The Book Printer And Page Counts

Be prepared to either swim upstream or down with your new book printing project. It can be difficult or easy depending upon how ready you are with your files and layout. In book printing you are best served "going with the tide" or the cost will eat you up as if it were a shark. So, what is the check list you need in order for your book printer to provide you with the best possible quote and the most trouble free job? 1- provide your book printer with layout that works best for press imposition. Most book printers are working with either 16, 32 and up to 64 page signatures (amount of pages your book printer can have on the press sheet). Therefore if you have even signatures, you are swimming downstream, if you must have those four additional pages, you will be having at least 4 more blank pages for an even half signature at a minimum from your book printer.

Best Files For Your Book Printer

The first thing I will tell you here is to forget providing a commercial book printer, running web or sheet feed presses, with a Word document. Commercial printer cannot accept Word Documents and one reason for this, is that it is an unstable file format with limited controls over layout. If you must use Word, you will need to convert the file to a press ready PDF and you should check with your book printer in front to find out the best way to export to a PDF file for the specific file processing of that book printing press. If you cannot, look for heavy upcharges at many presses to do this for you. In our case the charge would be nominal as we want your business. You are best served in starting with a graphics program such as InDesign, Quark, Corel, or Illustrator and then again most book printers will provide you with the requisites for exporting to a PDF from that file and for that press. Should you provide even a pro graphics native application such as InDesign, etc. you still may pick up a pre press charge should your files not be delivered as press ready PDF's to the book printer.

Correct Book Design For The Book Printer

Book printers utilze cold set heat presses. These are less sophisticated and less modern then the heat set web presses used for high end magazines or other forms of glossy publication. The also tend to be a bit older many times and thus less forgiving. Therefore, if any pages bleed and your book printer can accept text that bleeds, as many do not, utilize a quarter of an inch for the bleed extensions. Older presses at many a book printer have more "jiggle", or movement as paper runs through on the roll, unlike the more modern heat set web presses, thus you must have a larger "safety area" where if there is movement, not only is nothing cut off of importance on the page, but also it provides a better margin of the copy on the page being in reasonable view and even if off, it is not as noticeable. Design your cover for the book printer with crossover art (the design as it flows from back to spine to front cover). This way if an adjustment is required at bindery for the width of the spine, a slight pull to front or back will hardly be noticeable. If you design with distinct changes, such as a green front cover, blue spine and red back, the bindery at the book printer has less latitude in any final adjustment if needed. One last note: Don't "over design". Do not throw in everything but the kitchen sink. Keep it simple for your book printer and you will achieve a far better book printing product.

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We look forward to hearing from you and being of service to you as your book printer. Contact us now for the printing of your books We look forward to hearing from you soon.