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Good Print on Demand site?

Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2015 2:03 pm
by Jester of the FoS
I'm thinking about sending Ari Marmell's Black Crusade to a printer, so I can have it on the shelf with my other Ravenloft books.

I've done a little self-publishing on CreateSpace, but I'm not certain their policies will allow me to publish, even if just printing a copy for myself.
And since I only need a single copy, Lulu is out.

Any other recommendations?

Re: Good Print on Demand site?

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 8:06 am
by Skyrock
When it is just a single copy, a local copyshop may be your most economic bet. The better ones can do bookbinding.

Re: Good Print on Demand site?

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:46 am
by Le Noir Faineant
Yepp, local print shops are your best option.

Re: Good Print on Demand site?

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 1:04 pm
by Jester of the FoS
Well, I don't just want a print copy, but one bound with a cover.

Re: Good Print on Demand site?

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 1:57 pm
by Skyrock
That's why I said that you should look for a copy shop, print shop or book store that has book-binding as a service option. Pretty much every city and major town has at least one that can.
Check the local yellow pages. I don't know where in Canada you are exactly, but a quick sample google search for "book-binding toronto" gave me several hits for that city.

Colleges and universities often also have an in-house print-service with book-binding capabilities for thesis printing etc., that is sometimes open to the general public. If you are in an uni town, it might also be worth checking out that angle, especially if you know students who might be able to use them for subsidised rates.

Re: Good Print on Demand site?

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 3:08 pm
by Le Noir Faineant
Yeah, sorry for dropping you a quick reddit-ish one-liner, Jester!

Go look for a good print shop in your area. A normal copy shop will be able to print and bind your papers as well, but no extras.

At a good local print shop, you can customize everything, from paper thickness and density, to the way the coloring is applied, and what pages to print in which format. Depending on how fancy your preferences are, a good print will cost you between ten and thirty $/€, but you will get everything done that you want.

This is a print that I had made for relatively little money, a few years back:

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewt ... 11&t=56838


Now, another important thing is to have the guts to bargain, there: Meaning, you should be aware that the copy shop owner likely knows that he can only sell you sub-standard quality; in all likelihood, he won't tell you. So, have him give you a listing of the costs BEFORE he starts processing your order, and LEAVE if he refuses to do so. The same goes for the print shop clerc, by the way. There's no such thing as "I don't know", and there is no place between Poland and Alaska where a custom print can reasonably cost more than 30 dollars of your local currency.

Especially as a retro gamer, knowing a good print shop is pretty vital, unless you really want to work based on crappy prints, or even PDFs, exclusively. I get that many do that, but I prefer not to, for that one time in a blue moon that I actually run a game in an 80s or 90s setting. :)