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Editorial standards
What we check before you ever open the book.
Coloring books are easy to make badly. These are the standards we hold a Blessford book to, the process that applies them, and the policies behind both.
The standard
What we hold a book to.
Made for markers
Most of our books print each illustration alone on the right-hand page, with no artwork on the reverse, so bleed-through never costs you a picture. Every book page on this site says whether that title is single-sided.
Line quality, measured
Before a page is accepted it is checked for stray gray tones, broken outlines, specks and closed regions too small to color. Pages that fail are redrawn, not retouched into passing.
Checked for repeats
Before a book is accepted its pages are checked for duplicates and near-duplicates, within the book and against our earlier titles. A page that repeats is replaced.
Print-ready to specification
Interiors are prepared at 300 DPI inside the printer’s safe zone; covers are built as full wraps with the spine calculated from the page count. Both files are validated before release.
Original subjects only
Titles, descriptions and every page subject are screened against a list of protected characters, brands and franchises. We publish original work and public-domain stories, never look-alikes.
Honest descriptions
Page counts, design counts, trim sizes and age guidance are stated plainly. What a listing says is what the book contains; where a retailer offers an inside preview, we ask for it to be switched on.
The process
From brief to bound book.
Plan
A title begins as a brief: who it is for, the house style it belongs to, and a shot list of every page.
Illustrate
Pages are created with digital illustration tools, including AI-assisted image generation, working to the series style guide under editorial direction.
Review
Each page passes measured line-quality gates and an editorial review. Anything unclear, cluttered or off-brief is redrawn.
Pre-press
Accepted art is converted to clean vector line, set at print resolution and assembled into the interior and full-wrap cover.
Release
Validated files go to print-on-demand. A copy is printed only when a reader orders one.
- Age grading
- Every title is planned for one audience — young children, older children and teens, or adults — and that decision sets the line weight, the amount of detail and the subjects allowed. Books for the youngest colorists use bold outlines, large shapes and nothing frightening. Age guidance appears on the book page wherever a title is graded for children.
- A style guide for every series
- A series is defined in writing before its first title is drawn: trim size, line weight, level of detail, tone and cover system. New titles are reviewed against that guide, which is why the next book in a series feels like the last one.
- Designed for different hands and eyes
- Not everyone wants fine detail. Our bold-and-easy titles use thick lines and open shapes, and suit young children, seniors, beginners and colorists with low vision or limited grip.
- Corrections
- If you find an error in one of our books, write to us. Confirmed errors are corrected in the print file, and because our books are printed on demand, copies ordered afterwards carry the correction. A damaged or misprinted copy is replaced by the retailer that sold it.
- Rights and permissions
- We publish original work and stories in the public domain. We do not publish characters, brands or franchises we do not own. If you believe a Blessford page infringes your rights, write to us with the title and page; we review every good-faith notice promptly and withdraw material where the concern is well founded.
In plain words
How our illustrations are made
Blessford illustrations are produced with digital tools, including AI-assisted image generation, working to a written style guide for each series. We say so because readers deserve to know, and because the tool is the least interesting part of the work.
What makes a page worth coloring is decided before and after it is drawn: a brief that knows who the book is for, a line that closes properly, space that is generous rather than fiddly, and a reviewer willing to reject a page that is merely acceptable. Each of our books states its method on its copyright page, and the cover and details of every title are shown on this site so that you can judge the work for yourself.
The catalogue
Find the book for your next quiet hour.
Browse every Blessford title by series, audience and style.