Q&A with Aussie printer FolioFox!

2 Feb

Printing your novel can feel a bit overwhelming, especially when you’re doing it all yourself. To make things easier, I caught up with Foiliofox, an Australian printing company, and asked the questions indie authors actually want answers to — from print options and costs to what the process really looks like behind the scenes.

FolioFox is a Melbourne-based commercial book printer with decades of industry experience and a genuine passion for beautifully crafted books. Founded in 2008 on the belief that book printing should be high quality, straightforward, and accessible, the team has grown through strong relationships with authors, publishers, and businesses across Australia. Now proudly Australian-owned and operated, FolioFox combines state-of-the-art equipment, premium materials, and thoughtful, hands-on service—bringing smart, adaptable printing solutions to projects of all sizes, both offline and online.

If you’re thinking about printing your novel in Australia, this Q&A should help you feel a lot more confident about your next step.

Keep reading for a special offer!

Q: First the question everyone surely has: Does FolioFox have a minimum or maximum print run?

A: Yes, but it does depend on your book! For paperback (e.g. perfect bound) books, we have a minimum quantity of 30 books, and for hardcover books, it’s currently 200 books. This is pretty small compared to offset printers used by traditional publishers, which typically require orders of 5,000+, for the same quality.

Why? Well, there’s a bit of setup involved, even in digital printing for a book and as a local printing company, it’s not fully automated by machines or robots! We actually have print operators handling your book at every stage of the process for quality control. We would never send a book out that hasn’t been printed or bound well, and truthfully, the reality is that ordering 1 copy of a book will often cost just as much as ordering 10-30 because we need to print more than one to set up each machine within the process (these are called spoils), and that setup is even more complex for hardcover printing.

These minimum amounts are not just to our benefit but authors’ as well, because the more copies you print, the cheaper the cost per book/per unit becomes. We don’t have a maximum print run per se, but we prefer to accept print runs up to 2,000-3000 for retail books, and on average, we print 100-500 books for indie authors.

Q: Before an author even contacts a printer, what are the most important decisions they should already have made about their book?

A: Great question! I think one of the most important decisions would be the trim size (or finish size), because the size of your book will influence a lot of things like how many pages you’d need to print and artwork real estate on the cover.

I also think it’s important to organise your ISBN and barcode if you’d like one (this is usually on the back cover) and make sure your book is typeset and configured for print. Every printer will have their own variant of their required print specifications, which can be confusing and overwhelming.

Before launching our new website, I spent a lot of time creating a comprehensive print-ready file guide because this is often an obstacle for authors who are setting up their files themselves. If a file isn’t configured right, it might not only look wrong when it’s printed, but it can also break printing machines! I also think it’s really important to look ahead and consider distribution (stocking and shipping to customers). FolioFox, like all printers, can send books directly to distribution companies, including Amazon, if you choose to. Using Amazon’s Fulfilment services (FBA) can be a way for authors to earn higher royalties compared to a print-on-demand provider once you’ve got a quote for printing, so I definitely recommend considering all your options for distribution, trying out calculators

Q: What are the most common mistakes first-time authors make when preparing their files for print?

A: Oh, great question! The most common would be exporting their file in RGB instead of CMYK (so the colours printed end up not looking as expected, because RGB is for screens, not print!), sending a file without bleed (this is basically extending the outer edge of the pages slightly to make sure there are no white borders after trimming) and for paperbacks specifically, forgetting about the spine. The spine width of a book will depend on the paper thickness and the number of pages; more pages and thicker pages, mean a thicker spine. So if an author decides to change the paper or page count, the cover spread design needs to be updated so the spine is the correct width. This is why having a designer to help you make tweaks and updates like this is so useful!

Q: How should authors choose the right trim size and paper stock for a novel and how do those choices affect cost, readability, and quality?

A: I like to think that trim size should be based on how you’d like readers to consume a book and how you want them to perceive it. A format (mass paperback), B format (standard novel/trade paperback) and Demy (traditional fiction/non-fiction) sizes are popular because these books are pretty portable, can be read and enjoyed anywhere. Plus, if you’re choosing between similar sizes, dimension-wise, it doesn’t really affect cost.

Paper stock on the hand, definitely impacts costs, readability and quality. A glossy coated paper for the cover will have a lot of glare, making it harder to read and take photos of. Recycled paper usually costs a little more (and can actually be less sustainable than choosing new paper from an FSC source, when you consider the added energy/carbon/materials used to recycle post-consumer waste. Paper thickness and weight will shape the quality of the book too, because most readers prefer pages that aren’t too thin or flimsy. Our best paper stock for fiction books’ internal pages is a premium bookpaper called Enso, because it has the same cream colour as your typical bookstore paperback from a traditional publisher, therefore it’s easier on the eyes, and while the pages are thicker, they’re super lightweight - perfect for long reading sessions or lifting a stack for a photo thumbnail.

Q: How early should authors involve a printer in the process before the book is “final”?

A: I’d recommend reaching out to printers when authors are almost ready to print, whether it’s an ARC or their retail copy. Your book should be typeset, formatted, designed and at a stage where you’re able to make minor tweaks like the spine width or adding layers for a gold foil finish, to get it ready for print. If it’s earlier, we can, of course, provide guidance like what cover finishes, trim size or paper stock would be suitable or match you to a professional/agency to help with editing, design etc. (like TBA!).

Q: From your experience, what separates a professionally printed novel from one that looks printed on demand without quality checks’—even when the content is strong?

A: Probably two things: the book’s ‘feel’ and consistency. I’ve found that books printed on demand are thinner or the same size, but feel heavier, with thick inside pages that are bright white. They can feel like a novel-sized coffee table book or cookbook, filled with text, and simply not as comfortable to hold and read. That being said, we sometimes print books like that when authors decide to go with a different paper than recommended to cut costs.

I’ve also noticed that you’re more likely to see inconsistencies between two copies, because print on demand is largely automated. Identical books might have uneven margins, designs not printed correctly on the spine, and commonly, the cover design itself is scaled up then the edges/border of the actual design is cut off after trimming when they don’t require enough/any bleed on print files. Of course, some printing mistakes like this can happen to any printer, or be a hassle to get it fixed.

Q: If an author has a limited budget, where should they not cut corners when printing a novel?

A: Paper, paper, paper! At its core, a book is really just a block of papers glued together, and the right paper not only helps your book look professional but helps create a great reading experience.

Q: Lastly, can you sum up your advice/need-to-knows for authors looking to print with FolioFox in 3 dot points

Lean on your platforms to build hype and generate pre-orders to fund your first print run. We understand that budget is the main obstacle for many authors. Going with a local commercial printer to produce 50 copies of your book is obviously going to cost more upfront than POD, but it’s also a lot faster than you’d expect for the quality and customer service you get. We generally dispatch books to authors or distributors within 5-10 business days from an approved digital proof (depending on quantity), so you could easily order, receive and ship your novel to readers on publication day if you get enough pre-orders in the 1-2 months prior.
If you’re still exploring printing and want to learn more about it or how to get your book ready for print, check out our Print-Ready Blueprint or the Knowledge Hub on our website. This is the place where we’re actively adding articles and guidance to help anyone looking to print.
Getting your book printed is super exciting and a major milestone, but don’t rush the process. Get it right and make sure it’s perfect. At FolioFox, we now provide unbound proofs to authors, free of charge, to make sure that they’re happy with the print quality and paper stock. Use opportunities like this to be 100% about your choices so that when you receive your books, you have no regrets.

We hope this Q&A answered some of the common questions you may have as an author preparing to print your work.FolioFox is offering free delivery (Australia-wide) on confirmed print orders of 50 books for a limited time, when you mention ‘The Berry Agency’ in your quote request until Feb 28th.”

Thanks to FolioFox for answering our burning questions!

Chloe Berry