Cheap Book Printing: Check Your Layout
Most people don’t think of the layout design of their book as an area that can impact the printing cost, but it can have an effect.
Printers print pages in blocks, called signatures. A 32-page signature is most common, so if your page count is divisible by 32, that’s the most economical option possible. However, the general rule of thumb is to try to not print less than a quarter signature of 8 pages. So if your book is 266 pages, see if you can drop a couple pages to get it down to 264. You’ll definitely notice the cost savings for the print run.
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!
