making My Life with Master a sellable pdf

[Paul Czege]

Hey everyone,

So, I'm getting things situated for selling My Life with Master as a pdf download. And what I'm starting with are the files I delivered to my printer:

I have the cover as a 17 x 11 pdf page, with 1200 dpi fonts and 600 dpi images. Though the trim size of the book is 7 x 8.5, the back-front cover spread takes up slightly more than 14 x 8.5 of the 11 x 17 page. There are crop marks on the page to guide trimming it to 14 x 8.5, so the cover will be full bleed when trimmed.

The main body of the book is a 64 page pdf, with 1200 dpi fonts, 300 dpi images, and 7 x 8.5 page dimensions.

My question is, what needs to be done so My Life with Master is a sellable pdf? I'm leaning toward making 7 x 8.5 front and back cover pages and incorporating them directly into the pdf of the main body of the book. Then I would sell the game as a single file. What do you think?

Paul

[Chris Passeno]

I would offer the current as a "print" version.

I would also offer a "screen" version with low res art and the cover split and placed front and back in the pdf.

That way, the customer has a choice.

I would go for the print version, but then again, I have the bandwidth and the equipment to produce it.

-Chris

[sben]

I second the recommendation for both print and screen versions. (Of course, that's easy for me to say, since I'm not doing them....)

One minor peeve of mine is covers. I like to print my PDFs, but I don't like to print out a full-page toner- or ink-bomb (e.g. an all-black cover with little white writing in a corner). If your standard hardcopy cover is a little ink-heavy, I'd love to have some kind of "light" cover, similar in style and/or incorporating the same elements, but much easier on the inkjet printer.

Again, easy for me to say, but something to think about, esp. if it's (relatively) easy for you.

[Matt Wilson]

Hey Paul:

Since my money is already well spent on the print version, my thoughts on the pdf are probably of little import...

If I'm understanding right, you're going to offer a pdf that would require me to get out a scissors or something and trim the pages down. Is that right? As someone who is tool challenged, I'd be seriously turned off by that idea. Takes more than a mouse and a hole puncher? I'll pass.

On the other hand, I'm seriously interested in whether there is a DIY crowd that'd really dig Paul's idea.

Did I mention it's a sweet game?

[Matt Machell]

Paul, I'd definitely suggest going with a print and screen version.

For a screen version 72/100dpi is about right, and if you have 2 columns, turn them to one to make reading easier. Including PDF bookmarks is a useful feature (though by no means essential).

Try and make it easy on the folks with 56k modem connections (so no more than a couple of megabytes in size).

-Matt

[Trevis Martin]

I second (uh...third? fourth?) print and screen versions.  My favorite PDF  product so far is Clinton's Donjon, which has both versions.  I found the screen version very convienient as liked having the other for printing purposes.

I do have to say that the whole trimming idea (excess beyond printing it out and punching holes in it) is more bother than I would care for.  I would still probably purchase the game, but the above condition would annoy me.

regards,

Trevis

[Matt Gwinn]

Hey Paul,
I would offer a print and screen version.  I offer Kayfabe in 72, 300 and 600 dpi resolution.

As far as covers go...why bother? They mess up the page count of the PDF and eat ink. Maybe spruce up your cover page a bit or add a small version of the cover art.

If I'm understanding right, you're going to offer a pdf that would require me to get out a scissors or something and trim the pages down. Is that right? As someone who is tool challenged, I'd be seriously turned off by that idea. Takes more than a mouse and a hole puncher? I'll pass.

Actually acrobat gives you the option to fit the file to the page when printing. Acrobat will resize the pages to fit 8.5" x 11". WIth the MLwM dimensions that will leave an extra 0.25" at the top and bottom of the page, but with MLwM's existing large margins I doublt it will be noticeable.

,Matt Gwinn

[Matt Snyder]

On DPI: I can't imagine why anyone would offer a PDF at over 300 dpi resolution on the images. Most press quality stuff doesn't do that (the professional magazine I work for, for example, uses only 300 dpi).

Set the DPI for images at 150 DPI on PDFs. That's good enough quality for most laser printers (I think 72 and 100 DPI is too low for PDFs you'll print out). Setting the DPI to 150 on the image saves you scads of memory size on the PDF file.

As for format, I think letter size is really the way to go. Yes, this means cool trim sizes are NOT available (edit, sorry!). Yes it's boring. But Joe Gamer does not have a paper cutter or want to do anything but print it out and play it.

Now, all that said, I personally would take MLwM in ANY format I can get it! GIMMEE GIMMEE. I want to buy this game and proove to my local group how much of a sick, abusive, twisted bastard I can be. ;)

[szilard]

I'd actually strongly recommend implementing bookmarks into the screen version of the PDF.

Things on-screen are more difficult to find individual references in than are books. Bookmarks are easy to do and make it much easier. If the book has an index, use that as the list of things to bookmark rather than the table of contents, but add hypertext links to the ToC itself.

The effort to add this stuff is minimal. The added benefit for end users can - in some cases - be tremendous.

Stuart

[Luke]

Matt Snyder is right. 150 DPI is the maximum resolution you need in any PDF that is not going to a printing press.

150 dpi 150 dpi 150 dpi.
And if you are cramped for memory, you can reduce that to 120 or or 110. The images will print slightly pixelated, but all the text prints cleanly.

I can send you a window/picture of the job settings from acrobat if you need help setting this up.

Another way to make the file smaller is to make  the print version  grayscale. Most folks have B&W printers, so color isn't completely necessary. And you could put a separate color cover file on the web for those who want to download it.

Lastly, the covers should be broken up into two separate pages, front and back and placed at their appropriate junctures in the pdf file.

The rest of the pdf should be set as 8.5x7 single pages (not spreads).

These settings should give you a reasonably sized pdf that looks good and tastes good, too.

BTW, fonts don't have a resolution, really. They are printed using Postscript or Truetype language (very different from rasterization). This makes them "resolution independent". Fonts are going to print at the printers maximum resolution, no matter how you set your pdf setting. Acrobat essentially takes your fonts and translates them into Postscript.

good luck.
happy to answer any questions,
-L

[Jonathan Walton]

You know, there is that pdf that Matt Snyder made about "How to Make PDFs," which covers all of this stuff and is really informative.  If you PM or email him, I'm sure he can hook you up.

[Matt Snyder]

You know, there is that pdf that Matt Snyder made about "How to Make PDFs," which covers all of this stuff and is really informative.  If you PM or email him, I'm sure he can hook you up.

Or, I can  post the link HERE. It has a handful of typos, I realize, but the stuff can be helpful!

[xiombarg]

Ditto everyone else. 150 DPI, print and screen version, and I highly suggest making the cover a separate PDF as well, perhaps with multiple cover options. That's a PDF package worth paying print-book money for.

Also, have you considered any form of Print on Demand? I missed GenCon, but I'd love a print copy. I think my playtest group would love to see it. ;-D

[Paul Czege]

Okay...this is a learning experience. Questions:

1. The 150 dpi thing. At the end of the aisle from me here at work is a Hewlett Packard Laserjet 4mplus printer. This thing was state-of-the-art in 1996. It does 600 dpi. Who doesn't have access to a 600 dpi printer somewhere? If I take a pdf to Kinkos, they have to be outputting to something better than this old grinder. A short walk away down another aisle is an HP Laserjet 8100N. It does 1200 dpi.

2. The 1200 dpi setting in Acrobat Distiller. The default setting on the "General" tab on my install of Acrobat Distiller is 1200 dpi. If it's not for the fonts (and I see now why it wouldn't be), and the image compression is handled entirely on a different tab, then what's it for?

3. If I'm going to deliver a lower dpi "screen" version, is there any good reason not to achieve it by simply using more aggressive image compression settings in Acrobat Distiller? Is there a good reason that I should go back to my source images, downsample them, and then re-place them in my document?

Thanks,

Paul

[Matt Snyder]

Okay...this is a learning experience. Questions:

1. The 150 dpi thing. At the end of the aisle from me here at work is a Hewlett Packard Laserjet 4mplus printer. This thing was state-of-the-art <EM>in 1996</EM>. It does 600 dpi. Who doesn't have access to a 600 dpi printer somewhere? If I take a pdf to Kinkos, they have to be outputting to something better than this old grinder. A short walk away down another aisle is an HP Laserjet 8100N. It does 1200 dpi.

2. The 1200 dpi setting in Acrobat Distiller. The default setting on the "General" tab on my install of Acrobat Distiller is 1200 dpi. If it's not for the fonts (and I see now why it wouldn't be), and the image compression is handled entirely on a different tab, then what's it for?

3. If I'm going to deliver a lower dpi "screen" version, is there any good reason not to achieve it by simply using more aggressive image compression settings in Acrobat Distiller? Is there a good reason that I should go back to my source images, downsample them, and then re-place them in my document?

Thanks,

Paul

1) Not everyone does have access to such printers, nor are they willing to go to kinkos. But, more importantly, the difference to the human eye between 300 dpi and 600 dpi is negligible. Heck, even pretty much between 150 and 300 is not too darn noticable, which is why I advise just doing 150 dpi. What very little you lose on quality, you gain on files size and ease of use.

I would never, under any circumstances, create a PDF greater than 300 dpi for PDF sales. I only break that rule when I do layouts that will indeed go to print. Then, I create "Press" quality PDFs. I can't remember the precise DPI settings created via Acrobat in this mode, but I believe they are 300 or greater. Perhaps as high as 1200.

2) On Adobe's settings, from amatuer sleuth M.Snyder. Amatuer meaning I'm not entirely certain how these under-the-hood settings work. That is, if you put a 150 DPI TIFF file in a layout into Distiller on the "Print" setting, does it spit out a 150 DPI file or does it alter that to 200 dpi like everything else. I think that it DOES NOT do this, but I'm not certain. And, I've tried, unsuccessully, to look this up in my handy-dandy 200 pp. manual I got from Adobe a while back. (FYI I looked up my settings parameters. These are default settings for the Mac OS 9.1 version of Adobe Acrobat Distiller, version 5.0)

Screen (as in, for the computer screen, low res stuff:

Color images set at: 72
B&W grayscale images set at: 72
Line art (monotone) set at: 300

Screen (as in, I want to print this at home or kinkos, ADVISED SETTING by yours truly):

Color images set at: 200
B&W grayscale images set at: 200
Line art (monotone) set at:  600

Press (as in, printing 1,000 copies on offset press):

Color images set at: 300
B&W grayscale images set at: 300
Line art (monotone) set at:  1200

Fonts are, I believe, a special case. Regardless of setting, I have never noticed any concern of font quality at ANY setting in Distiller. I am unaware what the software actually does or outputs to, however. (I suspect the software treats fonts as it does monotone art hence always superior resolution. However, I could be wrong as fonts are a special (and to me, mysterious) case.

Paul, if your available settings for Distiller are different than: "Screen," "Print," "Press," and maybe also, "E-book" I can't really speak to how they work. It sounds like from your description the little "pop-up" choice for Distiller has "1200 dpi" as a choice. It's possible that this is a custom setting for your install. <shrug> Dunno. But, perhaps you can make analogous selections based on the stuff I listed above.

Hope this helps!

(EDIT!!!) Doh, forgot about 3. Yes, I believe there is a bit of a reason to "redo" the images for a screen version (setting the imags at 72 dpi). HOWEVER, I don't feel it's a good enough reason, and I just let Distiller do the work for me, as you've suggested. On my settings, I simply select "Screen" and voila! Instant low res PDF.