8 Best Print on Demand Coloring Books Platforms in 2026

Coloring books are having a moment. If you're a creator or small business owner, that steady demand is a real opportunity — and you don't need a warehouse to tap into it.

Print on demand coloring books let you design a book, upload it, and only pay when someone orders. No inventory. No upfront printing costs. Just your ideas and a platform that handles the rest.

Below, you'll find eight of the best options for 2026, with the details you need to choose the one that fits your niche and your budget.

Key Takeaways

Why Print on Demand Works for Coloring Books

Coloring books are one of the easiest products to sell through print on demand, and the reason comes down to how simple they are to make. The interior is just black line art on white paper — no color matching, no bleed issues, no expensive proofs. If your file looks clean on screen, it'll print clean too.

The other advantage is niche flexibility. You can test a mandala book this month, a dinosaur book for kids next month, and an adult humor book after that. Each design lives as a file on your computer, so you're not stuck with 500 unsold copies if a theme flops.

Coloring books also age well. A good design from 2022 still sells in 2026, which means your catalog keeps earning while you focus on new ideas. Compare that to trend-based apparel, where last season's graphic is dead weight — coloring books just keep working.

8 Best Print on Demand Coloring Books Platforms

Amazon KDP

Amazon KDP is Amazon's self-publishing platform and the default starting point for most independent coloring book creators.

• Best for: Getting your book in front of Amazon's built-in audience with nothing to pay upfront.
• Pricing snapshot: Free to publish, with a 60% royalty on the list price when you sell on Amazon.
• Paper & binding options: Paperback and hardcover on white or cream uncoated stock. Trim sizes go up to 8.5" x 11", which is what most coloring book buyers expect.
• Trade-offs: Once you publish, the trim size is locked — if you pick wrong, you're starting a new listing from scratch. You'll also need single-sided printing, which doubles your page count.

IngramSpark

IngramSpark is the self-publishing arm of Ingram, the largest book distributor in the US.

• Best for: Anyone who wants their coloring book in bookstores, libraries, or non-Amazon online retailers.
• Pricing snapshot: Title setup is free, but revising your files after publishing costs extra.
• Paper & binding options: Paperback and hardcover, with three color tiers (standard, premium, ultra-premium). The trim size selection is wider than most competitors.
• Trade-offs: The uploader is dated and the review process takes several days. Support is slow to respond. If most of your sales end up on Amazon anyway, you'll earn less per copy than going through KDP directly.

Lulu

Lulu is a print-on-demand book platform built around direct-to-reader sales through your own website or Shopify store.

• Best for: Selling direct through your own website, Shopify store, or the Lulu Bookstore.
• Pricing snapshot: Free to publish. You keep 80% of profits on direct sales and 100% on Lulu Bookstore sales.
• Paper & binding options: Paperback, hardcover, and coil-bound. That last one matters — coil binding lets pages lie flat, which colorists actually notice.
• Trade-offs: Per-copy print costs run higher than KDP, and their extended retail distribution takes a heavy cut. Lulu earns its keep on direct sales, not through third-party retailers.

Blurb

Blurb is a print-on-demand platform that started with photo books and still specializes in premium paper and color reproduction.

• Best for: Coloring books where paper quality and color reproduction are part of the pitch — art books, hybrid projects, or premium editions.
• Pricing snapshot: You keep 100% of profits on Blurb Bookstore sales with no distribution fees.
• Paper & binding options: Trade book, magazine, notebook, and photo book formats — all perfect-bound. Premium paper stocks are what people come here for.
• Trade-offs: No coil binding, and fewer trim sizes than Lulu. Base print costs are steep, so if you're producing straightforward black-line coloring books, the premium finish isn't worth what you'll pay for it.

Gelato

Gelato is a print-on-demand platform that routes each order to whichever of its production partners is closest to the buyer.

• Best for: Sellers with a lot of international customers who want faster shipping.
• Pricing snapshot: Free plan available, with a paid tier that unlocks base-price discounts.
• Paper & binding options: Notebooks, journals, and photo books, printed through local production partners in dozens of countries. Coloring-book-style products fit into the notebook or photo book categories.
• Trade-offs: There's no dedicated coloring book format, so you're working within notebook or photo book specs. Page counts and layouts are more limited than a real book publisher.

PrintKK

PrintKK is a print-on-demand platform built around creative products like paint by numbers kits, diamond painting, and notebooks.

• Best for: Coloring book creators who want a natural upsell — same artwork, same audience, higher price point.
• Pricing snapshot: Free to sign up, no minimum orders, no upfront cost.
• Product options: Your line art can be converted into paint by numbers kits with numbered canvas, paints, and brushes included. Frameless (16"×20") starts at $3.54, framed at $9.28, and DIY diamond painting kits at $4.42.
• Trade-offs: Not a book publisher, but once buyers finish your coloring book, a paint-by-numbers kit of the same illustration is the natural next purchase. Integrates with Shopify, Etsy, and WooCommerce.

Printify

Printify is a print-on-demand marketplace that connects you with hundreds of independent print providers around the world.

• Best for: Turning coloring book designs into a wider merch line — apparel, mugs, wall art, and small accessories.
• Pricing snapshot: Free plan available, with a paid tier for base-cost discounts.
• Paper & binding options: A large catalog across a marketplace of third-party providers. Book formats aren't the strength here; product variety is.
• Trade-offs: Print quality varies from provider to provider, so ordering samples isn't optional — it's how you protect your reviews. When one supplier goes out of stock, you have to reroute orders yourself.

Printful

Printful is a print-on-demand platform that produces most of its products in its own facilities rather than outsourcing to third parties.

• Best for: Creators who care about consistent quality across their merch and are willing to pay a bit more for it.
• Pricing snapshot: Free to start, with a paid plan for volume discounts and extra design tools.
• Paper & binding options: In-house production across apparel, accessories, wall art, and some stationery. Notebooks and journals are available; actual books are not.
• Trade-offs: Base costs run higher than Printify, which tightens your margins. You'll still need KDP or IngramSpark for the coloring book itself — Printful is what wraps around it.

Read More:

• Top 11 Best Print on Demand Embroidery Companies
• 15 Best Custom Ink Alternatives for Print on Demand

How to Choose the Right Platform for Your Business

Eight platforms is a lot to sort through. Instead of weighing each one, run your situation through these five questions. If the same platform keeps coming up, that's your answer.

1. Your sales channel

The platform has to match where you actually plan to sell. KDP makes sense if you're comfortable being an Amazon-first seller. IngramSpark opens the door to bookstores and libraries. Lulu and Blurb are built for direct sales, meaning you bring the traffic through your site or email list. Ask yourself where the first 100 sales will come from — that's your platform.

2. Your book format

Not every platform prints the same kind of book. Standard black-line books work on all four book publishers. For coil binding so pages lie flat, Lulu is your only option here. For premium paper and heavy color, Blurb is built for it but costs more. Pin down the physical product before you pick where to print it.

3. Your budget for mistakes

Every platform is free to sign up, but they punish mistakes differently. IngramSpark charges every time you revise your files. KDP is free to revise but locks in your trim size once you publish. Lulu and the merch platforms let you iterate freely. If this is your first book, pick a platform where mistakes are cheap.

4. Your business shape

Are you publishing one book or building a brand? One book needs one platform — pick a publisher and move on. A brand needs a book platform plus a merch platform. PrintKK works as the second layer for coloring book creators, since your line art converts into paint by numbers kits for the same audience. Printify and Printful cover apparel if that's your direction.

5. Your customer geography

Where your buyers live changes the math. US buyers ship quickly and cheaply through KDP or Lulu. International shipping from the US can cost more than the book itself. Gelato solves this by printing locally in dozens of countries, but you're limited to notebook and photo book formats. Check your existing followers before assuming you need global coverage.

How to Market Your Print on Demand Coloring Books

Publishing your book is the easy part. The hard part is that no one knows it exists. Here are four marketing moves that actually work — and one honest note about what to expect.

1. Show the book being used, not just the cover

Static covers don't sell coloring books. What sells is motion — a time-lapse of a page being colored, a hand hovering with a pencil, a finished spread next to a coffee cup. TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts reward this because it's satisfying to watch. A single 20-second clip can outperform months of flat-lay photos.

2. Treat Pinterest like a search engine

Most creators post to Pinterest like it's Instagram. It isn't. Pinterest works more like Google — pins keep surfacing months after you post them. Create simple pins with a keyword-loaded title ("Floral mandala coloring pages for adults" beats "New book out now"). Post 3-5 pins a week. Slow channel, but it compounds.

3. Give away a free page to build an email list

Repeat buyers are where the real money is, and they don't come from algorithms — they come from your email list. Offer one free coloring page in exchange for an email. When your next book is ready, you're not starting from zero. Free tools like ConvertKit or MailerLite cost nothing until your list grows.

4. Stay in one niche until it's working

New sellers spread themselves thin — a mandala book, then Halloween, then dinosaurs, all in six months. That confuses your audience and Pinterest's algorithm. Pick one theme and release 3-4 books inside it before you branch out. Repeat buyers come from theme consistency.

From Coloring Books to Paint by Numbers with PrintKK

Your coloring book audience already loves slow, screen-free creative time. Paint by numbers is the natural next product — same buyer, higher price, deeper experience. Here's how to turn your art into a kit you can sell.

Upload your design

Start with the line art from your coloring book. Log into PrintKK, pick the Frameless Paint by Numbers Kit for Adults (Horizontal), and upload your image. The canvas is 16"×20", big enough for detail without pushing costs up. No need to redraw — the same file works.

Clean up the art with the AI tool

PrintKK has a built-in AI image tool that sharpens edges, boosts contrast, and gets rough sketches ready for print. Paint by numbers needs clean, closed shapes so the numbering works. The AI cleanup saves you a trip back to Photoshop.

Frameless Paint by Numbers Kit for Adults (Horizontal) - PrintKK

Order one or order a hundred

There's no minimum order. Order a single kit as a gift or run a batch for your store — same per-unit price either way. You can also add a custom logo to the packaging, which turns each kit into a branded product for your coloring book series.

Expand beyond kits when you're ready

The same account gives you T-shirts, hoodies, and aprons — all printable with your coloring book art. Do a one-off shirt for a superfan or a small drop for your email list. You only pay when a customer orders.

Expert Tips

Each platform in this guide fits a different kind of seller — KDP if you want Amazon reach, IngramSpark for bookstores, Lulu for selling on your own site, and Blurb when paper quality matters.

Start with one book platform that fits where you'll actually sell. Add a second when the first book starts moving. Pick a niche you genuinely like, keep marketing steady, and give it time. The buyers are out there — you just need to keep showing up.

FAQs

Is print on demand worth it for coloring books?

Yes, if your expectations are realistic. POD removes the two biggest risks — upfront printing costs and unsold inventory. Copies only get printed when someone orders. The trade-off is lower per-copy margins. For a first book, POD is the right start. Once you're selling hundreds a month, bulk printing makes more sense.

Where can I print my own coloring books?

The main platforms are Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, Lulu, and Blurb. KDP reaches Amazon buyers. IngramSpark handles bookstores and libraries. Lulu is best for direct sales through your own site. Blurb suits premium paper and art-book projects. Pick based on where you plan to sell.

How much does it cost to print and ship a POD coloring book?

It depends on trim size, page count, and platform. A standard 8.5" x 11" black-and-white book runs a couple of dollars per copy. Color or hardcover costs more. Shipping is separate. Most creators forget that coloring books need single-sided printing to prevent marker bleed — a 40-design book counts as 80 pages, which roughly doubles your cost.

What types of coloring books sell best?

Adult coloring books outsell kids' books by a wide margin. Mandalas, florals, and stress-relief themes are evergreen. Trending styles shift year to year — cottagecore, stained glass, and affirmation themes are strong right now. Seasonal editions supplement a main catalog well. Narrow beats broad — a "coloring book for cat owners" will outsell a generic "relaxation coloring book."