Scout Books

What Scout Books does

Scout Books (legal entity: Scout Books & Pinball Publishing Inc.) is a Portland, Oregon-based custom notebook and small-format book manufacturer founded in 2009. The company operates a vertically integrated production facility using digital offset printing on 100% recycled paper with 100% renewable energy, producing its proprietary Pocket (3.5x5in), Memo (4x6in), and Mega (5x7in) formats with 32 pages, chipboard covers, and customizable ink, page styles, and staples. Its technology stack centers on a self-serve e-commerce storefront with downloadable Adobe and Canva design templates, a digital proof approval workflow, and an online unit-pricing calculator that supports volume-based discounts on custom orders starting at 50 units (or 10 units via the new 10-Pack option).

The business model is exclusively direct-to-consumer via scoutbooks.com, generating revenue from three streams: made-to-order custom notebook manufacturing (the largest stream), pre-designed retail 10-packs at fixed prices (~$25.95), and accessories such as rubber bands, chipboard packs, and enamel pins. Customer segments span small-to-mid-size businesses, individual creatives and small-press publishers, higher education institutions, B Corp-certified brands, and non-profits, with named customers including Reed College, Yale, Stumptown Coffee, New Seasons, Stash Tea, and the City of Seaside, Oregon. Marketing is content-driven through blog case studies, free design resources, social media, and a low-friction sample kit funnel. The company is Certified B Corporation, partners with the National Forest Foundation under its Future Forests initiative (one tree planted per order), and reports saving 2,500+ trees, 619,000+ gallons of water, and 1M+ pounds of CO2 annually through its recycled paper sourcing. Headcount is small (5+ named team members, 11-50 employee range), no external funding has been disclosed, and operations are bootstrapped and privately held.

Name

Scout Books

Legal name

Scout Books & Pinball Publishing Inc.

Website

https://scoutbooks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scout Books is a Portland, Oregon-based custom notebook manufacturer (founded 2009) that sells made-to-order Pocket, Memo, and Mega format notebooks on 100% recycled paper via direct-to-consumer e-commerce, serving SMBs, educational institutions, creatives, and B Corp brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Notebook Manufacturing

NAICS

Stationery Product Manufacturing (32223), Books Printing (323117)

SIC

Blankbooks, Looseleaf Binders & Bookbindg & Relatd Work (2780), Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670), Book Printing (2732)

akta.pro primary industry

Book & Magazine Binding Services (Perfect, Case, Saddle Stitch) (MPAJALAE)

Keywords

• Custom notebook manufacturing
• Recycled paper printing
• Branded promotional notebooks
• Sustainable book printing
• Short-run custom printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Notebook Manufacturing: Made-to-order custom notebooks printed with customer artwork. Covers and pages fully customizable with various ink colors, page styles (blank, lined, dot grid), and custom page designs. Minimum orders starting at 50 units for custom Pocket size.
2. Retail Notebook Sales: Pre-designed notebook 10-packs sold at fixed prices ($25.95) including various colors (Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Orange, Pink) and special editions like Northern Lights with colored pages
3. Accessories and Supplies: Rubber bands in various colors ($18.95), chipboard packs ($10.95), enamel pins ($9.95)
4. Sample Kit: Free sample kit with shipping charge to showcase product quality and drive conversion to custom orders

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Scout Books manufactures made-to-order custom pocket-sized and medium-format notebooks and books printed on 100% recycled paper with chipboard covers. The company offers a proprietary 3.5x5in Pocket, 4x6in Memo, and 5x7in Mega format, all with 32 pages, fully customizable covers, ink colors, page styles, and staple finishes. Products are printed, bound, and shipped from Portland, Oregon using digital offset printing powered by renewable energy, with minimum orders as low as 10 units for custom work and 50 units for standard customization.

Product overview

Scout Books is a custom notebook and book manufacturing company offering a portfolio of configurable pocket-sized to medium-format notebooks. The core product line centers on three customizable notebook sizes: Pocket (3.5 x 5 in), Memo (4 x 6 in), and Mega (5 x 7 in), all featuring 32 pages, chipboard covers, and 100% recycled paper. The offering spans two main tiers: Custom products (full customization of cover artwork, ink colors, page designs for bulk orders starting at 50-250 units) and DIY/Retail products (pre-designed or blank notebooks sold in 10-packs and individual units). Recent additions include the Custom Pocket Notebooks 10 Pack (lower minimum quantity option) and Custom Memo format. Supporting supplies include rubber bands and chipboard packs. All products are produced in Portland, Oregon using digital offset printing powered by renewable energy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Pocket Notebooks 10 Pack A 10-unit custom pocket notebook offering with archival box packaging, featuring cover printing (Black or Color), page printing (Blank, Lined, Dot Grid), and production time options. Designed for individuals and small businesses wanting a low-minimum custom order.
• Custom Pocket Scout Books Starter Lower minimum quantity option (50-100 units) for the custom 3.5x5in pocket notebook, with full design customization including cover ink colors, page styles, and staple options. Provides an accessible entry point for custom notebook orders.
• Custom Pocket Scout Books Flagship 3.5x5in custom pocket notebook with 32 pages, Kraft chipboard cover, and full customization of cover ink colors, page styles (Blank, Lined, Dot Grid, Custom), and staple options (Silver, Gold). Minimum orders start at 50 units for custom production.
• Custom Memo Scout Books 4x6in custom notebook format with 32 pages, Kraft chipboard cover, and full customization including cover ink colors (Black, Red, Orange, Green, Blue, Navy, Purple, Pink, White, CMYK), page styles (Blank, Lined, Dot Grid, Custom), staple colors (Silver, Gold), and corner styles (Square, Round).
• Custom Mega Scout Books 5x7in custom notebook format with 32 pages, Kraft chipboard cover, and full customization of cover ink colors, page styles (Blank, Dot Grid, Lined, or Custom Pages), and staple colors. Designed for customers wanting extra room for ideas.
• DIY Pocket Scout Books Blank 3.5x5in notebooks for creative projects, available in quantities of 50-1000 units. Features durable chipboard cover, 100% recycled paper, with Kraft or Black cover options, inside page styles (Blank, Lined, Dot Grid), and Gold Staple option.
• DIY Mega Scout Books Blank 5x7in notebooks for creative projects with 100% recycled paper and chipboard cover. Available with Kraft or Black covers, inside page styles (Blank, Lined, Dot Grid), and Gold Staple option.
• 10 Pack Color Editions Pre-designed pocket notebooks sold in packs of 10 in various solid colors (Red, Yellow, Green, Blue, Orange, Pink) with gold staples and dot grid pages, packaged in sturdy boxes for storage or gifting.
• 10 Pack Black Notebooks Pocket-sized notebooks with durable black covers and 32 white pages available in Blank, Lined, or Dot Grid page styles. Sold in packs of 10 in a sturdy archival box.
• 10 Pack Kraft Notebooks Pocket-sized notebooks with the signature Kraft cover and 32 white pages in Blank, Lined, or Dot Grid styles. Sold in packs of 10.
• Northern Lights Notebooks Limited edition pocket notebooks with a durable black cover, gold staples, and vibrant colored pages in Pink, Blue, Yellow, or White. Sold in 10-packs with blank pages.
• Pocket Constitution of the United States Special edition pocket-sized 3.5x5in notebook containing the text of the U.S. Constitution.
• Support Ukraine Notebook Limited edition special release notebook supporting Ukraine, available for purchase as a cause-related retail product.
• Handy Tips for Happy Plants Notebook Special edition pocket notebook featuring plant care tips and guidance content.
• Sample Kit Complimentary sample kit (free with a small shipping charge) containing examples of different Scout Book sizes and styles including Pocket (3.5x5in) with blank and full color pages, Memo (4x6in), Mega (5x7in), a postcard, and standard color guide to help customers plan their custom orders.
• Rubber Bands Heavy-duty 3.5x0.5 inch notebook bands made in the USA from Latex-Free Rubber, available in multiple colors (Black, White, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Navy, Purple, Pink) and sizes (Large, Extra Large) in packs of 50 for bundling Scout Books or creating custom sets.
• Chipboard Packs Black and Kraft Chipboard packs sold for DIY notebook making or craft projects.
• Scout Books Enamel Pin Logo enamel pin merchandise featuring the Scout Books brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2500+ trees saved in 2018 by using recycled paper
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Forest FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership for Future Forests initiative - Scout Books plants a tree for every order through the National Forest Foundation, which promotes the health and enjoyment of National Forests through tree planting and sustainability initiatives across the country.
• B Local PDXminorOthersPartnership for B Corp wine passport project featuring seven local B Corp certified wineries with proceeds supporting B Local PDX programming.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lulu: Self-publishing and custom print-on-demand platform for books, calendars, and photo products. Comparable custom book printing offering targeting authors and small publishers — directly relevant to Scout Books' chapbook and custom book work.
• Blurb: Online platform for self-publishing custom books, photo books, magazines, and notebooks. Comparable custom printing business model targeting creators, small businesses, and enterprises producing short-run publications.
• PrintingForLess: Commercial printing company offering custom printing of books, brochures, business cards, and marketing materials with online ordering. Comparable online custom-printing business model serving SMB and enterprise customers.
• Mixam: Online print-on-demand platform for books, magazines, catalogs, and custom printed products. Comparable digital-first custom printing model targeting self-publishers and small businesses.
• MOO: Custom printing platform specializing in BusinessCards, postcards, notebooks, and marketing materials with online design tools. Direct competitor in the custom-printed product space with overlapping SMB and enterprise customer base.
• BookBaby: Custom book printing and publishing services for authors and small presses, offering short-run printing, binding, and distribution. Comparable book-printing capabilities for the chapbook and small-press customer segment.
• PsPrint: Online commercial printing company offering custom printing of marketing materials, books, and stationery. Comparable online custom printing business serving SMB and enterprise customers.

Broad incumbents

• 4imprint: Promotional products and custom printing distributor offering branded merchandise including notebooks. Competes in the same custom-branded-notebook-for-business segment but with a broader promotional products catalog.
• Vistaprint: Large-scale custom printing incumbent offering business cards, marketing materials, signage, and promotional products. Overlaps with Scout Books on custom printed materials but operates at vastly greater scale across many product categories.
• Shutterfly: Large consumer and B2B custom printing platform for photo books, cards, gifts, and stationery. Overlaps with Scout Books on custom printed products at the consumer end but operates at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/scoutbooks
• Xx.com/scoutbooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/scoutbooks

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scout Books