Authors
Author copies and launch stock
Any quantity
Copies of your own book for signings, shops, festivals and gifts, planned back from your date.
Delivery to you, the venue or both
Price My Print RunHome › Self-Publishing in the UK › Book Printing with UK Delivery
Book printing for the UK
Book Printing with UK Delivery
A launch at your local bookshop, a school order, a church conference, copies for every branch office. We prepare the files, send a free proof, print to the specification you approve and deliver to one UK address or many, with the price set in pounds before anything prints.
Tell us the book, the format, the quantity and where it is going. A print specialist replies within one business day with a written quote in pounds.
The short answer
Columbia Publication prints books for UK authors and organisations in any quantity, from author copies and launch stock to bulk runs for schools, churches and companies, and delivers to one UK address or several on one order. Every order includes file preparation, a free digital proof and no separate setup fee; larger runs are printed offset, where the cost per copy falls as quantity rises. Quotes are written in pounds within one business day, with delivery dates confirmed before printing.
Prices checked 26 October 2026 · Reviewed by Gia Kahn, Lead Editor · Next review November 2026 · How we check
Is this you?
This is for you if
- You need copies in hand in the UK for a launch, a signing, a talk or a festival.
- You are ordering for a school, a church, a charity or a company, often for several sites.
- You want hardcover, foil, ribbon or a finish that print on demand cannot offer.
- You want one person to own the files, the proof and the delivery, with a price in pounds.
Printing is rarely the hard part. Getting it right and getting it there is.
Files bounce back for bleed or font errors. Print-on-demand copies arrive in fives, too late for the event. A cheap quote turns out to exclude setup or delivery. And when the cartons need to reach a school in Leeds, a venue in London and your home in Bristol, you are the one chasing the courier.
We check the files before anything goes to press, send a free proof, print to the specification you approved and deliver to every address on one order. One point of contact, one quote in pounds, and the responsibility for the result sits with us.
Start here
Which kind of print order is yours?
Every order is quoted to your specification. Find the closest match below.
| Order | How it is printed | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Author copies and launch stock | Digital short run | Signings, bookshop events, festivals, review and gift copies, planned back from your date |
| Larger author runs | Offset, cost per copy falls as the run grows | Speaking tours, back-of-room sales and authors selling direct |
| Schools, churches and organisations | Offset, with split delivery | Workbooks, curriculum, hymnals, training manuals and conference packs sent to several sites |
| Special editions | To your specification | Hardcover with foil, ribbon markers, gilded edges or lay-flat binding |
Setup and pre-press are inside the quoted price. Printed books are zero-rated for VAT in the UK, and we do not add VAT to our quote. Delivery dates and any import paperwork are set out in your quote before you pay.
Get My Print Quote in PoundsBefore anything prints
Do I need a digital proof or a printed one?
Digital proof: free on every order
A PDF of the finished files that confirms layout, text, page order and cover alignment. Nothing prints without your sign-off.
Printed proof: on request
A bound copy on the real paper and finish, for true colour and binding. Worth it for colour, hardcover and special editions. Billed separately.
Production starts when you approve the proof, not on a calendar date. Your approved specification stays on file, so a reprint matches the first run.
Delivery
Can you deliver to several UK addresses?
Yes. Give us the addresses and the number of copies for each: your home, the venue, a distributor, every school in a trust or every branch of a company. Each shipment is counted, packed and labelled for its destination, and the plan is agreed before production, not worked out afterwards.
Need copies for the British Library under legal deposit? We can include them in the delivery plan.
Have a date to hit? Tell us when, and we plan the run backwards from it.
Get My Print Quote in PoundsFormats
Which formats can you print?
| Format | Common sizes | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Paperback | B-format (129 × 198 mm), Demy (138 × 216 mm), Royal (156 × 234 mm) | Novels, memoir, non-fiction |
| Hardcover | Demy and Royal, dust jacket optional | Gift and premium editions |
| Children’s books | Square and landscape formats | Full-colour picture books |
| A4 and A5 | 210 × 297 mm and 148 × 210 mm | Workbooks, manuals, course and church materials |
| Lay-flat and wire-o | To your specification | Cookbooks, journals and manuals that must open flat |
Every file is prepared with bleed and the margins your binding needs. Custom sizes are quoted to your specification.
When it is done
The morning the cartons arrive
You open the first box and the books are exactly what you approved: the trim, the paper, the colour of the cover. The second delivery is already at the venue, the third at the school. On the day you sign copies instead of chasing a courier, and when you need more, the reprint matches.
What we print
Print orders we handle for the UK
Every order quoted to your specification, in pounds.
Most requested
Organisation runs
Quoted to spec
Schools, churches, charities and companies, with split delivery to every site on one order.
Specification kept on file for reprints
Price My Print RunPremium
Special editions
Quoted to spec
Cloth covers, foil, ribbon markers, gilded edges or lay-flat binding.
Confirmed before you commit
Price My Print RunPaid in full upfront once you approve the written quote, which books press time and fixes your delivery date.
What you can count on
What every UK print order includes
- Files checked before pressTrim, bleed, margins, colour and fonts fixed so nothing bounces back.
- A free digital proofEvery page checked by you before anything prints.
- No setup feeSetup and pre-press are inside the quoted price.
- A quote in poundsWith delivery dates and any paperwork set out before you pay.
- Delivery to every addressOne UK address or several on one order.
- Reprints that matchYour approved specification stays on file.
How it runs
How a UK print order runs
- Tell us the orderFormat, quantity, addresses and date.Day 1
- Quote in poundsPrice, specification and delivery date.Within 1 business day
- Files and proofPrepared, preflighted, approved by you.Your sign-off starts printing
- PrintDigital or offset, to your specification.Schedule set in your quote
- DeliverTo one UK address or many.Date confirmed before you pay
Custom Quote
Build your custom quote
We’ve started with Printed copies. Add anything else your manuscript needs, and a specialist sends an itemised quote within one business day. Free, confidential, no obligation.
Written quote within one business day. Nothing is charged until you approve it. 100% of your rights stay yours.
Questions
Book printing for the UK: common questions
How much does it cost to print a book for UK delivery?
The price is set by quantity, page count, format, paper and the delivery plan, so every order is quoted in pounds to your specification within one business day. There is no setup fee, and larger runs move to offset, where the cost per copy falls as the quantity rises.
Is there a minimum order?
No. Tell us the quantity, however small or large, and we quote it.
Do you add VAT?
No. Printed books are zero-rated for VAT in the UK, and our quote is the full price.
Can you deliver to more than one address?
Yes. Give us each address and the number of copies for it, and every shipment is packed and labelled for its destination.
How long does delivery to the UK take?
The run and the format set the schedule. Your delivery date is confirmed in the quote before you pay, so you can plan an event around it.
Can you prepare my print files?
Yes. Our formatting team prepares print-ready files to your trim, binding and paper, checked for bleed, fonts and colour.
Can you print for schools and churches?
Yes. Workbooks, curriculum, hymnals and conference materials are printed to one specification and delivered to every site on one order.
How do I pay?
In full upfront, once you approve the written quote.
Tell us what you need printed and where it is going.
Format, quantity, addresses and date are enough to start. A print specialist replies within one business day.
Get My Print Quote in Pounds