SELF-PUBLISHED BOOKS
Bring your book to life — locally.
Everyone has a story to tell. At H&A, we’ve got a real knack for helping bring those stories to life in print. Over the past 100 years, we’ve printed everything from heartfelt memoirs and treasured family cookbooks to local histories and creative projects — and it’s become one of our most loved services.
We specialise in small-run books that are perfect for targeted audiences. It doesn’t matter if it’s for 20 copies or 200, we’ll make the process easy and achievable. You don’t need to know everything about printing, that’s what we’re here for. Our team will sit down with you before anything goes to print to check your files, answer your questions, and make sure you’re happy with the final result.
Print-on-demand options are available, and our turnaround is fast — especially for customers in Whanganui and the surrounding regions. If you’ve been sitting on an idea or wondering how to make it happen, we’d love to help. Just get in touch and we’ll guide you through it.
What we print
We specialise in short-run books that are personal, meaningful, and ready to share with others. From one family to an entire community, we’ll help you print something worth passing down.
Popular self-published books include:
- Family cookbooks – perfect for preserving generations of recipes
- Memoirs and life stories – a way to capture personal histories and share your journey
- Community projects – for schools, clubs, marae, or local initiatives
- Creative works – including poetry collections, photography books, and zines
- Local history books – ideal for groups, historical societies, or personal projects
- Gift books – for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, or special milestones
Not sure where your project fits? That’s no problem. Just ask and we’ll talk you through the options, including what size, paper type, or binding will work best. Get in touch.
Tips for a print-ready file
Here’s what helps us get the best result:
- Use CMYK colour mode – Colours on screen (RGB) don’t always match what’s printed. For more accurate colours, export in CMYK.
- File types we accept – PDF is ideal, but we also accept PNG, JPG, and most common design file types.
- Add bleed – Include a 3mm bleed around the edges so your design prints right to the edge of the paper.
- Keep text in the safe zone – Leave a margin around your text and important content so nothing gets trimmed off.
- Include crop marks – Especially important for designs that go full-bleed or need precise cutting.
If you’re using Canva, we recommend exporting your file as a PDF Print with crop marks and bleed turned on. If you're unsure about any of this, just send it through — we’re happy to check it over before printing.
24-hour turnaround
Most jobs are printed within 24 hours. Pick up the next day, or get it delivered to your door.
Locally owned since 1923
The H&A promise
Design-ready support
Not sure where to start?
We’re here to help. We’re here to help with everything from passion projects to one-off print jobs.