How to print a cookbook

Once your cookbook is finished, you can print it at home, take the PDF to a copy shop, or upload it to an online book printer like Lulu or Blurb. RecipePrinter gives you the files for each option; it doesn't print or ship books itself.

A finished hardcover family cookbook lying open on a counter, a full-page photo facing the typed recipe.

From finished cookbook to printed book

1
Finish the cookbook
Build the book in RecipePrinter: organize recipes into chapters, add a cover, and review everything before exporting. The table of contents is built for you.
2
Choose where it will be printed
Print it yourself, take the file to a copy shop, or use an online book printer such as Lulu or Blurb. The right choice depends on the binding and finish you want.
3
Download the files
RecipePrinter prepares a print-ready PDF for the option you choose. Home and copy-shop printing use one file; Lulu and Blurb also take a separate cover file.
4
Print, or upload and order
Print the PDF at home, send it to a local printer, or upload the files to the printing service and order your copies.

On your own printer

Printing at home is the simplest way to print your own cookbook as a binder or loose pages. RecipePrinter exports one US Letter PDF, with the cover as its first page.

Put the pages in a three-ring binder or sheet protectors, or take the stack to a copy shop later if you decide you want it bound.

A Honey Garlic Salmon Stir Fry Noodles recipe saved as a PDF file.

At a copy shop

A copy shop can print the same US Letter PDF and bind it for you. It's an easy way to get a spiral or coil-bound cookbook that lies flat on the counter.

At a copy shop such as Staples, upload the PDF through the shop's website or bring the file in, then choose the paper and binding. Copy shops bind documents, so ask about the bindings yours offers; hardcovers come from a book printer.

A finished spiral-bound cookbook open to a Greek chicken souvlaki recipe and full-page food photograph.

With Lulu

Lulu prints books to order, including coil-bound and hardcover cookbooks. Choose Lulu when you export, and RecipePrinter sizes the pages for the Lulu format you pick.

Lulu takes the cover as its own file. Upload the pages to Lulu first, copy the cover dimensions and spine width it shows you into RecipePrinter, and download a cover made to those numbers. Then finish the order with Lulu, which prints and ships it.

With Blurb

Blurb is another printer for professionally made books. RecipePrinter can prepare an 8 × 10 hardcover export for Blurb's PDF upload.

The cover is a separate file so it can match the dimensions Blurb gives you for that specific book. Enter them in RecipePrinter, download the cover, and finish the order with Blurb.

“I’ve been working on making a cookbook in Canva for 10 months, and was able to do it on RecipePrinter in less than a week!”

Lacey

Cookbook printing questions

Where should I print my cookbook?

Print at home if you want the simplest way to print a recipe book, or plan to use a binder. Use a copy shop for an easy spiral or coil-bound book. Use an online book printer such as Lulu or Blurb for a hardcover or a professionally made book to give as a gift.

What size will the cookbook be?

It depends on the printing option you choose at export. Home, copy-shop, and Lulu books are US Letter (8.5 × 11 inches), in coil or hardcover with Lulu. The Blurb hardcover is 8 × 10 inches.

Why is the cover a separate file for Lulu and Blurb?

A bound book's cover wraps around the front, the spine, and the back, and the spine's width depends on the number of pages. Book printers take the cover as its own file for that reason, and RecipePrinter makes it to the measurements the printer gives you.

What does edge to edge mean for photos?

Edge to edge means a photo reaches all the way to the trimmed edge of the page instead of keeping a white border. Printers need the image to run slightly past the trim line so small cutting differences don't leave a white sliver. That extra image area is called bleed. Standard photos keep a border, so any printer can print all of them.

Does RecipePrinter print and ship the book?

No. RecipePrinter builds the cookbook and gives you the files to print it. Print at home, or send the files to a copy shop or an online book printer, which handles the printing and delivery.

How much does it cost?

There are two costs. Exporting the cookbook from RecipePrinter is $19.99, paid once per cookbook. Printing is separate and depends on where you print, the binding, page count, paper, and number of copies.

Can I print more copies later, or fix something first?

Yes. You can go back to the cookbook, make changes, and export it again, so you can fix a typo or add a recipe before ordering another copy. Keep the files to print more copies whenever you like.

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