# IngramSpark review (2026): is it any good? > Print-on-demand and wholesale distribution for self-published books Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. IngramSpark prints hardcover and paperback books on demand and distributes print books and ebooks to bookstores, libraries and online retailers. Creating an account and setting up a book costs nothing; the publisher pays a printing cost per copy and earns a share of each sale. It is run by Ingram Content Group through its Lightning Source arm. - **Category:** Print on Demand & Dropshipping - **Made by:** Lightning Source LLC (Ingram Content Group) - **Website:** https://www.ingramspark.com - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Pricey if you need an ISBN: IngramSpark sells one for $85 in the US, per format. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, IngramSpark is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** No cost to create an account or set up a new book. You pay printing costs per copy, and ebooks earn an 85% share of net revenue. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free account | $0 | No cost to sign up or upload a print book or ebook. Print cost is charged per copy, and ebooks pay 85% of the net revenue IngramSpark receives. | Read from https://www.ingramspark.com/pricing on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with IngramSpark before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Bulk print discounts from 100 copies** (Other savings): Print orders of 100 or more books get a discount that grows with quantity, from 2% at 100 to 299 copies up to 35% over 10,000 copies. Source: https://www.ingramspark.com/print-discounts ## Key features - **Global book distribution:** Books enabled for distribution are listed through a network of bookstores, libraries and online retailers via a metadata feed. IngramSpark says retail listings take 2 to 6 weeks to appear. - **Hardcover and paperback on demand:** Print books are made when ordered. Publishers can also order copies of their own book directly from their account. - **Print and ship calculator:** A calculator shows print and shipping cost for a book, and a compensation calculator shows what each print sale earns. - **Bulk print discounts:** Print orders of 100 or more copies get a discount, from 2% at 100 to 299 copies up to 35% over 10,000 copies, according to the discounts page. - **Book-building tool:** A free tool creates print-ready files and ebooks. IngramSpark says it does not offer editing, typesetting or design services itself. - **Ebook conversion:** A print book can be converted to an ebook for $0.60 per page. ## Good for - Authors and small presses that want books in bookstores and libraries, not only online - Publishers who own their ISBNs and want a printer that is not exclusive to one retailer - Self-publishers who order author copies in bulk ## Worth knowing - Distribution needs an ISBN for each format: IngramSpark sells one for $85 in the US, gives a free non-transferable one it owns, or you buy your own. - Example printing cost from the discounts page: $4.17 per copy for a 200-page 6 x 9 inch black-and-white paperback at 0 to 99 copies. - Publishers decide whether their books are returnable by retailers. - IngramSpark says a title in KDP should not use KDP's Expanded Distribution if it is also distributed through IngramSpark. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. IngramSpark prints hardcovers and paperbacks on demand and sends print books and ebooks to bookstores, libraries and online retailers. Setting up costs nothing, but every format needs an ISBN, you pay for each copy printed,, and there is no free trial. - **Value for money: C.** Nothing to join, then a printing cost per copy: the discounts page gives $4.17 for a 200-page 6 x 9 black-and-white paperback at 0 to 99 copies. An ISBN is $85 in the US unless you bring your own. - **Free plan and trial: C.** No cost to sign up or upload a book, but every copy you order is paid for, and there is no trial. - **Features: B.** Hardcover and paperback printing, ebook conversion, a book-building tool, bulk discounts and a print-and-ship calculator, with global wholesale distribution. Nothing on the listing is missing for the job. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. You prepare files, buy or supply an ISBN and set returns yourself. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Web only, and no API or integrations on the listing. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Lightning Source LLC (Ingram Content Group)'s own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among print-on-demand and dropshipping services - IngramSpark's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 2 of the 30 other print-on-demand and dropshipping services we grade, and level with 8. - It stands best on features (B, above 20 of 30) and worst on value for money (C, above 0). - IngramSpark has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/print-on-demand ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** IngramSpark is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 20 of the 30 other print-on-demand and dropshipping services grade higher. - You could make: Digital downloads: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: Printers that make and ship each order. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Print on demand, Digital downloads ## Alternatives - [Amazon KDP](https://toolgpa.com/tools/kdp): Amazon's free self-publishing for ebooks and print-on-demand books. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ingramspark-vs-kdp) - [Lulu Direct](https://toolgpa.com/tools/lulu-direct): Print API that prints and ships books to your customers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ingramspark-vs-lulu-direct) - [Blurb](https://toolgpa.com/tools/blurb): Print-on-demand photo books, books, magazines and wall art. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/blurb-vs-ingramspark) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://www.ingramspark.com/ - https://www.ingramspark.com/pricing - https://www.ingramspark.com/print-discounts - https://www.ingramspark.com/faqs Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/ingramspark Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).