As my collection of .pdfs has grown over the last year or so, a question has been brewing I've been unable to answer and finally I'm seeking advice.
I don't mind reading on my screen, but when a document goes over 60 pages or so, I really wish I had a printed page to read. Printing on my home printer, I blow through almost a whole print cartridge after about 60-80 pages. For a 200 pg book, that comes out to about $60.
What are the cheapest ways to get .pdfs (or other large documents) printed?
Kinko's (FedEx Office)? Internet cafe's?
So please, lay on me your tips and tricks for getting .pdf books printed on the cheaper side.
Shop around. Research and get quotes before printing anything. Always demand a proof to examine for quality if you are getting multiple copies printed.
Print shops, including Kinko's, charge different amounts for different services. Some are cheaper at the actual printing and some are cheaper for binding services. Don't be afraid of splitting those two up. If it is cheaper to have the PDF printed at one shop and then have it bound at another, then follow that route.
If you are not concerned about color artwork, get everything done in black & white. Black & white printing is usually anywhere from half-price to one-eighth the price of a color page printed.
Check and make sure that the printer isn't worried about printing the PDF. When I worked at Kinko's, the manager always required the customers sign a disclaimer before printing a PDF (for fear of being held responsible for some kind of IP theft) and would refuse service half the time. Expect to have to explain the PDF game market and show examples of sellers (One Book Shelf, etc) to the print shop owner.
Hope that helps some.
Kinkos is not your friend.
Oddly, there were several POD companies advertising "just buy 1" deals last year, but I don't see them popping up in google searches anymore. Everyone is demanding multiple copies now.
Maybe look into a buying a new laser printer. Look into what the new models will print out if you set it at low quality. If you have a dozen or more books, it might be worth the investment.
Quote from: KrakaJak;270795I don't mind reading on my screen, but when a document goes over 60 pages or so, I really wish I had a printed page to read. Printing on my home printer, I blow through almost a whole print cartridge after about 60-80 pages. For a 200 pg book, that comes out to about $60.
Seriously? Get a new printer. Sounds like you have an inkjet or something.
Basic quick print, decent graphics (600dpi):
HP LaserJet P1006 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828115080)
Fancier All-in-one with really nice graphics(1200 dpi):
HP LaserJet M1319f (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828115138)
I know, I know. "Toner cartridges are EXPENSIVE!" They also give you several thousand prints. I am still using the one a friend picked up for me at a library book sale. I don't have industrial sized needs for prints, but I must be pushing a thousand pages or so, and it shows no signs of slowing down. I have no idea how much toner it had when I got it, so it might be four pages from running out, for all I know.
Also, it is an HP LaserJet 5L, and it looks like it has already been through at least one cartridge; mechanically, it is still bulletproof. Not so much as a squeak.
Barring that option, if you can get a private-ish carrel at Kinko's, they charge a dime a page B&W, even double sided, last I knew. As I understand the anecdotes, however, if you hand them a file or files on a flash drive/CD and ask them to crank it out, they will generally hand it back when they see stuff on there where they can't definitively say there are no copyrights to violate. Even if it just looks marginally professional, most people say they will just hand it back to you. Occasionally, there is a pretty savvy tech behind the counter, but by and large, it's McDonald's
sans fry cooker.
Plus their printers are industrial speed, so you should have a 60pg double sided ripped out in under four or five minutes.
(EDIT: Dammit! Beaten to the punch on both counts! Curse you, Jeff and Spinachcat!)
Quote from: Spinachcat;270808Kinkos is not your friend.
That is an understatement if I ever heard one.
EDIT: Kinko's usually charges 8 cents per side of a B&W page and $1 per side of a color page. Binding is equally high compared to other non-chain print shops.
I second Stormy's suggestion of a cheap b&w laserjet. I have one that cost $90...you can get the same model on eBay for less than $60. Printed out tons of JG stuff from Drivethru, and I'm still on my first cartridge.
I wouldn’t use inkjets to print them out. Look into buying a laser printer. The “cartridges” last much, much longer. I use a duplex b/w laser and it’s about $70 for a “cartridge” that does about 5,000 sheets.
Many people I know print them this way: work late or a weekend at work, then send them to the high speed office laser printer.
I usually just print the odd page for reference. It saves space as well as cost.
Quote from: Nicephorus;270899Many people I know print them this way: work late or a weekend at work, then send them to the high speed office laser printer.
Some people consider this "stealing" from the company.
With the economies of scale that a typical large company gets on their paper and printing supplies, an average RPG between 120-200 pages costs less than $5 (assuming B&W).
Even in a quiet week, I'll rack up a few hours of unpaid overtime. I'm not sure what my hourly rate is, but it would
easily account for 10-20 RPGs each week. So if I happen to print out a single book every couple of weeks, while I'm working back late, I figure the company is still coming out
way ahead on the ledger.
Yeah, I thought printing this sort of shit at work was what work was for.
If you are stuck printing on an inkjet printer, I would suggest printing in Draft Mode, it reads pretty well and saves a whole lot of ink compared to normal mode.
Quote from: Engine;270975Yeah, I thought printing this sort of shit at work was what work was for.
That and keeping a steady supply of pens around the house.
QuoteSome people consider this "stealing" from the company.
I was waiting for when
that suggestion would show up :)
Sadly enough, it's very difficult for me to do that at my current jobs :(
FYI I've looked into Kinko's and it's not that bad, it's about $15 dollars for 120 pages, comb-bound (my favorite kind of binding, cause it lays flat!) with a color cardstock cover. Shave it down to $14 with 100% recycled paper...
Quote from: KrakaJak;271117I was waiting for when that suggestion would show up :)
Sadly enough, it's very difficult for me to do that at my current jobs :(
FYI I've looked into Kinko's and it's not that bad, it's about $15 dollars for 120 pages, comb-bound (my favorite kind of binding, cause it lays flat!) with a color cardstock cover. Shave it down to $14 with 100% recycled paper...
Not a terrible price. I would do the shopping around Jeff suggested. You might be able to save several dollars if you get the printing done at Kinko's, then bind it at another store.
I don't know about Kinkos, but equivalent places here in Australia will give discounts for high volumes. For example, Officeworks charges 8c per pages for under 500 pages, 6c per pages for 500-3000 pages and 4c per page for 3000 plus.
3000 sheets would represent 10-20 RPGs, depending on their size. So although it works out to be $120 plus, you'll get plenty of value (depending on how cheaply you acquired the PDFs in the first place).
These numbers are all Australian dollars, but the principle remains the same. Printing in bulk will be much cheaper.
An alternative to using a commercial print service like Kinkos, would be to check out the local college/university. Most large universities have their own printeries, and they are used to doing small print runs for academics and PhD students.
Local print shops are also an option...we have one in Albany that's quite a bit cheaper than Kinko's and the like. Might be worth a search in the yellow pages or the online equivalent.