Printing RPG books?

[fireinthedust]

Great.

I've been sending out emails, etc.

Thing I'm thinking about: it's a whole language for paper options that I just don't know about. I want to make a WOTC/paizo-looking book. I don't know what the paper options are called, what the binding is called, or the expense. I just read the books and assume they come that way naturally (growing on RPG book trees or bushes of some sort).

So you're saying basically I should decide on the format the printers offer, and then get the layout person to do what they do best within the given parameters?

What is print on demand? Is it just me giving an order for a certain book at, like, Kinkos?

What is off-set? I'm guessing it's a whole thing in its own right, like sound mixing or some such, but for books.

 

[Aurumvorax]

Check your yellow pages for a local printer. They might have samples. I'm sure you can also find a book on professional printing because there are a lot of nuances you have to look for. Most printers will do corrections for you. You should always receive a preview copy before finalizing the print job.

Print-on-demand means a book isn't printed until it's actually ordered. Lulu is the most popular website for this and people with small products that would be too prohibitive to print en masse use this. You typically get a smaller cut but there's practically no risk involved: people either buy your work and you get paid or they don't and you make nothing. If you print yourself, you could invest thousands but never sell a single item!

Off-set printing is an industry term and doesn't really apply if you're self-publishing because it's something handled by the printer. It basically applies to the manner in which a printer (the machine) creates the finished work.