The PDF to colour: what's inside and how to print it well

IBBy Ilan BinistiCo-founder, Memory Pencil

The same personalised book, delivered as a PDF instead of a bound book. What the file contains, how to print it at home, and why it's the simplest way to test before ordering the book.

Not everyone wants to wait for a book in the mail, or to commit to an object before seeing how it turns out. The digital version answers that: it's the same personalised colouring book, delivered as a PDF to download, right after payment. Here's exactly what you get and what you can do with it.

What the file contains

A complete PDF, in book order: the cover, then for each photo a colour keepsake page and the same image as an outline to colour. No watermark, no cut-down version. The rendering is tuned for screen and for home printing, with the same editorial care as the bound book. Every page is reviewed before it's delivered, exactly like the physical album: no distorted face or broken line gets through.

How long until you get it

A few minutes. As soon as you pay, your illustrations are generated and the PDF is assembled automatically, with no manufacturing or carrier in between. You receive an email with the download link and access to your tracking space. That's the whole point of digital: no print delay, no parcel.

How to print it at home

If you want to colour on paper, print the outline pages on slightly heavier paper (120 gsm if your printer takes it), single-sided so markers don't bleed through. Coloured pencils, water-based markers and pastels all work well. For alcohol markers, slip a sheet under the page you're working on. And if you'd rather have a real bound book, the digital file works as a preview before you order it.

The way in, not the cheap option

The digital version isn't a discount album: it's a first step. You see how your photos render once transformed, you keep the file forever, and you have 30 days to move up to the printed book if the object tempts you. The book then reuses the illustrations already created, with nothing regenerated, and you keep the PDF on top.

What it costs

The price depends on the number of photos, with no shipping fee since there's nothing to ship: £5.99 for 6 photos, £9.99 for 12 photos, £16.99 for 24 photos. Formats and ordering are laid out on the digital colouring book page. The same choice exists for personalised colour by number, if you'd rather follow numbered zones than fill an outline freely.

Digital is the album without the wait: you see how your photos turn out right away, and you keep the option of the book.