So you’re about to publish your book and you’re getting all your details together with the printing service of your choice (KDP, Barnes and Noble Press, or otherwise), but there is one question we seem to see around the internet.

Should my book pages be cream-colored or white?

This is a great question that needs answering. If you’re using a printing platform like KDP or Barnes and Noble Press, they give you both options so which should you choose?

It’s easier to read text on a plain background thus white or cream paper is ideal as they are not too bright nor are they too dull to cause eye-strain when reading.

Let’s get into which one is best for you.

When To Use Cream-Colored Paper For Your Book

If you flip through most books in your house right now, what is the paper color? Take a few out and look. Just glance at the top of your books even! That’s always a good place to start.

If you are a big book reader, you’ll probably notice a majority of the paper type is cream-colored. So, if you’re a novelist, cream-colored is the way to go.

If you do a poll, and there are some out there, most people will tell you that they enjoy the cream-colored paper type for their reading pleasure. But why?

• It brings a certain nostalgia for bibliophiles alike
• A majority of novels use cream-colored paper
• Gives it a clean and professional look

You should be printing all your books on cream-colored paper if you are printed books with all text.

Cream-Colored Paper and Ink Types on KDP

• Black and white ink on cream paper

Cream-Colored Paper and Ink Types on Barnes & Noble

• Black and white ink on cream (50 lb)

Cream-Colored Paper and Ink Types on Ingramspark

The History of Using Cream-Colored Paper in Books

It was actually difficult finding the reasons why books are commonly printed on cream-colored paper, but after some research, here’s what I found.

The earliest records of anything resembling paper date back to 2 BCE in China when it was created by Cai Lun during a pulp papermaking process. Learn more fun facts about the history of paper, here.

According to Wikipedia,

Traditionally, book papers are off-white or low-white papers (easier to read), are opaque to minimise the show-through of text from one side of the page to the other and are (usually) made to tighter caliper or thickness specifications, particularly for case-bound books. Different paper qualities are used depending on the type of book: Machine finished coated papers, woodfree uncoated papers, coated fine papers and special fine papers are common paper grades.

When you look at the traditional paper types used between the 15th and 20th centuries, you’ll notice the mediums in which pages were printed were made of three types of paper all of which have a common color to them:

• papyrus
• parchment
• vellum

All three of these paper types have the cream color we all know and love, so it’s easy to deduce that it has just been carried down as a printing style over centuries.

Wikipedia also says,

A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover.

When to Use White Paper For Your Books

Although a majority of your books are probably going to be printed on cream-colored paper, there will be some that are printed on white paper. But how do you know which is best?

Some polls and forums have noted the crispness of books printed on white paper, but also stated that they look “cheap” or printed unprofessionally. Guaranteed, a skilled printer will be able to tell if this was a professionally printed book or not.

Printing novels on white-colored paper is a giant no-no. Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t.

• White paper has a faint glare to it when reading
• Novels aren’t typically published on white paper
• Reading from white paper makes people feel as if they are reading a textbook

So when is a book printed on white paper?

Books with a lot of pictures and text are usually good candidates for being printed on white paper. A good example of this type of book is literally any of the books in the Dummies Series. Those books have a lot of boxes, graphs, pictures, and symbols that would look better and be more readable on white paper.

White Paper and Ink Types on KDP

• Black and white ink on white paper
• Standard color ink on white paper
• Premium color ink on white paper

White Paper and Ink Types on Barnes & Noble

• Black and white on white paper (50 lb)
• Standard color on white paper (50 lb)
• Premium color on white paper (70 lb)

White Paper and Ink Types on Ingramspark

It’s Your Book, Do As You Please

As indie authors, we loved to have control over our book projects and their success. Going with a hybrid publisher or self-publishing gives us the freedom to choose cream paper or white paper. But with that, there is so much indie authors have to learn on their own so it’s good to have a little bit of help!

However, we can say, “I don’t like this norm, let’s try something different” or we can go with what people are already comfortable with. So, it’s ultimately your choice to print on cream paper or white paper.

If you need help with getting your book published and don’t want to have to worry about this set your book up to be published at all, consider Write With Light Publications, LLC for your editing and layout needs! We can help point you in the right direction when you start setting up your book.