Getting PDFs Printed and Bound Online

I like Staples. Upload it online, choose from a few options, and the next day you pick it up. Now I prefer my books spiral bound. YMMV, but I generally get 160 pages printed for ~$10. Also, unlike Lulu, they can do protected PDFs, provided printing is allowed.
 

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Flynn said:
If you read the fine print over at Lulu, you aren't supposed to do 'just for me' printing like that.

Hmm... I've looked over Lulu's site but I can't find anything specifically regarding this. Please tell me where they state this.

All I’ve found was this statement under the area “Can I use Another Person’s Work”: “When using another work within your own, keep in mind that you are responsible for ensuring that your work does not violate anyone else’s copyright. Make sure that you have the proper copyright permissions if necessary.”

I've noticed that they have three options for Access Level: Private Access, Direct Access & General Access. Private Access is available only to me, no one but me can see the content and it is not searchable on Lulu. Nobody else has access to it and nobody else can download it or buy it. Direct Access makes it available only to customers you select. General Access means anyone can find your content on Lulu and possibly purchase it.

So, these are my feelings about it [please keep in mind I'm not a lawyer]. Say I purchase a pdf, upload it to Lulu, set it to Private Access, and than pay for it to be sent to me. Basically, I'm buying a distributed copy of the "original works of authorship" from the owner of the copyrighted material [the pdf], the paper and the ink [from Lulu]. In a sense, I'm buying a book.

Since I did not choose the General Access option, I am not re-distrubuting copies of the works to the public for sale.

Legally, I suppose I could get in trouble because I am reproducing the works [in a paper copy] just for myself. However, in my research I've found that US Copyright laws are pretty vague when it comes to printing paper copies of ebooks just for personal use. If somebody knows exactly where the laws stand on this, please point me in the right direction.

Flynn said:
That being said, I'm certain that several people do it. I've seen the occasional post on a blog or that kind of thing to indicate such. However, know that if you are doing it, you may well be violating Lulu's publishing guidelines. Prudence would indicate that if the guidelines suggest that you should publish stuff you don't own the copyright to, then you probably shouldn't tell people that you are violating Lulu's guidelines, just in case.

Again, after searching the Lulu site, I can’t find anything that exactly states this. I’m not entirely sure you are violating their publishing guidelines unless you are actually selling somebody else’s copyrighted material. Once more, please point me in the right direction for clarification :)
 

dmccoy1693 said:
I like Staples. Upload it online, choose from a few options, and the next day you pick it up. Now I prefer my books spiral bound. YMMV, but I generally get 160 pages printed for ~$10. Also, unlike Lulu, they can do protected PDFs, provided printing is allowed.

The last time I tried to get a PDF printed and bound at Staples they refused. It was a fan created Gamma World module (the long lost GW5!). Since I didn't have explicit permission to make a copy, they wouldn't do it. I did get it made at Kinko's but it was fairly costly. I'm looking to keep it in the $10 range. I didn't try Staples online though... so maybe I will give it a shot...
 

Tetsubo said:
The last time I tried to get a PDF printed and bound at Staples they refused. It was a fan created Gamma World module (the long lost GW5!). Since I didn't have explicit permission to make a copy, they wouldn't do it. I did get it made at Kinko's but it was fairly costly. I'm looking to keep it in the $10 range. I didn't try Staples online though... so maybe I will give it a shot...
Was your name on it? I mean anywhere? I hear that Staples doesn't print it unless your name is somewhere on the document. I don't have any first hand experience with this since all the DTRPG books I've bought (thusfar) have my name watermarked in the corner.
 

If I find out that I cannot print and bind a PDF whenever, and however often, I wish to, for myself, then I will quit buying PDF's. Being able to do so is why I buy them in the first place.

Is there an "overall law" that covers this issue? Or is it a publisher by publisher policy?
 

dmccoy1693 said:
Was your name on it? I mean anywhere? I hear that Staples doesn't print it unless your name is somewhere on the document. I don't have any first hand experience with this since all the DTRPG books I've bought (thusfar) have my name watermarked in the corner.

I was not a contributer to the project. But it was a fan based creation and freely available to anyone that wanted to download it...

I am currently trying to get a copy of a Dark Sun conversion of the Lifeshaper rules printed (from Athas.org)...
 

I just attempted to use the Staples online printing and binding service. Because the Lifeshaper document has a copyright on it, they will not print it.

What good is having a gaming product in PDF form (free or purchased) if you can't have it printed and bound? This is why I have never purchased a gaming PDF and why I never will...
 

I don't think Lulu checks to see if it's copyrighted or not - even if you make it public only if someone complains, will they do anythying. If you just keep it private, it seems okay. Maybe not legal, but no one will know.
 

Mean Eyed Cat said:
Hmm... I've looked over Lulu's site but I can't find anything specifically regarding this. Please tell me where they state this.

Form the Member Agreement:
http://www.lulu.com/about/member_agreement.php#legalagreement

3. Content

When you post Content on Lulu's website, you keep your copyright, but you grant that Lulu will provide a service to post, display, copy, and sell that Content within the limitations you set during the online publishing process.

If you include any information that could be used to identify you, such as your personal phone number, e-mail address, Social Security number or a government-issued ID number, (collectively "Personal Data") in your Content, it will be included with your Content when sold. By including Personal Data in the Content you post, you authorize Lulu to disclose that Personal Data as part of the Content. You may not include Personal Data about other people in your Content.

By posting your Content on the site, you grant that Lulu, in service to the creator may excerpt your Content, excluding any Personal Data that may have been included, for use in marketing materials, and Lulu may make minor modifications to the Content for technical reasons. Of course, Lulu will credit you and/or the original artist, and we will usually ask you first. You further agree that Lulu may make minor modifications to the Content for technical reasons. We will not feature Content that you have marked "Direct Access" or "Available only to me."

By uploading Content to the Site you represent and warrant, at all times during the term of this Agreement, that the Content:

* Is owned by you or, to the extent owned by someone else, that you have permission to provide the Content to Lulu for use as described above and, in either case, that the Content does not contain any Personal Data about any individual other than you;
* Does not violate any copyright, trademark, trade secret or other intellectual property right of any third party;
* Does not invade any individual's right of privacy or publicity;
* Does not contain material that is unlawful, obscene, defamatory, pornographic, indecent, lewd, harassing, threatening, harmful, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, abusive, inflammatory, or otherwise objectionable;
* Does not include malicious code, which includes, without limitation, viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs, cancelbots, or any other computer programming routines that may damage, interfere with, surreptitiously intercept, or expropriate any system, program, data, or personal information (including Personal Data);
* Does not break the law, facilitate the breaking of the law, or violate any applicable regulation or Lulu rule or policy;
* Does not offer or disseminate fraudulent goods, services, schemes, or promotions, or promote domain names, URLs, or hyperlinks that constitute commercial content such as that found in advertising, promotions, or solicitations;
* To the best of your knowledge, all factual information in the Content you upload is true and accurate, and the use of any recipe, formula, or instruction in the Content will not result in personal injury to any person. Despite all this, Lulu cannot guarantee the accuracy, integrity or quality of Content.

Lulu reserves the right to refuse to permit your publication on the Site of any Content that Lulu, in its sole discretion, deems in violation of the terms and conditions set forth above.

In addition, you represent and warrant that you have the legal capacity to enter into this Agreement, and that the entering into of this Agreement does not conflict with any arrangements or agreements between you and any other person or entity.

I'm not a lawyer, but I think it spells it out pretty clearly here that you should only post content for which you own the copyright, or the right to extend that copyright to others, because Lulu reserves the right to use your material for marketing purposes. If you can't authorize the use of that material to Lulu for marketing purposes, I would think that you probably shouldn't post it. If nothing else, the last paragraph seems to indicate that you doing so would probably come into conflict with the agreement between you and the original creator of the PDF material you've purchased.

I could be wrong, though. However, in chatting with Lulu's live help online, they also believe that you should NOT use Lulu to publish RPG material you purchased elsewhere, because you do not own the copyright for that material. You might want to check with a lawyer to be sure on the specifics of any specific situation you might be asking about, though, Mean Eyed Cat.

With Regards,
Flynn
 

Flynn said:
Form the Member Agreement:
I could be wrong, though. However, in chatting with Lulu's live help online, they also believe that you should NOT use Lulu to publish RPG material you purchased elsewhere, because you do not own the copyright for that material. You might want to check with a lawyer to be sure on the specifics of any specific situation you might be asking about, though, Mean Eyed Cat.

With Regards,
Flynn

That's pretty interesting. I'm not endorsing the idea that people should print material if they do not have permission or they do not own the copyright--regardless of how easy it is to do through Lulu. I suppose it boils down to what their conscious tells them.

However, as I stated above, I do feel that the US copyright laws should be more clear on the subject of purchased ebooks that are printed only for personal use.
 

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