| Self-Published Book Printing |
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With the advances made in layout and design programs, and the strength of Internet marketing, many first time or even experienced authors are now choosing to self-publish their book, calendar, poster, greeting cards or other printed venture. While there are many advantages of working with an established publisher, such as a network for production, marketing and promotion, and distribution, many authors opt to self-publish to retain complete control of their project. If you choose to have an established publishing house take over your project they will have control over the editing, printing, marketing, and will usually pay minimal royalties to the author.
When self-publishing one retains complete control over the editing, printing, marketing and how much money you will make from your publishing venture. It also means however that the self-publisher has to pay for printing and marketing of their project. Many printing companies will not be interested in working with self-publishers due to the small print runs that often accompany a self-published project (called Print-on-demand, POD, or Print Quantity Needed PQN). Therefore, when self-publishing it is imperative to find a commercial sheet-fed printer who has experience with self-published projects and likes to work with them. The appropriate printer will offer the self-publishing entrepreneur advice and input about file preparation requirements and the printing process as it specifically relates to their project. They can be helpful with typesetting and layout issues which might prove to be stumbling blocks at print time if not addressed early on. Undertaking the entire process of publishing a book can be a daunting project, especially for a first-timer. If you do find a printer who has worked with many self-published projects, they can often help with outsourcing for various parts of the job, such as graphic design services for the book cover design, professional editing services, or just simply making sure you have applied for an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) which will allow your publication to be searchable and listable on the Internet. They should also be willing to carefully go over your book, learn the specific requirements, and be able to offer you a number of printing options to fit your budget and timeline. Because many self publishers do short print runs (1,000 copies and up) for their projects, using a high quality sheet-fed printer, who is willing to accommodate your needs and is able to bind it properly is very important. Depending on the type of your project (book, calendar, etc), the binding options for your project can range from saddle stitch, perfect binding to wire o, spiral or even hard cover case binding. Many printers have limited binding facilities and often outsource the binding. Therefore, it is better to choose a commercial printer who is able to provide all your binding needs in house. Once your project is at the printers, be sure to follow all of the proofing and press-check steps to insure that no last minute mistakes mar your printed material. A poorly set page (due to the Registration slipping) or a printing blemish (from a foreign object on the press) should be caught during the press run. For quality control it is often best to have two people available for press checks. Want to find out more about what AsianPrinting.com can do for you? View our Print Comparison Chart or submit your information for a free quote or give us a call if you have a specific question, we would be happy to help you!
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