to answer your questions.

How long does it take?

Send us the print ready PDF artwork and we can deliver stapled comics in 3 working days and perfect bound comic books in 4/5 working days, KAPOW! ? They will be delivered by tracked courier and we will be in touch when they leave Ex Why Zed HQ then again on the morning with a one hour window once they have been loaded onto a van.

If you would like a test copy first then it’s best to allow an extra week for us to print, deliver, look through and make tweaks.

Enjoy looking through our Portfolio of recent comic and graphic novel projects.

Choose a style you love, then get your work into print at Ex Why Zed ?

We have done our best to give you a huge wealth of information on this page and in our guides but if here are some frequently asked questions to help you get your work into print.

If you haven’t already seen it, do also watch our feature length Definitive Zine Printing Guide which will give you some ideas on what can be achieved with your comic and graphic novels too.