How to use Numbermill

Quick start: your first book in 3 minutes

1. Pick where you will sell it (KDP paperback, Etsy instant download or Etsy made-to-order), then the characters and the child's age (3–4, 4–5 or 5–6).
2. Add the child's name if the shop needs one (Etsy made-to-order), then press Make book.
3. Check the preview, download the files, and copy the values under "Ready for your shop" into KDP or Etsy.

Press Make book 2, 3, 4… for new puzzles in the same look. Each number always gives the same book, so you can make it again any time.

Tip: Every book you make has your own look (your series code). Other Numbermill users get different covers, colours and puzzles.

What the settings do

• Where will you sell it: KDP paperback gives the inside PDF, the full cover and the values to type into KDP (Black & white inside pages on white or cream paper, so the preview matches the print). Etsy instant download makes a book for any child, with no name. Etsy made-to-order needs the child's name, puts the order number in the file name and shows what the secret code spells.
• Child's age: sets the numbers (up to 5, 10 or 20), how many puzzles per page and which activities appear.
• Child's name (optional): goes on the cover, the "This book belongs to" page, the secret code and the certificate. Leave it empty for a book any child can use.
• Page size: US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) for Amazon KDP; A4 for printing at home outside the US. With Pro also 8 × 10, square 8.5 × 8.5 and 6 × 9 in (smaller pages get fewer puzzles per page, so the pictures stay big enough).
• Book length (Pro): 26, 37, 58 or 74 pages (2, 4, 8 or 11 activity pages in each land). 37 is the standard book.
• KDP paper: choose the same paper you will pick on KDP. It sets the spine width of the cover.
• Book number: 1, 2, 3… gives a new set of puzzles in the same look.
• Inside pages: Colour touches, or Black & white to save ink at home and to match KDP's cheaper black-ink printing.

The standard book has 37 pages: 5 lands with 4 activity pages each and a colouring page, a secret code, a certificate and an answer key for grown-ups.

Sell it on Amazon KDP (paperback)

1. Make the book with page size US Letter and the KDP paper you want, then download the PDF and the KDP cover.
2. Go to kdp.amazon.com > Create > Paperback.
3. Details: copy the title, subtitle and description from your Listing kit (Pro), or write your own. Never put a child's name in the KDP title.
4. Keywords and categories: use the 7 keywords from the Listing kit. Set reading age to match the book (for example 4–5).
5. Content: ISBN (KDP's free one is fine) > print options: Black & white or Premium colour interior, the same paper you chose in Numbermill, trim size: the page size you picked in Numbermill (8.5 × 11 in for US Letter), bleed: No bleed, cover finish of your choice.
6. Manuscript: upload the book PDF. Cover: choose Upload a cover you already have and upload the KDP cover PDF.
7. AI-generated content: answer Yes and tick images. The pictures in Numbermill books were made with AI tools, and KDP requires you to say so.
8. Launch the previewer, check the pages, set your price and publish.

Tip: Leave the white box on the back cover empty: KDP prints the barcode there. Books under 79 pages get no spine text (KDP rule), so Numbermill leaves the spine plain.

Black ink (white or cream paper) is the cheaper print option: make the book with Inside pages set to Black & white so the preview matches what Amazon prints. Premium colour keeps the colour touches.

Tip: After you make a book, What you earn on Amazon shows the printing cost and your royalty for any list price (Amazon.com tables; 60% from $9.99).

Sell it on Etsy

Two ways that work well:

• Instant download: make the book without a name, upload the PDF to a digital listing (up to 5 files, 20 MB each). Buyers print it at home.
• Personalised (made to order): add a personalisation box to the listing ("Child's first name"). When an order comes in, make the book with that name and send the PDF from the order page.

With Agency you can do a whole day of personalised orders at once: Shop Manager > Settings > Options > Download Data > Orders, download the order items CSV, then load it in Batch. Check the names it finds before you press Make ZIP.

Teachers Pay Teachers works the same way as an instant download: upload the no-name PDF (Black & white saves teachers' ink) and describe the ages and skills. Your Listing kit description and keywords are a good start.

Tip: Use the Etsy title and 13 tags from your Listing kit (Pro). Show the inside pages in your listing photos: the Pinterest kit pictures work well there too.

Plan a series, not one book

Buyers who like book 1 look for book 2. Ways to grow a shelf from one idea:

• By level: Count to 5 → Count to 10 → Numbers to 20. Each book prints its level on the title page.
• By volume: Book number 1, 2, 3… gives new puzzles in the same look. The same number always makes the same book again, so a reprint matches.
• By characters: one series per character pack (Forest Friends, Dino Friends; Pro adds four more).
• By season or interest, with Theme Studio: Christmas, Halloween, horses, pirates and more, with a calendar of when to publish each.
• Named and no-name: a no-name book on KDP or as an Etsy instant download, and the same book with a name as a made-to-order listing.

Tip: keep the same characters and age in one series, and put the volume in the KDP series field (Book 1, Book 2…).

Etsy orders CSV, step by step with Agency

For personalised listings with many orders a day: no copy and paste of names, one ZIP for the whole day.

1. In Etsy: Shop Manager > Settings > Options > Download Data. Under Orders, choose the month and download the Order Items CSV (not the Orders CSV: only Order Items has the personalisation).
2. In Numbermill: pick Etsy made-to-order, the characters, the age, the page size and Colour or Black & white. Every book in the batch uses these settings.
3. Scroll to Batch: one book per child and press Load orders CSV. The app reads the child's name from the personalisation and the Order ID, and puts one line per child in the box.
4. Read the box. Orders with no name and order numbers that appear twice are listed above it: fix those lines by hand. You can also type lines yourself (Mia | 3051 or, with Theme Studio, Mia | horses | 3051).
5. Untick Include a KDP cover for each book (Etsy orders need only the PDF), then press Make ZIP. Up to 50 books per ZIP.
6. Download the ZIP. Each file is named with the number, the child's name and the order number; batch-report.txt lists every book. Open a few, then send each PDF from its Etsy order page.

Tip: do this once a day at the same time and reply to each buyer from the order page; Etsy shows the delivery date you set in the listing.

Pinterest kit with Pro

After making a book, press Make Pinterest kit (under the Listing kit). You get a ZIP with 5 different pins (1000 × 1500), pins.txt with a title, description and alt text for each, board ideas, and free-sample.pdf.

1. Post one pin a day, not all five at once: Pinterest treats the same picture posted again as spam.
2. Link each pin to your Etsy listing or Amazon page.
3. Offer free-sample.pdf as a freebie (for example in exchange for an email address) and pin it with the FREE pin.
4. Seasonal books: pin them at least 45 days before the day, 60–90 days for Christmas and back to school.

Tip: Pins never show your customer's child's name: they are made from the no-name version of the book.

Pages as pictures: Make page PNGs gives every page of the book on screen as a 200 dpi PNG in a ZIP, for Etsy and Teachers Pay Teachers printables and listing photos.

Theme Studio with Theme Studio

• Type a word in Theme ("dinosaurs", "unicorn", "Christmas", "my son loves trucks"). The matching theme's pictures lead the book and its title. If there is no theme for the word, Numbermill suggests the closest ones.
• The seasonal list shows what to make now and the last good day to pin it.
• Your own words: title, subtitle, dedication, story opening and ending. Type {Name} where the child's name should go. Links, famous characters and brand names are refused.

Tip: Do not use famous characters (shows, films, toys) in your titles or listings, even when buyers search for them.

Agency: many books at once with Agency

1. Set the characters, age, page size and paper on the left: every book in the batch uses them.
2. Paste one child per line (Mia, or Mia | horses | 3051 with the favourite thing and order number), or load your Etsy orders CSV.
3. Press Make ZIP (up to 50 books). Each file is named with the number, the name and the order number. batch-report.txt lists what was made.

• Your author or brand name: printed on covers as "by …" and "Published by …".
• Recent books: kept in this browser; Make again rebuilds the exact same files.
• With Theme Studio, each child's favourite thing picks their theme automatically.

What you may sell

• You may sell the books you make with Numbermill, printed or as PDFs, on Amazon KDP, Etsy, your own shop or in person.
• Agency licence: you may also make books for clients and other businesses, and resell the content files (books and pages you make, the Starter Pack, the Theme Studio bonuses you own) one by one or in bundles, with master resale rights. Never the app or your licence key.
• You may not resell or share Numbermill itself, your licence key, or the pictures on their own (for example as clip art, stickers or a picture pack).
• Do not claim the pictures were hand-drawn by you. Say AI-generated content where a marketplace asks (Amazon KDP does).

Tip: These are the short version. The full terms are on our Terms page.

Questions and fixes

• The preview is empty on my phone: phones often cannot show PDFs inside a page. Press Download PDF and open the file.
• It says the licence server can't be reached: Numbermill keeps working offline for 14 days after the last check. Try again when you are online.
• Will I get the same book again? Yes: same settings and book number give exactly the same files, on any computer.
• Do other buyers get my books? No. Your series code gives your own covers, colours and puzzles.
• Is anything about the child sent to you? No. Books are made in your browser; the child's name never leaves your computer.
• KDP says the cover is the wrong size: make the cover again with the paper you chose on KDP (white, cream or premium colour).
• A product I bought is missing: open My account and press Check again. Still missing? Email us with your series code (not your licence key).

Still stuck?

Email hello@printypulse.com with your series code (My account in the app) and a screenshot. Never send your licence key. Inside the app, Help > "Show the step-by-step guide again" restarts the guide bar.