DriveThruRPG Print-on-Demand Prices Increasing Again

Back in March 2025 we reported that print-on-demand costs at DriveThruRPG were increasing by as much as 50% in the US, with the price of a 300-page black-and-white hardcover rising from $13.08 to $19.04. The effect in the UK was much less pronounced, being only around 3-4%.

Now, less than a year later, DTRPG is increasing its PoD prices again. These new prices take effect on February 1st, 2026.

DTRPG uses Lightning Source as its printing partner and has print centres in the US, UK, and Australia. According to DTRPG's publisher newsletter, UK and Australia prices will increase by 3%, and US prices will increase by either 4% or 5%, depending on format--standard color will go up by +4%, while premium color and black & white will increase by +5%.

DriveThruRPG notes that the increase "is not driven by policy or positioning, but simply reflects the rising costs of paper and other materials, labor, and operations involved in producing physical books worldwide."

 

[Sacrosanct]

Well Australia is a long way away! Geography is geography!

I think it's more with dues/tariffs. Japan is pretty far away too but it's $7. Here's a shipping estimator I just did for one book:

 

[cbwjm]

Shipping to Canada is expensive, but nothing compared to Brazil and Australia. Good lord, shipping for a $50 book is almost as much as the book itself.

And to NZ, it's reqched the point where I'm often put off buying physical books because, sometimes, it ends up be as much or more. I used to be able to order books from the US and including shipping it would be cheaper than going local, but then that was before some other changes that have also impacted ordering from overseas.

As much as I love living in NZ, sometimes it sucks being at the arse-end of the planet.

 

[Sacrosanct]

And to NZ, it's reqched the point where I'm often put off buying physical books because, sometimes, it ends up be as much or more. I used to be able to order books from the US and including shipping it would be cheaper than going local, but then that was before some other changes that have also impacted ordering from overseas.

As much as I love living in NZ, sometimes it sucks being at the arse-end of the planet.

I would trade your suck with my suck.

 

[Lalato]

I love NZ, been a couple of times. But yes, it's way out of the way from just about everything.

As for POD issues... the solution does appear to be having in-country printing partners. There do appear to be several Canadian POD providers... so it's just a matter of DtRPG partnering with one of them.

 

[stormwriter]

I love NZ, been a couple of times. But yes, it's way out of the way from just about everything.

As for POD issues... the solution does appear to be having in-country printing partners. There do appear to be several Canadian POD providers... so it's just a matter of DtRPG partnering with one of them.

Even Lulu has (or used to have) a printer in Canada.

 

[Fenris-77]

And to NZ, it's reqched the point where I'm often put off buying physical books because, sometimes, it ends up be as much or more. I used to be able to order books from the US and including shipping it would be cheaper than going local, but then that was before some other changes that have also impacted ordering from overseas.

As much as I love living in NZ, sometimes it sucks being at the arse-end of the planet.

I see this enough that I feel like there could be a market for a PoD service in NZ.

 

[cbwjm]

I see this enough that I feel like there could be a market for a PoD service in NZ.

Yeah, maybe, I know a fair amount of people who would likely make use of it.

If there was one in Australia that would also work, we're fairly linked, it doesn't cost much more to ship from Australia to here. We could even join Australia if we gave up and didn't want to be our own nation.

 

[Scott J. Holden]

Yeah, maybe, I know a fair amount of people who would likely make use of it.

If there was one in Australia that would also work, we're fairly linked, it doesn't cost much more to ship from Australia to here. We could even join Australia if we gave up and didn't want to be our own nation.

Lost my old accounts and had to make a new one. :/

Lightning Source does print in Australia, and DriveThru has been selling POD from there for a couple years now.