Cheap Book Printing: Check Your Layout

By Joshua Prizer

If you're trying to publish your own book and save money on book printing services, you'll definitely want to pay attention to how your book is laid out. Minor adjustments in the layout can result in a reduction in page count that reap large savings on print cost.

A 32-page signature is standard among most offset printing presses. Printers can easily print full signatures, half signatures, and even quarter signatures. So if the press you are using has 32-page signatures, you'll want to have your page count divisible by 8 (a quarter signature). Anything other than that will just end up costing you more money as it will result in wasted paper.

So what are some of the tricks to adjust the number of pages? First of all, see if you can adjust your margins slightly. Slight changes probably are not noticeable to most readers, but the price difference will definitely be noticeable to you.

Another easy change to make is to adjust the line spacing or leading. Here, too, a small adjustment can have a major impact on the page count. Don't go overboard - if you look at your adjustment and it looks too squished, it might not be worth it. Get a second or third opinion to make sure your book remains readable.

Note: There are a couple exceptions to the 32-page signature rule. Digital printers don't print with signatures, so page counts only need to be divisible by 2. Also, every once in a while you'll run into a sheetfed printer that uses 12-page signatures. Be sure to always ask your printer if there is a more economical page count that might save you money.

Be sure, too, that you are printing at a standard trim size. Some standard sizes include 5.5 x 8.5", 6 x 9", and 8.5 x 11". Deviate too much from a standard size and you will generate paper waste on the press. That's paper the printer has to just throw away, but you still pay for it.

So be sure to always ask your printer (before you finish the design and layout) if there is a more economical print size than what you have in mind. It might save you more money than you would expect!

About the Author:

Josh Prizer has worked in the book printing industry for nearly 15 years and is a cheap book printing guru. For a Free 7-Part Mini-Course on how to publish your own book, visit his web site.