Print your own recipe book
Print the family recipes as a book, from one copy. A spiral book stays open on the counter; a paperback or hardcover is the one to give away.
See the products- From one copy, no minimum
- Spiral book lies flat open
- Preview before you pay
Three bindings for a cookbook
Lies flat and stays open on the counter.
Light, up to 200 pages: a copy for each family member.
Sturdy, for giving and keeping, up to 400 pages.
Everything we print: books, wall art, mugs, calendars and more.
Making a recipe book
Collecting the recipes takes longer than the layout. Give it a few weeks.
- 1
Collect the recipes
Send the family one message with a deadline and a fixed format: dish, who it's from, servings, ingredients, steps.
- 2
Scan handwritten cards
Scan them at 300 dpi, or photograph them flat in daylight from straight above. Type the recipe out next to the scan, so it's readable at the stove.
- 3
Fix vague quantities
Turn "a cup of flour" and "bake until done" into grams, millilitres, oven temperature and time. Note whether it's a fan oven.
- 4
Lay out and export a PDF
Use Word, Canva, InDesign or our template below, with 3 mm bleed. A paperback or hardcover needs a separate cover PDF at the size on the product page. A spiral book doesn't: the first and last pages of your PDF are the covers.
- 5
Order one copy first
Cook from it for a week, fix what you find, then order the rest.
Free recipe book layout
The spiral book's 24 pages at the size we print: a cover, then spreads with the recipe on the left and room for a photo on the right, with the spiral side kept free. Use it as a guide or fill it in directly.
Recipe page layout
One recipe per spread works best: photo on one page, recipe on the other. Don't let a recipe run onto the back of a page.
Ingredients in a narrow column on the left, in the order you use them. Numbered steps on the right. Servings, oven temperature and time in the same spot at the top of every page.
Set the steps in at least 11 pt and keep text 10 mm from the edges, a bit more on the binding side. An index by ingredient at the back helps more than a table of contents.
Number of pages
With one recipe per spread, count two pages per recipe plus 8 to 12 for the cover page, contents, chapter pages and index.
10
- Pages (approx.)
- 28
- Bindings
- All
25
- Pages (approx.)
- 60
- Bindings
- All, every size
45
- Pages (approx.)
- 100
- Bindings
- Spiral book, paperback, hardcover
70
- Pages (approx.)
- 150
- Bindings
- Spiral book in A4 portrait, paperback, hardcover
100+
- Pages (approx.)
- 210+
- Bindings
- Hardcover (up to 400 pages)
A book needs at least 24 pages. A spiral book goes up to 100 pages in most sizes and 160 in A4 portrait.
Which binding for a recipe book
- You cook from it every weekSpiral bookIt stays open without a weight and folds all the way round, so it takes little room on the counter.
- A copy for every family memberPaperbackThe lightest per copy. Up to 50 copies in one order.
- A gift for a wedding or a big birthdayHardcoverLooks like a book from a shop and lasts for years on a shelf. All bindings compared.
Food photos at home
Daylight from the side
Put the plate by a window, kitchen lights off, no flash. Mixed light makes food look yellow or grey.
Angle
Shoot flat dishes like pizza or salad from above, tall ones like cake or drinks from the side.
Resolution
A full A5 page with bleed needs about 1820 × 2550 pixels. Phone photos have that; photos sent through chat apps often don't.
Not every recipe needs a photo
The scanned recipe card or a photo of the cook works just as well.
How it works
Upload your file
Choose a product, a size and options, and add your PDF or photo. We check it right away and show you a preview, before you pay.
We print it
We print your order in the Netherlands on the paper or material you chose, from a single piece. No minimum order, no account needed.
We bring it to your door
We ship it to every country of the EU, with tracking. The checkout shows the delivery date for your address.
Questions
What does a printed recipe book cost?
What size should a recipe book be?
Can I add recipes later and print a new edition?
More ideas and guides
All ideas and guidesBook binding types explained
Book binding types compared: perfect binding, case binding, layflat, wire-O and saddle stitch. Page counts, which ones lie flat, cover files and prices.
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Print the family recipes
Upload your PDF, see the price and a preview, and order from one copy.