Page size standard for game products?

[uv23]

I was looking at my vast collection of magazine-format, perfect bound and hardback d20 products and I noticed that even among those, there isn't a page size standard. But one certainty is that none of them are using 8.5 x 11. Is there an actual standard? And why isn't it standard page size? Thanks for indulging my curiosity.

 

[philreed]

8 3/8" x 10 7/8"

Most will be this size. It's a common size that allows bleeds.

 

[Crothian]

Re: 8 3/8" x 10 7/8"

Most will be this size. It's a common size that allows bleeds.

What doies "allows bleeds" mean?

 

[MythicJustice]

Re: Re: 8 3/8" x 10 7/8"

What doies "allows bleeds" mean?

Bleed is a printing term for the process to allow images to be printed (bleed) to the very edge of the paper. Without bleeds you have a margin of unprinted area on the edge of the paper.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Re: Re: 8 3/8" x 10 7/8"

What does "allows bleeds" mean?

The non-standard paper size feels awkward to handle, and folks end up with a lot of paper cuts.

But seriously...

A "bleed" is when the ink prints right up to the edge of the page-- no white border all around. It's tricky because the pages have to be cut, and there is always a bit of "wobble." The printer has to account for that to make sure that none of the ink that bleeds to the edge of the page ends up getting trimmed in the wrong spot (you won't see an illustration that bleeds, just perhaps graphic design like a solid sidebar color or something). The extra size of the page allows you to bleed to the edge of that page and then trim it down to standard size.

Printing with a full bleed is more labor intensive and more expensive. And more prone to error, it gives me the willies just thinking about it.


Wulf

 

[jgbrowning]

paper size

so when you guys set up your work in quark or pagemaker do you set up for an 8.5x11 or for the 8 3/4ths x 10 7/8ths? I'm getting to the point where im toying with my newly purchased pagemaker for a product next spring.

I, of course, have never done such a thing before so i thought i'd do my own layout.

thanks for the help,

joe b.

 

[philreed]

Re: paper size

so when you guys set up your work in quark or pagemaker do you set up for an 8.5x11 or for the 8 3/4ths x 10 7/8ths?

Depends on the printer. Most printers are fine with document size = trim size. A few (overseas) printers I've worked with had a different requirement. And one printer _changed_ the requirement when I was about half of the way through layout on Transhuman Space. A 208-page color book is not easy to reformat quickly.

 

[uv23]

Re: paper size

so when you guys set up your work in quark or pagemaker do you set up for an 8.5x11 or for the 8 3/4ths x 10 7/8ths?

Good question. Which apparently doesn't have ny straight answers. Oh well..

 

[Fast Learner]

As Phil said, there is an answer: ask your printer.

If, for example, it's being printed on 11x17 paper and you want full bleeds (bleeds on all sides), it'll definitely have to be trimmed down to something smaller than 8.5x11. If, on the other hand, it's being printed on a large press that's printing multi-up then 8.5x11 should be fine, or even 9x12.

If the book is going to be saddle stitched (staples on a fold) then you'll want to learn about page creep (the inner pages will be trimmed more than the outer pages). If it's going to be perfect bound (flat spine) then you'll need to worry about having a large enough gutter to keep people from having to break the spine of the book in order to read everything (but not so large that you're wasting space).

Seriously, talk to your printer. There are far, far too many variables to provide a meaningful answer.

 

[jgbrowning]

As Phil said, there is an answer: ask your printer.


Seriously, talk to your printer. There are far, far too many variables to provide a meaningful answer.

just knowing that's complicated simplifies matters. thanks!

joe b.