Print My Genealogy

Keep in mind that the above sizes are the finished sizes of the book. The final size of the trimmed text will be approximately 1/8” smaller on the top, bottom and outside than the finished book sizes above. For instance, an 8.5 x 11” finished book would have a text block size of 8 3/8” x 10 3/4”. If your book is not one of these standard sizes, or if the text you upload does not fit one of these standard sizes, please read the next few frequently asked questions.

Can my book be oblong or landscape?

Oblong or landscape, sometimes called coffee table books (such as 11 x 8.5 or 10 x 8), are available for an additional cost.

Be careful to make sure all text and cover files must be laid out according to the dimensions of the oblong or landscape book. Text would be laid out in “landscape” mode.

Can my book be a different size than standard?

If your printing requirements fall outside of the standard products that are offered contact customer service to discuss your project.

What is the fewest number of books I can order?

Although you can order just one book, order set-up costs will make buying just one book much more expensive. We suggest at least 15-25 books to keep the cost per book lower. Most orders for genealogy books average well over 25 books per order.

What margins do I use?

This is one of the most asked questions yet there is no set answer. Margins usually are anywhere from .5”-1” after the text is trimmed, depending on how much space you want around your text on each page. It’s usually a personal decision based on how you would like the book to look when done.

You set up the default margin on the software you are using before beginning and the margins should be the same on each page. Please keep in mind that the trim size of the text will be slightly smaller than the actual finished size of the book. Approximately 1/8” is trimmed off the top, bottom and outside of the text before it’s bound with the hard cover. Please be sure to take this measurement into consideration when laying out your pages.

Do I want my books to be hardcover or paper back?

Most genealogy and family histories are hardcover due to customers wanting a higher quality finished product for family, friends and other possible collections such as libraries, plus it will last much longer. Paperback books are a less expensive alternative to hardcover books but are not as durable. Your decision may also be based on if the books will be sold, and how many are expected to be sold.

Case bound hardcover books can be either wrapped in cloth and foil stamped on the cover and spine or wrapped with a printed and laminated cover. Hardcover is the most common binding method for genealogy books, cost more than paper back but is much more durable than paperback books.

The minimum spine thickness on a hardcover book is 1/4 “. Although not required we suggest a minimum of 110 pages (55 sheets of paper) to be 1/4 “. Most genealogy books are much thicker than this.

Dust jackets are also available with cloth covers for an additional cost.

Perfect Bound books have pages that are glued and bound into a 12pt printed cover. They are then glued and the cover is wrapped around them. Although there is a minimum number of pages for a perfect bound book, we suggest at least 50 pages for a better binding. If the spine is too thin printing on the spine may be hard to see and may not center exactly during binding.

What paper choices do I have for my text?

We offer multiple standard paper options for genealogy printing. They are:

60# White
60# Off-White
80# Gloss
80# Matte
100# Gloss
100# Matte

These are the most popular paper types used for books and all are available with either hardcover or softcover books. Off-white is sometimes also called vanilla or natural and it has a light beige or cream color. 80# Gloss is a white coated stock that has has a shiny look to it. We can not offer stocks other than those listed above for printing.

What file formats or programs can I use or do you need?

We print from PDF files and prefer you submit print ready PDF files that you provide. PDF (portable document format) files are the standard in the printing industry. You create the PDF file(s) from the software you are using to set up your book. If you are submit files that are not in PDF file format or are not sure how to convert a file to PDF format, please review which file formats we can accept . This area discusses how to convert and what programs to use to convert your file into a PDF file and what other file formats we can accept if you want us to do the conversion. If you submit non-PDF text, cover or dust jacket files, there is an additional cost of $50.00 per file for us to convert them to PDF files.

What options do I have for my book cover?

When we print your genealogy you have two options for your book cover. You can choose from a cloth cover with basic foil type stamping or with custom foil stamping (classic look). The second option is a printed cover. We can print the cover for your book from a file you design (contemporary look). If you need help designing the cover we can help you design your book cover.
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How do I know how to lay out my printed cover or dust jacket?

We provide an online cover and dust jacket template. If you are designing your own cover or dust jacket, you will need to use our cover and dust jacket template to help you layout the cover or just jacket to the correct size before sending the file to us.

Simply enter the information in the template and print the template. Sizes and layout for your cover or just jacket will be on the printed template.

Can I use web art or my website design for my book cover?

You can use art from your website but keep in mind that file requirements for publishing on the web is much different than publishing in print. Web publishing requires photos and graphics at only 72dpi.

The art from your website would need to be provided to us in a much higher resolution than was probably used for the website. Graphics and photos at 300dpi should be provided for printing. If you have the original art from the website in a high resolution version, we probably will be able to use that. However, if all you have is the low resolution web version, we can print it, but you probably will not be happy with the quality that is output.

Can I have color and black and white pages in my book?

Pages are printed in ALL black and white or in ALL color.

What if I have special instructions or questions when placing an order?

Please let the customer service representative you are placing the order with know at the time of ordering about any special instructions or questions.

How long does it take to print my books?

If you need your order faster than our normal production and shipping time you may request RUSH processing. There is an additional charge of 25% of the order total for RUSH processing. If you are ordering hardcover books, RUSH processing will be two weeks instead of the normal 3-4 weeks. Paperback books will be one week instead of the normal 2-3 weeks. Sample production time is in addition to this time.

How will my order be shipped?

Most orders in the continental United States are shipped via common carrier (UPS or FedEx). Faster one- or two-day shipping is available for an additional cost.

Are RUSH orders available?

If you need your order faster than our normal production and shipping time you may request RUSH shipping. There are additional charges for RUSH shipping.

What is bleed and when would I use it?

Bleed is when the printed image extends to the edge of the page. We print your text on paper that is trimmed down during the binding process. If you require that the printed image extends to the edge, make sure the image extends beyond the trim size by 1/8″. That extra 1/8″ is what we refer to as bleed and is used to ensure that we don’t have any unprinted portion of the sheet showing on the finished book.

What’s the difference between offset printing and digital printing?

Traditional offset printing uses ink, has much higher initial set up costs. These set-up costs usually require higher quantities and much higher initial investment to keep the cost per book lower.

Digital printing fuses toner to the paper at high temperatures and has extremely high quality but allows for much lower set up costs, much smaller initial quantities and reprint quantities. Digital printing can be done from 1 to 500-1000 books at affordable costs. Our specialized short run printing and binding process allows you to print and publish your book at lower quantities, lower overall costs and a lower initial investment.

How do I send my files?

Files can be sent to us in several ways.

1) If files happen to be too large to email they can be uploaded through our ftp site . Contact us at sales@printmygenealogy.com.

2) Send files to us on CD or USB drive.

3) Email files (only available to files under 20mb) and only one file per email and they MUST be in PDF format.

Unless it is a single, smaller file, emailing files is not an efficient way of sending files due to file sizes, formats and email filters. Options 1 or 2 are preferred.

How do I get my book copyrighted?

Under U.S. copyright law, your work is protected as soon as you put it to paper. Copyright is based on your creative authorship. Registration with the U.S. Copyright Office is not required but is beneficial. It isn’t dependent on any formal agreement with a publisher, publishing company or organization. Copyright Registration provides a higher security and confidence when it comes to protecting your work. When you register your work with the U.S. Copyright office, you create a public record of your authorship and work. Even though you are protected from the moment you start writing, you’ll need to register your work with the Copyright Office to be officially recognized as the copyright holder in a court of law. Visit the copyright website of the Library of Congress at https://www.copyright.gov/ for more information, details and how to apply for a copyright.

You can also contact the Library of Congress at:
C.I.P. Division
Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20540-4320
Telephone: (202) 707-6372
Web Site: https://www.copyright.gov/

Costs start at $35 (costs may vary) and additional costs may apply. Visit the Library of Congress website for more information. Applying to the Library of Congress for a copyright may delay the final production of your book until the copyright has been issued and print files updated and submitted. Copyright information and/or the Library of Congress number could be added to a second printing of your book for a small additional cost.

What’s an ISBN number and where can I get one?

You can have a 13 digit ISBN (International Standard Book Number) issued for your book. This is the number and sometimes bar codes you see on the back cover and title pages of books you purchase. An ISBN number is optional. If you want it on your book you can purchase and provide us the number and barcode or we can provide this number and a barcode for an additional cost. Although it is not required, an ISBN number uniquely identifies your book. It also allows for more efficient marketing of your book to libraries, universities and other areas of distribution. If you publish different versions of the same book, such as a paper back and a hardcover, each would require different ISBN numbers. However, if you are only going to give your book to friends or family, you may not want an ISBN number.

For more information on ISBN numbers or if you would like to obtain and provide your own ISBN number(s) and barcodes to us, please contact R.R. Bowker at https://www.isbn.org/ , for more information.

How do I pay for my order?

All orders are paid for when the order is placed. Orders can be paid using Visa, Mastercard, American Express or Discover however please note credit cards are subject to the current convenience fee. You may also mail a check or money order if you would prefer.

Can I get the PDF files used for printing returned to me?

The answer is yes. The cost is $25.00 per file. This cost applies to any file of yours we would burn to a CD including PDF files we converted from non-PDF files you submitted or PDF files you submitted. The final version of each file used for printed would be burned and sent to you. The cost includes the CD, burning the files, and standard shipping to you.

I’m not ready to print my book yet. I need help indexing, designing or laying out my text for my book. What do I do?

You have all the information, but haven’t or can’t put it all together in book form, or you need help laying out, indexing or designing the text. Contact us. We have relationships with excellent professional companies that specialize in designing, indexing and publishing genealogy books. Their expertise can help you go from just research and information to a well planned and organized file.

If you need their help, they can help you eliminate the work and confusion that can occur putting everything together by walking you through each step and working with you to create your lasting legacy. You would work with them directly. The costs for their services are additional and are not included in the printing and binding costs shown on this site. They would provide us the print ready files so that we may complete the printing and binding of your book.