Book Printing for Australia

At Ken the Book Printer, we are a book printing and importing company based in California, United States. We work exclusively with our partnered printing plant in China, focusing only on book printing and binding. While our main market is in North America, we also ship internationally, including to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and regional Australia.

Why Australians Choose Us

  • Lower total cost: Compare to most local quotes (even after shipping).
  • Publisher-grade quality: offset printing + Smyth-sewn binding.
  • Full finishes: lamination, cloth, foil, dust jackets, slipcases.
  • Built for volume: reliable production for 250–5,000 copies.

Our main clients are self-publishers, small presses, and businesses looking for print runs between 250 and 5,000 copies. This market is too large for local Print on Demand (POD) companies to handle cost-effectively, but not big enough to justify sourcing directly from large printing factories. At Ken the Book Printer, we bridge that gap. With years of experience handeling book files, working closely with our partnered plant, and managing international logistics, we greatly reduce the risks that usually come with printing at volume.

For a step-by-step view of how we handle production and delivery, check out our workflow page.

Coffee table art book open to a spread showcasing surfing photography at sea Surfing captured in a vivid coffee table book spread.

What We Ship Most to Australia

  • Children’s books
    Picture books and sturdy board books printed with quality paper and durable laminations. Larger runs are often more cost-effective and longer-lasting than local POD.
  • Art and coffee table books
    We run a dedicated artbook production line with tailored specifications for premium coated papers, vivid photo reproduction, and a gallery-quality finish. An ideal choice for artists and photographers when local POD falls short.
  • Travel and tourism books
    Full-colour photography showcasing landscapes, wildlife, and destinations, with consistent colour across hundreds of pages.
  • Catalogs and specialty titles
    Catalogs, architecture books, and academic titles that need strong Smyth-sewn binding, thicker papers, or finishes like foil and cloth.
  • Corporate and business books
    Anniversary editions, branded histories, internal reports, and company booklets often need higher quality and larger runs than POD can handle. Offset printing delivers professional results in an economical way.

Ordering a Sample

You can order a sample before starting full production. Samples are shipped by air, with about one week for production and another 10 days for delivery.

We provide two types of samples. The cost is $120(AUD 180) each, $180(AUD 270) combo. More details here.

  • A full book printed on a digital press
  • An actual offset production sheet
Offset printed sample sheet before trimming, prepared for mailing to clients Offset sample sheet, will be trimmed and mailed to client
Boxes of printed books delivered to the customer doorstep Books delivered to the customer’s door.

From Factory to Your Door

We handle the full journey from our partner plant in China, whether you choose air, ocean, or a combination of both. We regularly deliver to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, and many regional areas. In most cases, your address will be serviceable, but we recommend checking with us in advance to confirm that delivery is available for your location.

Air Freight (10–15 days)

  • Shipped by UPS, FedEx, or DHL with direct delivery
  • Carrier contacts you to pay duty/GST online before delivery
  • Live tracking is provided once the shipment departs.

Standard Ocean Freight (30–40 days)

  • Shared-container sea freight from our China factory
  • Customs and duties handled by our logistics partner (included in our fee)
  • After unpacking in Australia, UPS/FedEx completes final delivery
  • Estimated docking date is given once the ship departs, and UPS or FedEx tracking updates after customs pickup.

Split Shipment

You can ship part of your order by air for speed and send the rest by sea to save cost. For example, 50 copies by air for launch and the remaining by sea. Since air freight is usually about three times the cost of sea, splitting gives you a balance of fast delivery and budget savings.

GST and Import Tax for Australia

  • General rule
    A 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) applies to all imports. Books are duty-free under HS Code 4901 (printed books) and HS Code 4903 (children’s picture books), so GST is usually the only tax.
  • How GST is calculated
    GST is based on the import value declared at customs, not what you pay us. The calculation uses the commercial invoice from our China plant plus shipping and insurance.
    Because we work directly with our partnered factory, the invoice amount declared at customs reflects our partner rate. Since GST is calculated on that declared value, this structure helps reduce the tax you pay compared to arranging printing and shipping on your own.
  • Physical samples
    The GST amount is minimal because the declared value is low. Samples are shipped by air, and the courier (UPS, FedEx, or DHL) collects GST directly from the recipient before delivery.
  • Air shipments
    The courier clears customs, pays GST, and then invoices the recipient for GST plus a clearance fee before delivery.
  • Ocean shipments
    Books travel in a shared container. Our logistics partner acts as the importer of record, clears customs, and pays the GST. We then move the books to our warehouse and hand them to UPS or FedEx for final delivery. This means you don’t have to do anything. The books arrive like a regular domestic shipment, and the quoted shipping cost already includes GST and clearance fees.