Like so many products nowadays, books and other printed materials frequently bear the label “Made in China.”
There are pros (mostly price) and many cons to printing in China, but one that is rarely discussed is censorship.
Every facet of life in mainland China is tightly controlled by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Censorship is rife and not always for what you expect.
The Chinese aren’t shy about censorship: they will blatantly insist you change your contents or they will refuse to honor printing contracts.
Here’s some general guidelines of topics that may cause Chinese sources to refuse to print.
Any mention of these locations is a strict no-no:
References to Hong Kong or Xinjiang province may also be red flags, depending on context.
Don’t forget that even maps showing these locations have been cause for Chinese printers to refuse to print.
The CCP also looks with suspicion on any map of China with too much detail.
Seemingly innocent maps are probably the #1 cause of refusal to print.
Any mention of these topics is strictly verboten:
The Chinese Communist Party promotes atheism and discourages citizens from practicing religion. Evangelism is banned.
Within China, neither the Bible nor the Quran may be purchased in stores or ordered online. So, be careful when planning to print these:
Perhaps you’ve heard that, contrary to above, Bibles are printed in China. Is this true?
The answer is yes… sometimes…proceed with caution.
Chinese propaganda often points out that the world’s largest Bible printer is in China. This is true, but it is the one and only printer in China that is allowed to print Bibles.
If you print, say, a daily devotional with a Bible verse or two for each day you may be ok.
If your book employs larger swaths of Bible quotations you are now entering a gray area.
Fact is, there are no written guide-lines for what is permissible. What one Chinese printer accepts may be declined by another, depending upon location.
Censorship depends upon the whims and vagaries of local officials, the state-run General Administration of Press and Publication, and the Central Propaganda Department.
While tariffs have generally not been an issue, the fact remains that China is far away. Trans-Pacific shipping must be considered when calculating price and delivery times.
When problems arise, dispute resolution across international borders can be excessively complicated (and slow.)
At Copresco, we print right here at our plant in Carol Stream, Illinois, centrally located in middle America.
We are ideally suited for shipping anywhere in the world, and we’re a lot closer to you than China. We invite you to visit us any time for an impromptu tour.
So when you need your book, manual, publication, or anything with more than 4 pages printed, bound, and delivered quickly and reliably, call the company that always comes through.
Call Copresco.
Love letters from two clients who used Amazon for printing, then switched to Copresco:
“Imperfect, impersonal Amazon work cannot come close to the perfect, personal touch which Copresco had given every one of my book design clients through the years. Thanks to Steve and crew!”
“The books—Wow! The books are beautiful. Thank you for your great work.”
Aw, shucks…we’re blushing!