From a quick chat to a printed keepsake.
Digital draft in 3-5 days. Shipped in 10. Free across HK, Macau & Mainland China.
Tell us. Approve every page. We print.
Tell us about them
Chat with our assistant about the person: their personality, who's in their life, the occasion, the inside jokes. Drop in a few photos — of them, their home, a favourite toy.
Meet the cast
Within 1-2 days we draw the locked character portraits — your hero and everyone in their world — and email them to you. First proof we're making YOUR book, not a template.
PDF preview + free revisions
You'll receive a digital PDF of the FULL book before it goes to print. Want a different outfit, scene, ending? Just reply and we'll fix it personally. Nothing prints until you say go.
We print + ship the keepsake
Once you approve, we print the hardcover at our Guangzhou partner and ship it to you. Usually in your hands within 10 days of order.
BookPhotoWatch your world become the book
These are real photos. Drag across each one and watch it redrawn in your book's style, right down to the cat.
That’s what your photos are for: reference for the person drawing your book. Their home, their pet, their favourite toy — redrawn into the story’s own style, never pasted in.
Nothing prints until you say go.
A real person writes and designs your book, not a machine. You see the full draft first, free revisions until it's right, and we print only when you say go.
Questions, answered.
Anything else? Email hello@cantostory.com — you’ll get a real person, not a bot.
How personalised is it, really?
Completely. A real person writes an original story around one specific person: their life, their humour, the people and pets around them, then designs the illustrations to match. Not a stock template with a name swapped in, and not a photo pasted into generic scenes. Every example above was built from scratch, for one person.
What if I want to change something in the digital draft?
Say the word and we'll revise. Swap a scene, fix a name, redraw an outfit, change the tone of a page. Revisions on the digital draft are free, and we don't print anything until you give the green light.
How long until I get the printed book?
Digital draft within 3–5 days of your brief. Once you approve it, hardcovers ship within 7 days. Delivery is next-day in Hong Kong and Macau, 2–4 days in Mainland China. Realistic worst case from order to doorstep: about two weeks.
What if there's a typo or a wrong detail?
Free reprint. Tell us within 14 days of delivery and we'll fix the file and ship a replacement at no cost. We'd rather you have a book that's right.
Do you reuse my photos for marketing?
No. Photos you send us are only used to illustrate your book. They're deleted from our systems within 30 days of order completion, and we never post them publicly without asking you first.
Is my child's photo used to train AI?
No. We use the photos only as reference for the illustrator working on your specific book. They are not fed into any model training pipeline, ours or anyone else's.
Can I order extra copies for grandparents at a discount?
Yes — 50% off the softcover when added to a hardcover or Gift Edition order. Same story, same illustrations, just a softcover binding so the grandparents have their own copy. (TODO: founder to confirm final discount.)
What languages can the book be in?
English, Cantonese (Traditional Chinese) and French. We can also do bilingual layouts — English on one page, 中文 on the facing page. Tell us which combo you'd like.
Can I review the story before it's printed?
Yes. You'll see the full digital book first, scene by scene, with room to request changes. Nothing goes to print until you give the green light.
Where do you ship?
Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China. Free delivery on every order — next-day in most of HK & Macau, 2–4 days on the mainland. Somewhere else? Leave your email at the bottom of the page and we'll tell you the moment we ship to your country.
Who's behind Canto?
A small studio in Hong Kong. Every book is written, art-directed and checked by hand by real people, not spat out by a generator. Want to talk to the people who'll actually make your book? Email hello@cantostory.com and you'll get a real person, not a bot.
Step one takes five minutes.
Create your book, from HK$348