Book Sizes & Print-on-Demand
Date: March 4, 2026 Status: Implemented (size preview), pricing passthrough pending
Overview
Say It Now supports multiple book sizes from two print-on-demand vendors. Book owners can preview their tribute book at different sizes and select their preferred format before downloading the PDF or ordering a printed copy.
Featured Sizes (Curated)
These 6 sizes represent the Q2-Q3 of popular photo book sizes — the sweet spot that covers most customer preferences:
| Size | Dimensions | Vendor | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Trade | 6 x 9" | Lulu | Most popular standard book size |
| Small Square | 7 x 7" | Blurb | Compact photo book |
| Standard Portrait | 8 x 10" | Blurb | #1 most popular photo book size |
| Square | 8.5 x 8.5" | Lulu | Photo book sweet spot |
| Standard Landscape | 10 x 8" | Blurb | Photo-heavy books |
| US Letter | 8.5 x 11" | Lulu | Full-page format (default) |
Full Vendor Catalogs
Lulu (Primary Vendor)
Standard Books:
| Name | Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Pocket Book | 4.25 x 6.875" |
| Novella | 5 x 8" |
| Digest | 5.5 x 8.5" |
| US Trade | 6 x 9" |
| Royal | 6.14 x 9.21" |
| Executive | 7 x 10" |
| Crown Quarto | 7.44 x 9.68" |
| US Letter | 8.5 x 11" |
| A5 | 5.83 x 8.27" |
| A4 | 8.27 x 11.69" |
| Comic Book | 6.625 x 10.25" |
Photo Books / Lookbooks:
| Name | Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Small Square | 7.5 x 7.5" |
| Square | 8.5 x 8.5" |
| Small Landscape | 9 x 7" |
| US Letter Landscape | 11 x 8.5" |
| A4 Landscape | 11.69 x 8.27" |
Blurb (Secondary Vendor — Premium Photo Quality)
| Name | Dimensions |
|---|---|
| Mini Square | 5 x 5" |
| Small Square | 7 x 7" |
| Standard Portrait | 8 x 10" |
| Standard Landscape | 10 x 8" |
| Large Format Landscape | 13 x 11" |
| Large Square | 12 x 12" |
Note: Lulu does NOT offer 5x7. The closest Lulu sizes are 5x8 (Novella) and 5.5x8.5 (Digest).
Pricing
Lulu — Dynamic Pricing via API
Lulu has a real-time pricing endpoint: POST /print-job-cost-calculations/
- Returns exact print + shipping cost for any book configuration
- No need to create a print job first
- Parameters:
pod_package_id(encodes size, paper, binding),page_count,quantity,shipping_address - Response includes: product cost, shipping cost (by method), fees, tax
Typical costs (50-page color book):
| Format | Paperback | Hardcover |
|---|---|---|
| 6x9" | ~$8-12 | ~$15-20 |
| 8.5x11" | ~$12-15 | ~$20-27 |
Plus $4-6 US shipping.
Blurb — No Pricing API
- No documented real-time pricing endpoint
- Would require a static price table or contacting Blurb for custom API access
- Generally 2-3x more expensive than Lulu but higher photo quality
Payment Flow
Neither vendor supports direct customer-to-vendor payment. The model is always:
Customer → Stripe (us) → Vendor (auto-charged)
- Lulu: Store a credit card in developer account, auto-charges per print job. Fully white-label.
- Blurb: Same model — orders charged to stored card.
We collect payment via Stripe, pay the vendor separately, keep the margin.
Implementation
What's Built
- Size config (
src/lib/book-sizes.ts) — Full Lulu + Blurb catalogs with 6 featured sizes - Database —
books.book_sizecolumn (defaults tolulu_us_letter) - Dashboard — Size dropdown on book detail page + "Compare Sizes" link
- Size preview page (
/dashboard/{bookId}/sizes) — Proportional mockups with on-demand PDF preview - PDF generation — Dynamic page sizing with proportional scaling of fonts, padding, and photos
What's Next
- Lulu API integration for real-time pricing at checkout
- Print order flow (submit PDF to Lulu, handle fulfillment)
- Blurb pricing table (static, if no API access)
- Bleed/margin specs per vendor for print-ready PDFs
Key Decision: Why Not 5x7?
Lulu's closest sizes to 5x7 are Novella (5x8) and Digest (5.5x8.5). Blurb doesn't offer 5x7 either. The 5x7 format is common for photo prints but not standard for bound books in the POD industry.