Express Media Bad Experience

[Luke]

I know lots of folks here use Express Media to print their games. I used them to print the NPA.

I have never had a worse experience with a vendor of any service, period. I think it was easier to deal with Microsoft back when you had to call them and give them a special code in order to get replacement floppies.

During the first run of the NPA, they were a week behind schedule. We had agreed upon a due date for the job, and they just blew right past it. I had to have the books shipped to me on Friday at the con.

I thought I'd give them a second chance. The quality of the final product was quite good and their price was the best I could find. So I had them reprint the NPA.

Oh what a fucking mistake that was. I started talking to them about this --sent the files and all-- in late September/early October. It took two months to get the books. Two months! I can got to a traditional press and get a faster turn around than that!

Then, when the books finally arrive and I open the cases I immediately notice a printing error on the cover. It's not egregious, but it's there and it caught my immediately.

Now I am in the hell of trying to get them to re-cover the books. What's worse is the NPA has been selling quite nicely and I've been forced to send out the PE versions to fulfill orders. I have no choice!

EM was supposed to send UPS to pick up my case of the NPA and take them back to the plant. They never did. After days of trying to figure out what the hell was going on, I just shipped them the books myself.

Now it's been a week with no word from them. I had to call them today to find out what's going on. As I said, my CSR had no idea.

As to when these books will be re-covered and shipped out? No clue.

::sigh::

So does anyone have another POD printer that's reasonably priced and professional?

-L

[Keith Senkowski]

Luke,

I use Lulu.com for Conspiracy of Shadows and they rawk like the Ramones.  I don't know what the price comparison is like to Express Media, but their customer service is hands down the best I have run across for anything.  My guy was crazy helpful, called me back right away if I had to leave a message, and the books got printed and shipped within 5 business days (only a 100 books though).

Here is a link to their bulk pricing to give you an idea.
Book pricing example.

Keith

[Luke]

Ok, I priced through Lulu.com. Their prices were competitive, but I couldn't navigate through their nonsense cover-creation software. When I contacted CS about doing covers directly with a production tech or whatever, they couldn't give me a straight answer.

Do you have a CSR that you deal with at Lulu?

-L

[daMoose_Neo]

I haven't printed yet, but I am looking for someone for my Dummies book, and like Findlar-Doubleday out of Michigan (a few hours from me actually). My inquiries were responded to promptly, I recieved a packet of sample materials around 2 days after I requested it (Which wasn't really a request, I just asked "I didn't see where I could order a print sample. Do you offer that?" and got a reply "We'll have one in the mail for you right away!") Prices were quite decent, better than I saw elsehwere for the same request. Other questions I had were dealt with quickly and accurately, I was able to get the answers that I needed.

[Luke]

I haven't printed yet,

Thanks for the recommendation, Nate. However, if anyone else is going to make recommendations, I'd prefer to deal in actuals: Only printers with whom you've actually printed materials.

thanks.
-L

[Keith Senkowski]

Luke,

His name was Dave.  I believe I have his contact information at home and will email it to you tonight when I get home.  If you have any other questions you want answers on about the process of using them (like about the cover creation process) send me an email.  I would be happy to help you out.

Keith

[jdagna]

I've had two of my books printed through tps1.com and have been fairly happy with that.  My only caution: they usually say 2-3 weeks for a book, but there's a hidden week before that in the proofing process, and both times things have run just about another week over in printing.  This is still a fairly reasonable time (especially if you mentally add it in and expect it).  The final products are awesome - they're the only printer I've had good experience with on the pencil art we have in our books.  TPS is a traditional printer, though, which means you need to do runs of at least 500 to make the per-unit price worthwhile.  However, they do have an online price calculator, and just added a low-run cover printer that reduced the cost on my latest run from $2000 to $1500 (that's 500 copies of a 150-page book).

I'm currently working with Lightning Source on a couple of books that I want to do in smaller runs (they'll do a minimum of 25 books, or one-at-a-time to certain wholesalers, which is more useful for traditional books).  I'll be getting a proof sometime before Christmas and should have the final product on the first book by early Jan.  I can report back on them then.  One note is that I used them because of recommendations from several other publishers who have used them in the past.

[jdagna]

Well... an update here on my opinion of TPS...

I finally received shipment of the books (a little more than a week late, even after they promised a deadline that was later than it should have been), only to discover that they used the wrong cover file (the original one I submitted, not the revised version that had color correction and such added).  This, despite the fact that I gave them instructions by e-mail that they could use to double-check that they had the right cover.

It looks like they will redo the print run correctly without any additional charges, but that's going to be another month of delays in the release.  And that means I won't be able to sell it at a convention and two release events at bookstores in January.

::sigh::

[Luke]

Luke,

His name was Dave.  I believe I have his contact information at home and will email it to you tonight when I get home.  If you have any other questions you want answers on about the process of using them (like about the cover creation process) send me an email.  I would be happy to help you out.

Keith

Since we're updating this topic... I spoke to the folks at Lulu. They're a very nice bunch, but they can't do full wrap covers. So the NPA is a no go there.

And if you'll excuse my language, Express Media has continued fucking me on the redos of the NPA. Not even so much as a god damned apology. They kept making promised they couldn't keep, blew past deadlines like they never heard of them and then made no conciliatory offer or even apology in the end. THEY fucked these books up, and I get the distinct impression that they don't care.

So I'm still searching. I have an estimate in with my traditional press printer to see if he can do a run of 1000 NPAs for me. They'd be top notch quality and I know I'd get 'em no problem. Just have to find the cash to layout.

-L

[Adam]

It looks like they will redo the print run correctly without any additional charges, but that's going to be another month of delays in the release.  And that means I won't be able to sell it at a convention and two release events at bookstores in January.

Were you shipped enough of the bad books to last through January? Since you'll be getting them replaced for free, you may as well sell the misprinted ones at a discount price. Write up a note about how they're defective and tape it to the inside front cover. Take the email address of everyone who buys one, and drop them all a line when the fixed printing is available.

Not as cool as the real thing, but it will still give you a little bit of cash-flow and it will please the hardcore fans.

Cheers,
Adam

[jdagna]

Unfortunately, the printer wants them all back.  I did sell a few of them at a store signing on the 26th and the printers drop-shipped a pre-order to one other person.  I think they were really hoping I'd buy the bad ones (all of them) at a reduced price, but it's better to wait for the right thing.

I do have enough other things to make some of the events work, and I'll reschedule a couple of others.