Coloring is an activity that requires focus but not necessarily advanced skills. Traditionally designed for children, coloring books have now expanded to audiences of all ages. The repetitive act of coloring can be both relaxing and creatively fulfilling, which is why more young adults—especially those with disposable income but high daily stress—are embracing coloring books as a form of stress relief. Whether you’re selling coloring books on Amazon or planning to create customized editions for your own bookstore, understanding the different customization options will help you choose the right product for your needs.
Coloring Book for Kids
The core design philosophy of children’s coloring books is safety, early learning, and durability. Since young children typically use tools that are more robust and easier to handle, the choice of materials and design plays a crucial role.
1. Coloring tools
Kids’ coloring books are often paired with bright crayons and washable markers. These tools are easy for small hands to grip and allow for broad, colorful strokes that make coloring fun and engaging. To support this, illustrations are usually kept simple, with bold outlines and large cartoon-style shapes, ensuring that children can easily follow along without frustration.
2. Printing Paper
For cost efficiency, most children’s coloring books are printed double-sided. However, this requires the paper to be at least 100gsm to prevent tearing and color bleed-through. Testing for anti-seepage quality is especially important when markers are used.
3. Binding Options
Most brands like Crayola prefer perfect binding, as it allows the book to lie flat during use, making it more convenient for kids to color comfortably.
Coloring Book for Adults
Compared to children’s editions, adult coloring books take a slightly different direction in customization. Their growing popularity is driven by the trend of stress relief and creative self-expression, which shapes both design and marketing strategies. Instead of simple shapes and bold outlines. Adult books typically feature intricate line art—florals, animals, landscapes, and other detailed patterns that invite users to slow down and immerse themselves in the process.
While children’s books highlight concentration and early learning, the key selling point for adult coloring books is their ability to provide a calming weekend activity, offering a break from busy daily routines. Beyond artwork style, adult editions also differ in paper selection, printing methods, and binding, all of which are carefully chosen to elevate the overall user experience and meet the expectations of a more design-conscious audience.
1. Coloring tools
For adults, colored pencils are the most popular choice because they allow for fine detail, layering, and blending. Many hobbyists also use fine-tip markers, gel pens, or even watercolors for added effects. These tools require paper that can handle precision and, in some cases, heavy pigment saturation without smudging or tearing.
2. Printing Paper
The biggest difference between adult coloring books and children’s versions lies in the paper. To ensure the best results, adult books typically use 190gsm heavyweight paper and above. Marker-specific books may even use 250–300gsm cardstock to prevent bleed-through and wrinkling.
Paper with a light grain works best for colored pencils, making layering and shading easier. Lisse, coated paper is ideal for markers, ensuring even ink flow and crisp lines. Most premium adult coloring books feature single-sided printing, so every design can be used without worrying about damaging the reverse side. Some editions also offer tear-out pages for framing finished artwork.
3. Binding Options
Spiral binding is a favorite for adult coloring books, as it allows the pages to lie completely flat—perfect for detailed designs that reach the edges of the page. High-quality perfect binding is another option, giving the book a professional and polished look, often chosen for gift editions. Both options enhance the user’s overall experience, making coloring more immersive and enjoyable.
How to Sell Coloring Books?
Social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram are powerful tools for promoting coloring books. Many best-selling coloring books gained traction not through paid ads, but by going viral with engaging content.
Wherever your customers are, that’s where your coloring book should be. By simply sharing photos of finished pages or short videos of the coloring process with your product link, you can reach a much wider audience. The key lies in presentation: choose engaging titles and relevant hashtags to boost visibility. For images, use warm and inviting color tones that capture attention and make viewers feel immersed. For videos, focus on the soothing sounds of coloring—the scratch of a pencil or the sweep of a marker—which adds to the stress-relief appeal and keeps viewers watching.
How to Make a Coloring Book?
Our wide range of custom book printing service options and state-of-the-art printing technology ensures your work appears in stunning high definition at Xinyi Printing. We offer the flexibility and creative freedom to help you bring your designs to life. Our custom coloring book printing services offer saddle stitch stapled booklet printing, perfect bound book printing, and wiro bound book printing options to support all of your coloring book printing needs.
