Book Printing Layout: How to Save Money
Most people don’t think of the layout design of their book as an area that can impact the printing cost, but it can have an effect.
For example, most offset printers use 32-page signatures. This means that you will want to keep your page count divisible by 8, 16, or 32. A 130-page book can cost a fair amount more to print than a 128-page book, so it’s worth trying to figure out how to get rid of those two extra pages, if at all possible.
To get to an appropriately divisible page count, play around with the margins in your book. Make them a little smaller or a little larger.
A minor increase or decrease in the leading (line spacing) can have a major effect on the page count. I’ve had books where I’ve had to drop a couple pages to save cost, and just adjusting the leading by a small amount – maybe only 0.2 pt. – can get me those two pages.
Doublecheck with your printer to make sure they use standard 32-page signatures. You certainly don’t want to go through the hassle of adjusting your layout to squeeze an extra couple pages – only to find out that your printer uses 12-page signatures instead.
One last area that can save money on the print run is by rethinking the trim size of the book. Too many times I’ve seen customers insist on a specific print size when adjusting it by 1/4″ or 1/2″ would save them quite a bit of money. Why is that? Because different trim sizes are set up differently on different presses. A trim size that works well on one press might generate a lot of paper waste on another press. And guess who pays for that extra paper waste – you!
So don’t be afraid to ask for help from your printer sales rep. And shop around. See if the trim size you have in mind might work better for a different printing plant. Or see if you can get recommendations from a plant as to what trim sizes work best for them. Minor variations can save a lot of money on your book publishing in the end.
Most people don't think of the layout design of their book as an area that can impact the printing cost, but it can have an effect....
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