Simple answer: “Yes,” but of course there’s more to it than “yes”.
Last time, I shared with you the optimum number of pages to print in a booklet for offset printing. The simple answer is “a multiple of 8” when working with saddle-stitched books (staples in the center spine). But now I was asked, “Is there another trick when I am printing a book with a lot of pages?” The answer is a resounding “Yes!”
If your artwork allows you to have a combination of color and black and white pages, the placement of these pages can save you hundreds of dollars. For the typical 8.5×11” book, we print 8 pages at a time. For 8.5×5.5” books, 16. As we lay these pages out in large printing sheets, these pages are not in reader order, since, for example, pages 1 and 2 back up to each other. In a perfect world, since color pages call for additional printing plates, you can reduce the cost of printing by making one side of the sheet color, and the other black and white. I know you’re thinking this takes a little of the creativity away from when you first set your book up, but a little extra creativity will save you a ton of money. Your call.
Here is what our distribution of pages would look like:
Employing some of these simple tricks may allow you to afford your next cool project!
Till next time,
Recent Comments