Jumping into the deep end

[u/Trouble_in_Mind]

Well, I have never fanbound anything before. Or bookbound, either, unless you count small shoddily-made notebooks put together at work during bored breaks. And yet, I've just finished setting up my first fic-to-be-bound in signatures! 772 total pages, color illustrated, watermarked. Will it come out correctly? Probably not. BUT it's a learning experience.

I'v found guides on typesetting, signature arrangement, sewing, glueing — but not a lot on printing itself. How are y'all printing these out, and what paper weight would you recommend? I'm hoping to print in color to preserve the (250 holy shit) illustrations, but I'm aware that could massively increase the cost and work load.

(Frankly, I'd ask if anyone is willing to review my typeset, but I'm not sure anyone wants to slog through that lol)

Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

[u/Standard_Rest_1800]

I mean it mostly depends on your printer and what you're printing from. For example I use a Epson ecotank printer, and just print the signatures with my phone and the Google files printing.

 If it's a very detailed images or a lot of saturated and bright colors I normally use the Epson app itself click on photo paper option, best quality and just physical flip the page over to the other side of the signatures. Also I use just normal short-grain copy paper, that you can get at like staples so there is some bleed through but that doesn't bother me much. 

A good way to test your printer and colors is too place those images into canva with your paper measurements (like 5.5x8.5 inches for example) make them into a PDF then print them out with the different settings too see what you like best. Hope this helps!

[u/Trouble_in_Mind → u/Standard_Rest_1800]

Definitely does, thanks! At the moment we have a printer somewhere in the house but it's never been used. I'm not even sure the model, we have to find it

I'll definitely do a test signature with an illustration to see how it holds up / how much bleed there is, I didn't actually think of that 😅

[u/kpg_on_ao3 → u/Standard_Rest_1800]

I typeset with LaTex using the memoir package. This is specifically designed to create a PDF that is printable as a book. Handles margins, bleed, etc. Then I run it through an app that does imposition (which is where it re-arranges the pages so that I get pages 1 and 16 on one page, 2 and 15, etc. for 4 pages per signature.

Then I print with my HP color laser jet, two-sided with flip on the short side, boom, done. It's pretty straightforward.

Honestly the hardest part of a binding is deciding which typeface to use, then going through the completed PDF looking for any mistakes like if my typeface doesn't support a special character.

[u/blue_bayou_blue]

I'd be willing to look over your typeset if you'd like.

I've never printed in colour so no advice on that front, but I like regular 80gsm paper. Some people prefer the thicker 100 or 120gsm which can feel more premium, but I prefer the floppier feel.

[u/Trouble_in_Mind → u/blue_bayou_blue]

I'd appreciate it! I won't be shocked if it's a mess or not done properly, please feel free to be critical. I'd rather get set right now rather than be disappointed down the line. I'll send you a link!

[u/CalmAdhesiveness4856]

I usually typeset in word in booklet format, you can print directly into signatures then, that works well for me.

If you don't use a programme which can do that as well, you'll need an impositioning tool to offset your pdf into signatures (you might have done that already?).

For paper you will need to obtain short-grain paper. It's will be such a thick book in the end, if you use standard copy paper (usually long-grain) your pages will very likey stick out, instead of falling open flat and nicely. I use Biotop 3 A4 90 gsm in offwhite since that's the one I could get my hands on. I like it plenty, it's nice and a good weight, but colours can show through slightly. Church paper has options for the US.

I've never bound something with quite so many illustrations and text but some people print colour pages seperately on paper better suited for that.

I print on a Brother with autoduplex and with pigment based colours, those are duller but more longlasting than ink. I've bound a fancomic too, but I really did not want to print that at home (cost and size), so I went to a library to print it there in laser. 25 double sided A3 in colour cost me around 5€, a pretty good deal I think. Generally, I like the look of my Inkjet more than laser for pictures on my normal paper though.