Book Printing Layout: How to Save Money
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by: JoshuaPrizer
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If you're trying to publish your own book and save money on book printing services, you'll definitely want to pay attention to how your book is laid out. Minor adjustments in the layout can result in a reduction in page count that reap large savings on print cost.
A 32-page signature is standard among most offset printing presses. Printers can easily print full signatures, half signatures, and even quarter signatures. So if the press you are using has 32-page signatures, you'll want to have your page count divisible by 8 (a quarter signature). Anything other than that will just end up costing you more money as it will result in wasted paper.
So what are some of the tricks to adjust the number of pages? First of all, see if you can adjust your margins slightly. Slight changes probably are not noticeable to most readers, but the price difference will definitely be noticeable to you.
Adjust the leading (space between lines). A very small adjustment might be barely visible to the average reader, but it could result in dropping a few pages from your book -- saving you money on your print run.
However, before spending too much time worrying about your page count, talk to your printer. It may be that the price difference isn't worth the hassle of adjusting your layout (although it probably is). Also, if you're using a digital press, you don't need to worry about page counts since they don't use signatures. Other presses may use unusual signature breaks as well.
Be sure, too, that you are printing at a standard trim size. Some standard sizes include 5.5 x 8.5", 6 x 9", and 8.5 x 11". Deviate too much from a standard size and you will generate paper waste on the press. That's paper the printer has to just throw away, but you still pay for it.
So be sure to always ask your printer (before you finish the design and layout) if there is a more economical print size than what you have in mind. It might save you more money than you would expect!
About the Author
Joshua Prizer has worked in the book printing industry for 15 years and is a cheap book printing expert. To learn how to publish your own book, visit his web site.
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