Square book printing
Square books suit photos, picture books and art. We print 14 × 14, 21 × 21 and 30 × 30 cm, as a hardcover, paperback, photo book or layflat.
See sizes and prices- 01
- Three square sizes
- 02
- Layflat for spreads without a gutter
- 03
- From one copy
Every size and price
Prices for one piece, including VAT. Books with the fewest pages; more pages cost a little extra per page.
- Hardcover book 14 × 14 cm · Square140 × 140 mm · 24–200 pagesfrom€19.99
- Hardcover book 21 × 21 cm · Square210 × 210 mm · 24–400 pagesfrom€19.99
- Hardcover book 30 × 30 cm · Square300 × 300 mm · 24–400 pagesfrom€29.99
- Photo book 21 × 21 cm · Square210 × 210 mm · 24–400 pagesfrom€20.76
- Photo book 30 × 30 cm · Square300 × 300 mm · 24–400 pagesfrom€25.53
- Lay-flat photo book 21 × 21 cm · Square210 × 210 mm · 24–140 pagesfrom€29.99
- Lay-flat photo book 30 × 30 cm · Square300 × 300 mm · 24–140 pagesfrom€34.99
- Paperback book 21 × 21 cm · Square210 × 210 mm · 24–200 pagesfrom€14.99
- Paperback book 30 × 30 cm · Square300 × 300 mm · 24–200 pagesfrom€17.99
- Magazine 21 × 21 cm · Square210 × 210 mm · 24–60 pagesfrom€7.49
- Spiral-bound book 21 × 21 cm · Square210 × 210 mm · 24–104 pagesfrom€9.49
Square books you can print

Heavy gloss or matte photo paper, 21 or 30 cm.

Thick pages that open flat, so a photo can cross the spread.

A hard cover in 14, 21 or 30 cm.

A soft cover, for a lighter picture book or catalogue.
14, 21 or 30 cm
14 × 14 cm
Best for: A baby book, poems or quotes
Good to know
- Fits in a coat pocket
- A hardcover on standard paper
Keep in mind
- Small photos lose detail
- Up to 200 pages
21 × 21 cm
Best for: Most photo books and picture books
Good to know
- Every binding, even spiral and stapled
- A phone photo fills a page sharply
Keep in mind
- Group photos get small on half a page
30 × 30 cm
Best for: Wedding albums, art and travel
Good to know
- A spread is 60 cm wide
- Photos close to print size
Keep in mind
- Heavy with many pages
- Needs sharper photos
- Too tall for most shelves
What a 48-page square book costs
One copy, with the least expensive cover and paper.
Paperback
- 14 × 14 cm
- -
- 21 × 21 cm
- from €23.39
- 30 × 30 cm
- from €34.55
Hardcover
- 14 × 14 cm
- from €27.91
- 21 × 21 cm
- from €27.19
- 30 × 30 cm
- from €42.23
Photo book (heavy paper)
- 14 × 14 cm
- -
- 21 × 21 cm
- from €31.56
- 30 × 30 cm
- from €44.73
Layflat
- 14 × 14 cm
- -
- 21 × 21 cm
- from €46.07
- 30 × 30 cm
- from €61.63
Photo book or layflat explains the difference between the two.
Pixels for a square page
Including 3 mm bleed on each side. A spread is two pages side by side, for a photo across the middle.
14 × 14 cm
- One page, 300 dpi
- 1724 × 1724
- One page, 150 dpi
- 862 × 862
- Spread, 300 dpi
- 3378 × 1724
- Spread, 150 dpi
- 1689 × 862
21 × 21 cm
- One page, 300 dpi
- 2551 × 2551
- One page, 150 dpi
- 1276 × 1276
- Spread, 300 dpi
- 5031 × 2551
- Spread, 150 dpi
- 2516 × 1276
30 × 30 cm
- One page, 300 dpi
- 3614 × 3614
- One page, 150 dpi
- 1807 × 1807
- Spread, 300 dpi
- 7157 × 3614
- Spread, 150 dpi
- 3579 × 1807
A 12-megapixel phone photo (4032 × 3024 px) cropped square fills a 21 cm page at about 355 dpi and a 30 cm page at about 250 dpi. Across a 30 cm spread it's about 170 dpi, enough for a landscape but soft for faces.
Photos on square pages
Cropping
Cameras shoot 3:2 and phones 4:3, so filling a square page cuts off a third or a quarter. Crop on purpose, or place the photo with a white border.
The middle of a spread
In a glued book the middle curves into the spine. Keep faces and text on one side, or choose layflat.
Panoramas
A spread is 2:1, the shape of a phone panorama. Save your widest photos for the spreads.
A square picture book
Picture books are often 32 pages.
- 1
Plan in spreads
A child sees two pages at once. Sketch 14 or 15 spreads plus a title page, then fit the story to them.
- 2
Font size
16 to 20 pt for reading aloud, 18 to 24 pt for children who read on their own.
- 3
Margins
Keep text at least 10 mm from the trim and 15 mm from the spine.
- 4
Scan drawings at 300 dpi
At their size in the book, or higher if you drew them smaller than the page.
- 5
Size and binding
A hardcover lasts longest. Choose 21 × 21 cm for reading on a lap, 14 × 14 cm for a baby. More ideas in making a baby book.
Mistakes we see in square books
- A PDF made in A4 or 4:3. We fill the square, so part of each page is cut off.
- A cover the size of a page. A hardcover cover wraps round the board with 19 mm bleed, so use the cover size from the product page.
- Photos saved from chats or social media in a 30 cm book. They are compressed and print soft.
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 size is a square photo book?
What resolution do I need for a 30 × 30 cm photo book?
Can a photo go across two pages?
Is a square book more expensive than A4?
What does a square picture book cost?
More ideas and guides
All ideas and guidesPhoto book or layflat: which one do your photos need?
Photo book vs layflat: what the gutter does to photos across two pages, prices at 40 and 100 pages, the sizes of each and how to set up a layflat file.
Paperback or hardcover: which one fits your book?
Paperback vs hardcover: page counts, paper choice, cover files and example prices at the same size. Both printed from your PDF, from a single copy.
A5 book printing
A5 book printing from one copy: paperback, hardcover, spiral or layflat. A5 next to trade sizes, font sizes, page counts and setting up your PDF.
A4 book printing
A4 book printing from one copy: a thesis, report, cookbook or photo book. Thesis tips, prices per page count, pixel sizes and bleed for 210 × 297 mm.
A photo book of your baby's first year
Make a photo book of your baby's first year: a photo a month, the milestones and what you want to remember. Plus a birth tile and a calendar for grandparents.
Print one copy of a book
Print one copy of a book: a proof, a gift or your thesis. No minimum order and no account. See the price right away and a preview before you pay.
Print your square book
Upload your PDF and see every spread and the price right away.




