Page ranger: +81
I’m thoroughly checking the proof copy I’ve recently ordered and finding improvements I can make.
The print quality varies throughout it, with some parts being much lighter in shade than others. Even the semi-bold areas within the lighter areas are also lighter than the normal semi-bold. It is not a font change or a colour change – it is the printing process through Lightening Source.
I hope that this is because it is a proof copy and not the final quality from Lightening Source – as it isn’t very good.
Are proofs different or will end customers expect to see this type of print quality variation?
I have asked this question via email and received no response from you. I think is quite important.
Thank you.
Paul
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Hi Paul,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you and sorry to hear that you are not happy with the quality. The quality of proofs is the same as the books that get sent to readers, so you have received the final product. In our experience Lightning Source is one of the best print-on-demand printers available. They offer a good mix of speed, quality, cost and distribution options, which is why we work with them.
With print-on-demand printing there can be very slight variations in the tints which a couple of authors have mentioned in the past, but we have not had any complaints about this from readers – I suspect they are usually more distracted by the contents! One option could be to remove some bold fonts from your manuscript if you are not happy with their appearance. Also, some authors have found that they prefer the quality of books printed by Anthony Rowe, so you might want to try printing a version with them. However, an issue there is that they currently only distribute in the UK and Europe.
Within the publishing process there are often trade-offs that have to be made. Paying for a print run of thousands may give you more control over the appearance of the book, but is means a much greater payment up front for the books and storage costs, plus fewer or more complicated distribution options. CompletelyNovel has done the best we can to provide a service that meets the needs of the vast majority of authors wishing to self-publish with us.
Best wishes,
Georgina
Must say that all the copies I’ve ordered have been great- maps and all.
Ross, you mention maps, does that mean you have included maps in your book? and if so did you just have them as black and white pictures input into your word doc? I am interested in case I could do something similar in my next book.
- David 01 Nov 10:56Hi David. Yes, I put five maps (hand drawn) in my book. I scanned them at both 300 dpi and 600 dpi resolution to see the difference and it didn’t make much difference for my maps. They have printed very well and all the people who gave bought the print edition commented they look great. Also look good on my kindle version at 300dpi. I just pasted the JPEG into the word document- it took a little resizing to get it just right with the margins. Have a look on the e-reader or go to Snashwords and download the free sample, as it will have the maps on it. For the Snashowords edition I recall using an optimise function, which I can dig out how to do for you (it reduces file size when you have a fair few JPEGs).
Cheers, Ross
Thanks Ross, that’s very useful. I will experiment.
DLW
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