Webinars

From Manuscript to Market: The Complete Guide to Printing a Profitable Board Book

Name: From Manuscript to Market: The Complete Guide to Printing a Profitable Board Book
Uploaded: 2026-09-23T00:00:00-05:00
Duration: 1 h 1 min 7 s
Description: MCRL and Children's Book Mastery take a board book from manuscript to market: story format, trim size, manufacturing choices and profitability.

The complete guide to printing a profitable board book

Lori McKnight of MCRL and Karen Ferreira of Children’s Book Mastery take a board book from first idea to finished copy, in this session for the Women in Publishing Summit.

Board books Story format Trim size Manufacturing Profitability

Request a Quote Request a Sample

Bookstore-Quality Offset Printing

All-In Quotes - No Surprises

Eco-Friendly Materials

Offices in North America & Asia

From manuscript to a finished board book

Key takeaways

Keep the text short and the fonts large. The illustrations carry the story for very young readers.
Use one concept, or a few woven together and repeated on every page.
Plan to a standard, printable trim size from the start. A non-standard size costs more or cannot be printed.
Board books need specialised equipment and materials, so manufacturing choices shape both cost and profit.

Read the full breakdown

This webinar was recorded for the Women in Publishing Summit, sponsored by MCRL Overseas Group and Children’s Book Mastery. Karen Ferreira, an award-winning creative director, illustrator and founder of Children’s Book Mastery, covers the story side. Lori McKnight, who leads marketing at MCRL and Boardbookprinting.com, covers the printing side.

Karen’s list of the mistakes she sees most is worth the watch on its own: too much text crammed onto a page, fonts that are too small, too many concepts that jump from page to page, illustrations that are too busy for a baby to read, and a trim size chosen for looks rather than for printing. Her rule of thumb is clear, simple, bright artwork with one focal point, sized for little hands.

The second half turns to manufacturing. A board book is not just a book on thicker paper: it needs specialised board, equipment and setup, and the decisions made early (size, page count, finishes, quantity) are the ones that decide whether the finished book is affordable to print and profitable to sell.

Common Questions

What are the most common board book mistakes?

Too much text, fonts that are too small, too many unrelated concepts, overly complex illustrations and a trim size that is not standard for printing. Each one is covered in the webinar with an example.

Why can’t every printer print a board book?

Board books are not simply thicker paper. They need specialised board, equipment and setup, which is why it pays to talk to a board book printer before you finalise your artwork.

When should I choose my board book’s trim size?

Before the illustrations and layout are done. Designing to a standard printable size avoids redoing artwork later, and board books should stay small enough for little hands to hold.

Who presents this webinar?

Karen Ferreira of Children’s Book Mastery and Lori McKnight of MCRL Overseas Group and Boardbookprinting.com, for the Women in Publishing Summit.