PrintNinja
PrintNinja is a bootstrapped custom offset printing company founded in 2009 that serves independent creators, self-publishers, Kickstarter campaigners, and board game designers with US-based account management and China-based offset manufacturing at indie-friendly minimums.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersEvanston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What PrintNinja does
PrintNinja is a privately held, bootstrapped custom offset printing company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, with a production oversight office in Shenzhen, China. The company serves independent creators, self-publishers, Kickstarter and IndieGoGo campaigners, board and card game designers, children's book authors, and small businesses that need professional offset lithography printing at indie-friendly minimums of 250 to 500 units, which is below the typical thresholds of traditional commercial printers.
The core technology is offset lithography with full CMYK color, calibrated presses, and on-site quality inspection at partner factories in China. PrintNinja's US-based account managers and prepress artists hand-review every project, while bilingual Shenzhen staff conduct press checks and packaging assembly inspection, delivering a hybrid high-touch service model at offshore manufacturing cost. The product portfolio spans 15+ lines, including hardcover and softcover books, board books, children's books, coloring books, photo books, zines, webcomic anthologies, literary journals, catalogs, custom playing cards, tarot decks, and full-service board game manufacturing (boards, dice, miniatures, custom packaging). Supporting modules include physical sample packs, dedicated crowdfunding printing services with global split shipping, and warehousing and fulfillment through a partnership with eFulfillment Service.
The business model is transaction-based per-unit pricing via online quote calculators, supplemented by dedicated account management. Customers configure projects online, receive guided prepress support, approve proofs, and pay per unit upon order completion with revenue recognized on delivery. Marketing relies on content (Printing Academy, guides), Trustpilot-driven reputation (4.7 stars across 564 reviews), Kickstarter partnerships, and sample pack conversion tools. PrintNinja has printed over 6 million units cumulatively for thousands of customers across North America, Europe, and Australia, with no disclosed institutional funding or M&A activity.
PrintNinja firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PrintNinja
- Legal name
- PrintNinja LLC
- Website
- https://printninja.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- PrintNinja is a bootstrapped custom offset printing company founded in 2009 that serves independent creators, self-publishers, Kickstarter campaigners, and board game designers with US-based account management and China-based offset manufacturing at indie-friendly minimums.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PrintNinja industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Commercial Printing Services
- NAICS
- Printing and Related Support Activities (3231), Books Printing (323117)
- SIC
- Commercial Printing (2750), Book Printing (2732)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Printing (Short-Run, Variable Data) (MPAJALAC)
Keywords
Where PrintNinja is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Evanston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
PrintNinja business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Custom offset printing services: One-time transaction-based revenue from printing books, card games, board games, and other printed materials. Customers pay per-unit costs based on quantity, specifications, and finishing options. Revenue is earned upon order completion and delivery.
- Warehousing and fulfillment services: Partnership with eFulfillment Service to provide inventory storage ($0.08 per cubic foot per week) and order fulfillment services for customers who need storage and shipping logistics for their printed products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Card game printing - Blue Core economy option |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hardcover book printing - case wrap |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coloring book printing - economy option |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
PrintNinja product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PrintNinja is a custom offset lithography printing company that produces books, card games, board games, and other printed materials for independent creators, self-publishers, game designers, and small publishers. Manufacturing is executed at partner factories in China with US-based prepress and account management in Evanston, Illinois, supported by online instant-quote calculators and dedicated project support.
Product overview
PrintNinja is a custom offset printing service provider that operates a multi-product portfolio serving independent creators, self-publishers, game designers, and small publishers. The core offering centers on offset lithography printing manufactured in China with US-based customer service and quality control. The product portfolio spans five primary categories: (1) Book printing products including softcover books (perfect bound), hardcover books (case bound), children's books (hardcover, softcover, and board book formats), coloring books, photo books, art books, and zines; (2) Card game products including custom playing cards, tarot cards, and flash cards with multiple cardstock options; (3) Board game manufacturing covering game boards, cards, tokens, dice, miniatures, and custom packaging; (4) Periodical and catalog printing for catalogs, magazines, literary journals, and webcomic anthologies; and (5) Professional portfolio printing. Supporting modules include sample packs (standard and card-specific), warehousing and fulfillment services via eFulfillment Service partnership, and specialized crowdfunding printing services for Kickstarter and IndieGoGo campaigns with split shipping capabilities. The company differentiates through US-based account management paired with China-based production oversight for quality assurance.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Card Game Printing Premium offset card game printing with 7 cardstock options (Blue Core, Coreless, Black Core, Foil Stock, White PVC), multiple card sizes (Poker, Tarot, Square, Mini, Custom), and packaging options including tuck boxes, two-piece rigid boxes, and foil booster packs for indie game designers and tabletop creators.
- Custom Playing Cards Custom playing card printing including poker cards, tarot cards, and flash cards with premium card stocks, foil stamping, linen texture, spot color, and waterproof PVC options for card game creators and publishers.
- Custom Board Games Full-service board game manufacturing with game boards (bi-fold, tri-fold, quad-fold, hex-fold), playing cards, punch-out tokens, custom dice (D4–D20), miniatures, plastic and wooden pieces, playmats, instructions, and organizing inserts, with packaging options including two-piece boxes, magnetic close boxes, tuck boxes, and shrink wrapping.
- Softcover Book Printing Perfect-bound softcover book printing services using offset lithography for indie authors and self-publishers, with paper options ranging from 55lb to 135lb text weight in coated, uncoated, matte, or gloss finishes and cover stock from 10pt to 14pt with lamination options.
- Hardcover Book Printing Casebound hardcover book printing with cover options including case wrap, dust jacket, cloth/buckram, and faux leather, and specialty finishes such as foil stamping, embossing/debossing, spot UV, soft-touch lamination, head and tail bands, and ribbon bookmarks, with sewn binding available for durability.
- Children's Book Printing Comprehensive children's book printing including hardcover picture books (case bound, 20-200+ pages), softcover picture books (perfect bound or saddle stitch), board books with laminated pages for toddlers, and chapter books, using child-safe inks with optional CPSIA toxicity testing.
- Coloring Book Printing Offset coloring book printing with uncoated paper options from 60# to 100# uncoated text for coloring-media grip, binding options including saddle stitch, perfect binding, and spiral/wire-O, and special features including perforated pages, single-sided printing, and custom sizes.
- Photo Book Printing High-fidelity photo book printing using a four-color offset process for accurate color reproduction at 250 unit minimum, with premium paper choices and binding options including saddle stitch, perfect binding, case binding, board book, and wire/spiral binding for artists and photographers.
- Custom Zine Printing Short-run indie zine printing in quantities of 500+ using offset lithography, with formats including half-letter (5.5" x 8.5"), mini zines, A5, full-size, square, and comic zine formats, and paper options from 60#-80# uncoated for an authentic DIY feel to 80# gloss/matte text for vibrant reproduction.
- Professional Portfolio Printing Premium portfolio printing for showcasing artwork, designs, and professional accomplishments using offset printing for high saturation, vivid hues, and greater ink durability with smudge-free results, with a range of paper and finish options.
- Webcomic Anthology Printing Print-to-order webcomic anthology publishing with offset printing for vibrant, collector-worthy results, supporting graphic novels, manga, and single-issue comics with multiple binding options and specialty features including embossing and dust jackets.
- Literary Journal and Magazine Printing Literary journal and magazine printing with multiple binding choices, paper options, and specialty printing like foil stamping, supporting poetry, prose, and essays with professional-quality output suitable for mail or distribution.
- Catalog Printing Professional catalog printing from 50+ copies using offset lithography, with binding options including saddle stitch, perfect binding, and wire/spiral binding and paper options including gloss art paper (128gsm-157gsm) and matte art paper with spot UV and soft-touch lamination enhancements.
- Warehousing and Fulfillment Services Warehousing and fulfillment services provided through a partnership with eFulfillment Service, offering inventory storage ($0.08 per cubic foot per week), bulk fulfillment, Kickstarter backer fulfillment, and integration with popular shopping carts for eCommerce order processing.
- Crowdfunding Printing Services Specialized printing services for Kickstarter and IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaigns including split shipping to fulfillment partners worldwide (US, EU, Australia), backer fulfillment support, and stretch goal planning assistance for campaign creators.
Quantifiable outcome
- Per-unit costs decrease significantly at higher quantities (500-10,000+ units)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use PrintNinja
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
PrintNinja technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
PrintNinja partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- eFulfillment ServicecorePrintNinja partners with eFulfillment Service to offer warehousing and fulfillment services to customers. eFS provides low-cost inventory storage ($0.08/cubic foot/week) with no minimums, order fulfillment services, and Kickstarter backer reward fulfillment. They integrate with popular shopping carts and provide real-time inventory and order tracking.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PrintNinja competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MakePlayingCards: Online custom playing card and card game printer offering small-batch runs with global shipping. Closely comparable product offering (custom cards, game components) and similar self-service quote-based ordering model.
- BookBaby: Book printing, editing, and marketing services for self-publishers and indie authors. Direct overlap with PrintNinja's softcover and hardcover book printing for the indie publishing customer segment.
- The Game Crafter: Direct US-based competitor offering custom board game and card game printing on demand. Targets the same indie tabletop designer and Kickstarter creator customer base with similar low-minimum, made-to-order manufacturing model.
- Blurb: Self-publishing platform specializing in photo books, art books, trade books, and magazines. Targets the same indie/creator segment with book-focused manufacturing, complementary to PrintNinja's offset catalog.
- Lulu: Self-publishing and print-on-demand platform for books, comics, and magazines. Comparable book printing capabilities aimed at indie authors and self-publishers, though Lulu leans more toward digital POD than offset runs.
- Catprint: Short-run digital and offset book printer serving self-publishers, small publishers, and indie authors. Comparable book manufacturing capabilities aimed at similar small-quantity, indie-friendly customers.
- Mixam: Online print-on-demand and short-run printer offering books, magazines, and marketing materials with global fulfillment. Comparable online quoting model, product breadth, and indie/creator-friendly minimums.
- QP Group / Cards & Pockets: Card and board game component manufacturer offering custom printing and packaging for tabletop game publishers. Closely comparable card game production capabilities and customer overlap in the indie gaming market.
Regional players
- Doxdirect: UK-based short-run printing service for books, brochures, and documents with online ordering. Similar online quote-based model and short-run book focus, but serves primarily the European market.
Emerging players
- Lightning Press: Short-run digital book printer with US-based production, offering fast turnaround for indie authors. Competes for the same indie book printer customer base but with domestic production and faster lead times.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PrintNinja financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PrintNinja leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
PrintNinja funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PrintNinja M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PrintNinja
What does PrintNinja do?
PrintNinja is a custom offset lithography printing company that produces books, card games, board games, and other printed materials for independent creators, self-publishers, game designers, and small publishers. Manufacturing is executed at partner factories in China with US-based prepress and account management in Evanston, Illinois, supported by online instant-quote calculators and dedicated project support.
Is PrintNinja a public or private company?
PrintNinja is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PrintNinja founded?
PrintNinja was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is PrintNinja based?
PrintNinja is headquartered in Evanston, United States, in the North America region.
How does PrintNinja make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Custom offset printing services are the primary driver. The others are warehousing and fulfillment services.
Who are PrintNinja's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MakePlayingCards, BookBaby, The Game Crafter, Blurb, Lulu, Catprint, Mixam and QP Group / Cards & Pockets. Doxdirect is listed as a regional player. Lightning Press is listed as an emerging player.
Does PrintNinja have an API?
No public API is recorded for PrintNinja.
What industry is PrintNinja in?
PrintNinja's product category is Commercial Printing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJALAC, Digital Printing (Short-Run, Variable Data). Its NAICS code is 3231 and its SIC code is 2750.