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Topic: OT: Printing suggestions for small run trades (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Matt Hawes
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Posted: 26 May 2017 at 12:05am | IP Logged | 1  

I am looking into the most affordable, yet still decent quality, printing available from an online printer for a fairly small print run. Knowing that a number of you have some knowledge, is there a printer any of you can suggest for this purpose?

Here's what I am looking to print: A trade paperback/omnibus comic book,  color cover, black and white interiors (but with grey tones), and has somewhere around 426 pages (It should be less, I haven't got a count, yet, but it won't be more than that).

Thanks for any suggestions!



Edited by Matt Hawes on 26 May 2017 at 12:06am
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Roy Johnson
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Posted: 26 May 2017 at 4:35pm | IP Logged | 2  

What do you consider a "small print run"? Like 5 or 500?
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Matt Hawes
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Posted: 26 May 2017 at 4:54pm | IP Logged | 3  

Probably in the area 0f 500, or so. That's not a strict number, though. The amount printed depends on the printer's minimum requirements, and the costs involved.
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J W Campbell
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Posted: 27 May 2017 at 3:38am | IP Logged | 4  

I don't know how many copies he printed, but I recently finished production on a Kickstarter (finished now, not a plug) for writer Pat Shand that used KrakenPrint: http://krakenprint.com

I haven't seen the finished book in person, but Pat has told me he's very happy with the final product, which is shorter than yours but otherwise similar in spec — full colour covers, square bound, grayscale interiors (you can see some sample pages here).

Quite a long delivery time, however, because although the company is US-based, the actual printing is done in Taiwan and shipped back to the US.

Maybe worth getting a quote?
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Jean-Francois Joutel
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Posted: 27 May 2017 at 12:38pm | IP Logged | 5  

Some friends in the past had used Ka-Blam, and had good success. They offer diverse printing options and pricing. You can get an immediate quote from their website.
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Matt Hawes
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Posted: 27 May 2017 at 8:56pm | IP Logged | 6  

Thanks for the tips, guys!
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Roy Johnson
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Posted: 28 May 2017 at 4:52pm | IP Logged | 7  

I've used Ka-Blam as well, but it's really more a print on demand kinda thing.

You might want to look at Print Ninja, Qubeccor Printing.
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Matt Hawes
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Posted: 28 May 2017 at 4:58pm | IP Logged | 8  

I'm going to sound ignorant here, and I am on this matter, but what is the difference with print on demand and those other printers?

I did notice that there was a difference of a few thousand dollars between Ka-Blam's online estimates and that of Print Ninja for the same print run number I used.
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Robert Shepherd
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Posted: 28 May 2017 at 6:10pm | IP Logged | 9  

Print on demand are digital prints with very small print runs, usually 1 to a couple hundred. There are services out there for authors who send the files to the printer, and the printer will literally print a book at the time an order comes in.

Low run digital offset printing usually need a couple hundred to a couple thousand to make them cost competitive.

Small traditional offest fills the gap between low-run digital and traditional offset.

Traditional offset printers (those used by the large comic book publishers) really need print runs in the many thousands to make them cost competitive because there is a high percentage of paper and ink waste while the presses are being calibrated.


Edited by Robert Shepherd on 28 May 2017 at 6:27pm
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Robert Shepherd
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Posted: 28 May 2017 at 6:29pm | IP Logged | 10  

Matt, take into consideration your shipping costs when you pick a printer. Paper is heavy to ship and can jack up your costs real quick.
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Matt Hawes
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Posted: 28 May 2017 at 8:42pm | IP Logged | 11  

Thanks again all of you,  for the suggestions, info, and advice.

Edited by Matt Hawes on 29 May 2017 at 4:27am
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