How to print a personalized book at home

Our book PDF has 13 pages: the cover plus 12 story pages, each 8 × 10.4 inches with a full-color illustration on the top and the text below. That size fits on letter paper (8.5 × 11 inches) with a small white margin, and on A4 (210 × 297 mm) when you choose Fit to page. Open the PDF in your computer's PDF viewer rather than a phone browser for the most reliable printing.

Ordinary 20 lb copy paper works, but the colors show through to the back. For a keepsake, use bright white 32 lb (120 g/m²) paper or matte photo paper, which keeps the snowy night scenes rich and dark without glare. Avoid glossy photo paper if you plan to staple the pages, because it cracks at the fold. Print one test page first to check the colors and the margins.

Choose Actual size or 100% on letter paper, or Fit to page on A4. Set the quality to Best or High and the paper type to match what you loaded. Print single-sided: each page is a full spread of picture and text, and single-sided pages are easier to bind. If your printer offers borderless printing, leave it off so the edges of the illustrations are not trimmed.

The quickest is to stack the pages in order and put two staples along the left edge, then cover the staples with a strip of washi tape. For a softer finish, punch two holes and tie the pages with a red ribbon. Or slide the pages into a clear presentation folder with a spine clip, which protects them from small sticky hands. A print shop can also saddle-stitch or spiral-bind the PDF in a few minutes if you prefer.

If you do not have a color printer, take the PDF to a local print shop or office supply store on a USB stick, or upload it to their website. Ask for color printing on heavier paper, single-sided, and say whether you want it stapled, saddle-stitched or spiral-bound. For a sturdier book, ask for a card-stock cover and a clear plastic front sheet. Most shops can do a single copy while you wait, and the PDF pages already have margins, so nothing important gets trimmed.

Little readers are hard on books. Laminating the cover, or printing it on card stock, protects the page that gets the most handling. A spiral binding lets the book lie flat on a lap. If the book will be read every night through December, print two copies: one to read and one to keep in a memory box with the date written inside the cover.

Because the book is ready the moment you pay, you can make and print it on Christmas Eve. Wrap the printed book with a ribbon, or read it straight from a tablet at bedtime and print it later. Not made yours yet? Preview your child's book free and see the whole story.

Yes. Choose Fit to page in the print dialog; the pages scale slightly and keep a small margin.

Thirteen sheets printed single-sided: one for the cover and one for each of the 12 story pages.