Does WotC have a new printer?

[Vigwyn the Unruly]

I have always been impressed with the physical quality of WotC's books. Their binding and paper is top-notch. In fact I own far more WotC books than books of other companies because the physical quality is so high. They just feel like good books. For other publishers, I have to really, really want the content to shell out the dough. Their books often feel light and cheap.

Could WotC be reducing the physical quality of their books?

When I went to my local store to check out their copy of Heroes of Battle, I was dismayed to see that its binding didn't seem to be up to WotC's normal standards. Hmm, maybe it was just that one particular book. But then I saw Heroes of Battle in another store, and it felt cheap there, too. Uh-oh. Oh well, by this time I had decided I didn't need Heroes of Battle anyway, so I just won't buy it.

Then today, I noticed the DMG II at my local game store--all right! I've really been looking forward to this!. Imagine my horror when I picked it up to rifle through it, and it too felt cheap and poorly made. I was 100% sure I was going to buy both the DMG II and Waterdeep this week. But I don't know if I can bring myself to do it if they are of low physical quality. Aaaargh!

Are they going to ruin this? Will a WotC book be no better than a run-of-the-mill third party d20 book from on? Please say it ain't so...

 

[IronWolf]

I seem to recall this being mentioned in another thread. I did a couple of searches but my Google-Fu is weak tonight and I couldn't find it. So I cannot confirm...

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Sovereign Press did the same thing with some of their Dragonlance products. A couple of the books had absolutely gorgeous glossy paper, and then it switched to one-step-up-from-newspaper...

 

[Abulia]

Yes, Charles Ryan confirmed that as of Lords of Madness that Wizards was using a new printer. This was in response to a thread (I believe) complaining about the book quality of Races of Eberron. Charles essentially said that the new printer prints to the same specifications as the older one.

However, I -- and quite a few people like yourself -- have noticed a change in quality. The bindings do seem worse and the pages/paper thinner. I noticed the difference before stumbling upon the thread in question on the Wizard's forum.

YMMV, but I for one don't care for the new printer.

 

[Vigwyn the Unruly]

Oh, great...

Well, we should let them know how we feel about this. I'm going to send them an email.

 

[BWP]

However, I -- and quite a few people like yourself -- have noticed a change in quality. The bindings do seem worse and the pages/paper thinner.

I haven't examined any of the recent books myself, so can't really comment on any specifics, but I just wanted to mention that "thinner paper" is not, in itself, an indication of a drop in quality. Paper quality is made up of much more than just its weight (thickness).

The classic example I can think of is the paper used in the (printed) Encyclopedia Britannica volumes. It's very thin indeed -- almost tissue-like. Nevertheless, you can suspend the entire weight of the book from a single page, and it will not tear. I don't think it's likely that WOTC printing and binding is quite up to that standard (although certainly the core books are a very high standard indeed), but just because they're apparently using thinner paper doesn't automatically mean that their standard is dropping.

 

[Ranger REG]

I don't think it's likely that WOTC printing and binding is quite up to that standard (although certainly the core books are a very high standard indeed), but just because they're apparently using thinner paper doesn't automatically mean that their standard is dropping.

As long they don't use toilet paper. All I care is about is the printed words on it. Don't know about you guys.

 

[MerricB]

The paper is definitely not thinner - hold up a copy of Lords of Madness (224 pgs) and compare it to any other 224 page book previously published by Wizards - you'll find they're the same thickness.

The surface texture of the paper is greatly different, however. This makes it feel thinner - though it isn't.

Cheers!

 

[NiTessine]

I still prefer the old printer... This new stuff smells wrong. It doesn't have that new book smell. It's got more like a fairly elderly book left in a damp cellar for a year smell.

Smells a lot like some gamers I know, actually.

I want my old new book smell back!

 

[Belen]

I still prefer the old printer... This new stuff smells wrong. It doesn't have that new book smell. It's got more like a fairly elderly book left in a damp cellar for a year smell.

There is a good chance that they switched to a printer in India then. Indian paper has a godawful smell. They do not use the same anti-acidic paper that is mandated in the US. I remember when our printer tried to get us to change from their US facility to their Indian facility. The sample smells like wet dog and you could already see them decaying.

If Wizards switched to a printer in India, then you should not expect the books to last more than a few years.