Self Publishing

Danny Stooksbury asked:


If you are not familiar with offset printing, it is the process of transferring text and images from specially crafted plates to paper. The process has improved dramatically over the past 100 years. Many publishers prefer to use offset printing because it provides consistently high-quality images and is very cost effective when printing in large quantities. One plate can produce up to a million near identical impressions.

Offset printing is often the choice of publishers who want to maximize their profits. The primary costs are in building the plates and loading the images into the machines. The more books you print, the less you pay per copy. The key to earning big dollars self-publishing is often as simple as finding an offset press that can give you high quality at a low price. All printers have unique equipment. Whether they specialize in the type of printing your book requires or not, each printer will try to convince you they are your best option. The only way to truly know which printer will be right for your book is to get printing quotes from as many presses as possible.

Here are some things you will want to consider when finding the right printer for your book:



Collect quotes. There are many factors that will determine the offset costs of printing your book. These factors include colors, dimensions, page counts, paper stock, binding, cover type and quantities. Keep in mind that printing prices can very greatly from one company to the next. Try to narrow down the exact specifications as early in your writing process as possible. Then, take the time to get as many quotes as possible.





Time frame. Presses generally require four to six weeks to turn your computer files into a finished product. However, most printers keep very tight production schedules and can backed up for months at a time. It’s a good idea to settle on a printer as early as possible. Once you know when your files need to go to the printer, you can set a timetable for the writing, editing and layout of your book.





Page counts. Offset printers transfer page images onto plates called signatures. Some printers use 16-page signatures (8 pages on each side), others use 32-page signatures (16 pages on each side). Generally, printers charge you for the entire signature whether you use the entire plate or not. So a 160-page book would use exactly five of the 32-page signatures or 10 of the 16-page signatures.





Printer locations. The location of your printer could have a couple of major influences on your production costs. You will be responsible for any shipping charges. Be sure to ask your printer to include a shipping estimate with your quote. Your costs can also be altered by sales tax. Every state has its own tax rates. However, you will not be required to pay sales tax if you are printing out of state. That could save you as much as $1,000 on a $10,000 book order.



Caffeinated Content