Your manuscript, printed and bound as a real paperback book, in runs from just 100 copies.
Minimum order 100 copies · Free delivery across India
Book printing · Print-on-demand · Pune · free delivery across India
Novels, memoirs, training manuals, yearbooks and comics: printed on digital presses, with a laminated colour cover and a perfect-bound spine, in runs from 100 copies. No publisher, no warehouse, no thousand-copy minimum.
Self-publishing made simple
Every person carries a story. Once it is written, though, independent authors in India run into the same wall: a traditional publishing house asks for large upfront fees and a minimum order of 1,000 copies or more. That is far too many when all you want is a few hundred books for family, friends, readers at a launch or colleagues at a training programme.
Orchid Digitals removes that wall with print-on-demand (POD) book printing. We print your manuscript in manageable, small batches, from 100 copies, and still give it the finish of a book you would pick up in a bookstore: a thick laminated colour cover, clean inner pages and a glued, perfect-bound spine. You pay for the copies you need, and nothing more.
Print-on-demand
Print-on-demand is the latest shift in self-publishing. Instead of printing thousands of copies and storing them, you print exactly the number you need today and order more when readers ask for them. Traditional offset printers need runs in the thousands to make sense; our digital presses are built for short runs, so a job of 100 copies is routine for us.
No high upfront cost and no boxes of unsold books in a storeroom. Print 100 copies now, and more when you need them.
Runs from 100 copies. Digital printing is at its most economical between about 100 and 500 copies per run.
Ideal for personal collections, launches, market testing, early reviewers, and gifting your book to friends and family.
Digital printing is sharper and more vivid than photocopying: colours have punch, and fine text and small details in your artwork come out cleanly.
The press run itself is fast. Typically allow 1-2 days for printing and a day or two for binding once your order is confirmed, plus a few extra days if other jobs are ahead of yours in the queue.
When the first batch runs out, order another run of 100 copies or more of the same book.
Planning more than about 1,000 copies of one title? At that volume the economics start to favour offset printing. Tell us your quantity and we'll advise you honestly.
What goes into your book
Every book and manual we produce has three parts, and each one gets its own material and its own care. Get all three right and the result feels like a bookstore book the moment someone picks it up.
The outer cover: the first thing your reader sees and touches
The inner pages: where your words and pictures live
The finishing: trimming, cover lamination and binding
Here is what we use for each part, and why.
The cover
People do judge a book by its cover. So we print yours on heavy 250 GSM or 300 GSM BILT™ card, about as thick as a good visiting card. The weight and stiffness tell your reader, the moment they hold it, that this is a proper book and not a bundle of photocopies.
The cover is always printed in full colour, on the outside and the inside, at high resolution on our colour digital press, so your cover art, photo or title design comes out rich and eye-catching. It is then laminated in your choice of matte or gloss film, which protects it from water, dust, fingerprints and daily handling, and adds to the finished look.
Visiting-card thickness for a firm, substantial cover.
Your cover design reproduced sharply, with vibrant colour.
A protective film that keeps the cover clean and makes the book last longer.
The inner pages
A good book should never feel like thin, flimsy photocopy paper in the hand. Our standard inner paper is 80 GSM BILT™ maplitho: smooth, opaque and about as thick as a letterhead, so text stays crisp and pages turn comfortably.
For very thick books, above roughly 150-200 pages, we may print on 70 or 75 GSM paper instead, so that the finished book doesn't become too bulky to hold and read. The price stays the same.
Standard
Crisp, clean white paper with excellent contrast for text, diagrams and pictures. The right choice for most books and manuals.
Training manuals, course material and technical guides
Books with photos, charts or illustrations
On request
An off-white, cream-coloured natural-shade (NS) paper that is gentler on the eyes over long reading sessions. It is also more opaque than bright white paper, so less text shows through from the other side of the page. It costs extra, and we quote it for each job.
Novels, memoirs and other text-heavy books
On request, at extra cost: ask us for a quote
Black & white or colour
We print the two kinds of book our clients ask for most, on two separate digital presses. The cover is always in full colour; you choose how the inside pages are printed.
For text-driven books such as novels, biographies, memoirs and training manuals. Printed on our Canon black-and-white digital press: sharp, highly legible black text on white paper. The economical choice for text-heavy manuscripts.
For books full of photographs, illustrations or graphics: comics, photo books, product showcases, portfolios and yearbooks. Printed on our Konica Minolta 3080 colour digital press, at resolutions up to 2400 dpi, for bright, detailed pages.
Mostly text with a few pictures? Black & white inner pages usually do the job and keep the cost down. If the pictures are the story, go for colour.
Sizes and variants
We print books in two standard sizes. A5 is the classic size for novels and personal books; A4 suits training manuals, course material, yearbooks and anything with large pictures or tables. (A3 books are not offered.)
Novels and personal books
148 mm x 210 mm (about 5.75 x 8.25 inches). The popular, economical size that feels right in the hand.
Novels, short stories, poetry, memoirs
Family histories and books for private circulation
Manuals and visual books
210 mm x 297 mm (about 8.25 x 11.75 inches). More room for diagrams, photos, tables and workbooks.
Training manuals, courseware and activity books
Yearbooks, catalogues and photo-rich books
A5 Size Book Printed In Black & White
A5 Size Book Printed In Colour
A4 Size Book Printed In Black & White
A4 Size Book Printed In Colour
The price per page for each variant is in the table at the top of this page. The size and the colour choice decide the price: A4 costs more than A5, and colour inner pages cost more than black & white. All prices exclude 18% GST.
How it's made
Turning printed sheets into a polished book takes several careful finishing steps after the press run. This is where a bookstore-quality book is made.
1
Inner pages on the black-and-white or colour press; the cover in full colour on card.
2
Every page is cut precisely for perfectly neat edges, with adequate margins left around your printed text.
3
A matte or gloss film protects the cover print against water, dust and daily wear.
4
A spine is formed along the side edge of the book and a strip of glue on its inside holds all the pages firmly together, so they don't fall out.
5
Before your books leave, we send you a short video of the finished copies.
Binding options
The per-page price of your book includes the cover lamination and perfect binding, the glued spine you know from paperback novels. It is strong, neat and gives your book a spine on which the title can be printed.
A glued spine, like a paperback novel. Included in the price.
Pages pinned along the centre fold. Suits thin books with only a few pages, such as booklets and short manuals.
A wire runs through the punched spine and the pages turn around it and lie flat: popular for training manuals and workbooks. Quoted separately.
Pages bound into a rigid hard case for coffee-table books, memoirs and keepsakes that must last. Quoted separately.
Fewer than 48 pages? A centre-pinned multi-page brochure may suit you better than a book.
See multi-page brochure and catalogue printing →
Try before you pay
Before we print your whole run, we print a few pages of your book for you to proofread, free of charge. Holding real pages lets you check the layout, margins, line spacing and font size with your own eyes, so the final books come out exactly as you want them.
You pay for the job only after you have seen and approved the sample. If the sample doesn't convince you, you are under no obligation to go ahead with the order.
Please note: the free sample is a set of loose printed sheets, not a bound book. Printing a cover, making a spine and binding are only practical for a full production run, but the loose pages show you the true print quality and layout of your finished book.
Pricing
Four things decide the price of your book: the size (A5 or A4), the number of pages, black & white or colour inner pages, and the number of copies. The rate is per printed page. The cover counts as 4 of those pages, and the cover lamination and perfect binding are included.
Count your pages as printed sides, cover included: one leaf printed on both sides is two pages, and the cover counts as 4 pages, because it is printed on the outside and the inside (front, inside front, inside back and back). So a 100-page book is the cover plus 96 inner pages (48 leaves). Choose your variant, page count and quantity in the calculator at the top of this page for an instant estimate; if your exact page count isn't listed, pick the nearest one and we'll confirm the price in your quote.
Size and print
A5, black & white inner pages
Pages
100 pages: 4 cover pages + 96 inner pages (48 leaves)
Cover
250/300 GSM BILT™ card, colour, matte or gloss laminated
Binding
Perfect binding
Copies
100
Cost
₹10,000 + 18% GST
Books run from 48 up to 300 pages, cover included. A longer book gets too bulky to bind and read comfortably, so we suggest splitting it into two volumes.
Good to know
100 copies of a book per job. That is our billing threshold for book printing, and the calculator's quantities start there.
Very small runs, such as 10 copies, aren't possible on our production line.
The printing runs fast: typically allow 1-2 days for printing and another day or two for binding after payment and sample approval, plus a few extra days if other jobs are in the queue ahead of yours. We don't promise an arrival date; if you have a launch or event, tell us the date and we'll do our level best to meet it.
Free delivery across India. In Pune our team hand-delivers, usually within 2-3 days; outstation parcels go by surface courier, typically 3-5 working days to metro cities and 5-7 elsewhere. In a hurry? Collect your books from our shop in Shaniwar Peth, Pune, or send your own courier.
Applications
A brochure is made for a short, sharp promotional message. A book gives you the space to tell your whole story, or document everything your team needs to know, across many pages. With print-on-demand you get a professionally finished book even in small quantities, with no inventory to manage. Our clients print:
First novels, story collections and poetry, printed for launches, readers and literary circles.
Life stories, family histories and letters to grandchildren, made into books that are handed down.
Induction handbooks, SOPs, technical guides and seminar material for training events in companies.
Colourful comic books, picture books and colouring books that come alive in full colour.
College yearbooks, alumni and student reunion books full of photos and memories.
Courseware, workbooks and placement activity books for job fairs and institutes.
Artwork
Send us a print-ready file and your book will come out exactly as you designed it. A PDF is best; we also work from the formats below.
Set your file to the final book size: A5 for novels, A4 for manuals. Written your novel in A4? We can scale the whole document down to A5 with our page-imposition software, which saves you the reformatting.
Whatever software you write in, send a print-ready PDF and embed or pack all the fonts you used. Avoid fancy, hard-to-read fonts for body text.
Binding takes up about 0.75 inch at the spine, so keep at least a 1-inch margin on all four sides of every page. Text placed too close to the spine gets lost in the fold.
Lay out the cover as one spread: back cover, spine and front cover. The spine must be at least as thick as the finished book, and text on the covers shouldn't spill into the spine.
Resizing, imposition and preparing your file for the press is set-up work, and we do it for you. We don't write, edit or design books from scratch; if you need a designer, we can recommend one in Pune.
You approve the free loose-sheet sample before the run. Please proofread it carefully: spelling or content errors in an approved file are printed as approved.
AI
CDR
EPS
DOCX
TIFF
PNG
JPG
Want to know more about paper, binding types and page layout? Our book and manual printing guide explains the options in detail.
Read our book and training manual printing guide →FAQs
100 copies per book. Digital print-on-demand is at its most economical for runs of about 100 to 500 copies; for more than about 1,000 copies of one title, ask us, because offset printing usually becomes more economical at that volume.
A5 (148 x 210 mm), the usual size for novels and personal books, and A4 (210 x 297 mm), for manuals, workbooks and picture-heavy books. We don't print A3 books.
From 48 up to 300 pages, counting the cover as 4 pages. A page is one printed side, so a leaf printed front and back counts as two pages: a 100-page book is the cover plus 96 inner pages. For a longer book we suggest two volumes; for a thinner one, a stapled brochure is usually the better product.
Yes. The cover counts as 4 of your pages, so it is priced at the same per-page rate: a full-colour cover on 250/300 GSM BILT™ card, laminated matte or gloss. Perfect binding is included. You only choose the size, the page count, black & white or colour inner pages, and the number of copies.
80 GSM BILT™ maplitho as standard: smooth and about as thick as a letterhead. For very thick books (above roughly 150-200 pages) we may use 70 or 75 GSM to keep the bulk down, at the same price. A cream natural-shade paper, easier on the eyes for long reading, is available on request at extra cost; we quote it for each job.
Perfect binding (a glued spine, like a paperback) is standard and included in the price. Thin books can be centre pinned. Spiral/wiro binding and hardcover binding are available on request and quoted separately.
Yes. We print a few loose pages of your book free of charge so you can check the layout, margins, line spacing and font size. You pay only after you approve the sample, and you're under no obligation to go ahead if it doesn't convince you. The sample isn't bound; binding is only practical for the full run.
We prepare your file for the press: resizing, imposition and setting up the cover spread. We don't write, edit or design books or covers from scratch. If you need a designer, we're happy to recommend one in Pune.
Typically 1-2 days for printing and a day or two for binding after payment and sample approval, plus a few extra days if the queue is long; we don't promise dates. Delivery is free across India: hand delivery in Pune, surface courier elsewhere. Urgent orders can be collected from our shop in Shaniwar Peth, Pune.
All prices exclude 18% GST. Once we have evaluated your file, our accounts team sends a pro-forma invoice with a payment link; you can pay by UPI or bank transfer (NEFT/RTGS). Production starts once payment is received. Share your GSTIN if you want it on the invoice for input credit.
At a glance
Product
Short-run, print-on-demand paperback books and manuals, supplied bound, trimmed and ready to read
Sizes
A5: 148 x 210 mm (approx. 5.75 x 8.25 in) · A4: 210 x 297 mm (approx. 8.25 x 11.75 in)
Page count
48 to 300 pages, counting the cover as 4 pages; inner pages printed on both sides
Cover
250 or 300 GSM BILT™ card, printed in full colour on the outside and the inside (front, inside front, inside back and back: 4 pages)
Cover lamination
Matte or gloss lamination film; protects against water, dust and daily wear
Inner paper
80 GSM BILT™ maplitho (standard); 70/75 GSM for very thick books at the same price
Paper shade
White (standard) · cream natural-shade (NS) on request, at extra cost, quoted per job
Inner-page printing
Black & white or full colour (CMYK)
Presses
Canon black-and-white digital press · Konica Minolta 3080 colour digital press, up to 2400 dpi
Binding
Perfect binding (glued spine) included · centre pinning for thin books · spiral/wiro or hardcover on request, quoted separately
Finishing
Precision edge trimming; books supplied fully bound and ready for reading or distribution
Pre-production sample
Free loose-sheet sample print for proofreading before you pay
Pricing
Per printed page, by variant (see the table at the top); the cover counts as 4 pages; lamination and perfect binding included; all prices exclude 18% GST
Minimum order
100 copies per job
Typical lead time
1-2 days printing + 1-2 days binding after approval, plus queue time; no promised dates
Delivery
Free across India; Pune hand delivery 2-3 days, outstation surface courier 3-7 working days; urgent orders collected from the shop
File formats
Print-ready PDF preferred (fonts embedded); AI, CDR, EPS, DOCX, TIFF, PNG, JPG accepted
Ordering
1. Use the calculator above, or message us your size, page count, black & white or colour, and number of copies.
2. Email us your print-ready file; we prepare it for the press and print your free loose-sheet sample.
3. Approve the sample and pay through the link we send; production starts once payment is received.
4. We print, trim, laminate and bind your books, send you a video, and dispatch.
Free across India. Pune: hand delivery in 2-3 days. Other cities: surface courier, 3-5 working days to metros, 5-7 elsewhere; tracking details are emailed at dispatch. Urgent? Collect from our shop, or send your own courier.
All prices exclude 18% GST, shown separately on the invoice. Pay by UPI or bank transfer (NEFT/RTGS) through the pay link. Share your GSTIN for input credit. The invoice states whether delivery is included or the books are collected at the shop.
Choose your size, page count and quantity in the calculator for an instant price, or send us your manuscript on WhatsApp and we'll take it from there.
Please leave us your details and we will respond promptly
| Type of Book | A5 Size Book Printed In Black & White, A5 Size Book Printed In Colour, A4 Size Book Printed In Black & White, A4 Size Book Printed In Colour |
