Ask your printer first (Was:Re: Is it possible to make a booklet using Frame?)

[Jay Smith <jay@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Peter & all...

I want to heartily second everything Peter says, especially about coordinating
with your printer regarding page layout, page size, pagination, etc.  

As an example, (in another of my companies) we have a 100-page price list that
we had been accustomed to running on the equivalent of 16# bond.  The text is
in 6 to 8 pt type and is stuffed in, almost edge to edge (not great style, but
part of the marketing image). We were printing about 6,000 of them, thus it
was most economical to run them on sheet-fed presses.  However, the quantity
jumped up to 15,000 (business is good) and it became very obvious that it was
time to move the job to a web press.  The same printer gave us a great price
and so we merrily went on our way preparing the list (in FM of course!) as
usual.  We shipped the layout off to them and breathed a sigh of relief.  Big
mistake.  The next day they call and say "what is this *^*&^&!.... Maybe we
could hit 1/16 binding registration on a sheet fed press, but we have to have
1/4 inch 'margin' (read = room to be sloppy) on a web press."  Despite my
momentary frustration, I knew that they were right -- I've worked on enough of
that equipment (in another life) to know that by the time it is "in tune", the
job is done; at 15,000 impressions of a job like ours, the big presses never
even get up to rated speed.

So... They didn't say and we didn't ask about different requirements for the
different methods of printing.  We should have asked, but we ass-u-me-d that
they would let us know if they requirements were different.  They should have
told us, but they ass-u-me-d that since we were always on target on every
other job over the years that we would "just know".  Argh!

Isn't this fun!

-- 
Jay Smith

e-mail: jay@jaysmith.com

The Press for History(tm), The Press for Education(tm), 
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Peter Collins wrote:
> 
> Dear Abbie,
>     You don't say whether you want to print this booklet on your computer
> output printer or have it printed commercially.
>     If the latter, your local print-shop will choose the paper size to
> suit: the length of run, what machinery they have, and what paper stock
> sizes they have or can source for the weight and quality you need. They may
> opt for a large paper size and multiple fold, staple and trim; or they may
> use a paper already cut to size, print two across and then use a collating
> saddle-stitcher to assemble the booklet, perhaps with a final trim after
> assembly.
>     In the case of a multiple-fold process, half the pages will be laid out
> upside-down. If the booklet has few pages and the run is long, several
> copies may be printed on the same large sheet.
>     Choosing the most economical approach for long runs of this sort is a
> very specialised field and you should contact several commercial printers
> for comment and indicative prices BEFORE you settle on your layout, as
> small layout changes can have significant effect on costs, and one print
> company, with a different set of machines, can be much cheaper than the
> others for one layout, but not for some other.
> P
> ========================================================
> Peter Collins, VIVID Management Pty Ltd,
> 26 Bradleys Head Road, MOSMAN NSW 2088, Australia
> +61 2 9968 3308, fax +61 2 9968 3026, mobile +61 (0)18 419 571
> Management Consultants and Technical Writers
> email: peter.collins@bigfoot.com                ICQ#: 10981283
> Short stories and CV: http://www.angelfire.com/pe/pcollins/
> ========================================================
>

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