Okay, I went to Lightning Printing's website to get a price quote http://www.lightningprinting.com/quotefrm.htm and I must say, I looked at the info they requested....and was confused.

Being a neophyte to printing as a whole, it was like reading Greek. I could ask the folks at Lightning Printing, but they could tell me anything and I'd end up getting screwed.

So, alas, I figured I'd see what you all had to say about it. Any recommendations to keep things inexpensive, yet of a solid quality?

Thank you.

Well, one of two things. You could ask for help from someone who know something about the printing biz. That's what you did here, or you could ask Lightning directly. If they want your business, they will answer whatever questions you have. If they can do without your business, then good for them, then.

I suggest you do both, get some basic knowledge from somewhere (is there a printing term FAQ? what the heck does scoring mean?) so you don't pester them with the most basic questions but do not be afraid to ask them pointedly about their services and what they mean. If they reply with heavy jargon, ask them to explain it. They want your business and if they want the sale they'll work for the sale. Don't be afraid of them stuff.

I keep saying that because it's human nature to not want to look stupid, but you're not stupid, you're just new to the whole thing. So ask smart questions.

what's this?
What does it do?
How much does that cost
Nah, I don't want that

What's this?
That's what you'd just siad this thing over here was. Which is it?

Be bold about it.

Of course, since they have such a nice automated form, they may not have the customer service that would be able to educate you in the printing business.

I found an online glossary here.
There are probably worse places to start to learn about this stuff.



"Score: A crease put on paper to help it fold better."

Oh yeah. I knew that.

I agree with the above post. Talk to someone from lightning printing and have them walk you through it.

But definitely do not let them talk you into things that you may not want or need. Working in the printing biz, I understood pretty much everything they had on their quote page, so if you want any help there, I'd be glad to offer my services. Or there's always Ron or Jason, both of whom have had things printed professionally.

My first piece of advice would be to get an idea of what you want in the end product. Glossy paper stock (usually heavier) or a good med. weight white stock or groundwood (cheap and newsprint-like). Black and white, 4-color full color pages, or maybe a colored ink (red, blue, etc.). Is the book huge (200+ pages) or not so huge? That will affect your printing setup.

But before I load your mind with more industry jibberish, I'll just end this post.

Aaron

Cynthia,

I would only use Lightning Print if the quality, reliability, and price of the service were top-notch and crystal-clear from the outset. I am also a little worried about rumors, unsubstantiated but still disturbing, that distributors are becoming shy of any product printed through one of the newfangled, print-on-demand methods.

But most important is the clarity of the "deal," and my general tendency is to shy away from anything in business that is not absolutely straightforward.

The best source of information are people who've been through this already.

Speaking from my experiences, I recommend the route that I took, after getting advice from just about everybody at GAMA last year. First, I learned that traditional-print methods have changed a lot in the last couple of years and that many companies now offer much better prices for lower print runs that they did ten years ago. Second, I learned a bit about the techniques, and that something called "hybrid side-sewn" is actually really good binding for a hard-cover.

So then,
1) I called all the printers listed at Wizard's Attic and described my proposed book, and then compared their bids.

2) I ended up going with the printer who bid second-to-the-bottom, and who also were the most prompt and apparently most enthusiastic. [This was Patterson Printing; not only did I get an amazing price from them but they also did such a good job in general that now I use them exclusively.]

I suggest that a similar strategy plus your own judgment is the best bet.

Best,
Ron

Cynthia
I would definately agree with the previous replies. Talk to a human. I took a look at the form and it is very basic. When taking a print order, I usually ask more questions than that.

If you have any questions about printing, let me know. I would be glad to help you out.

Also, Ron makes a good example. Like everything else in this world, "you get what you pay for!" Don't go with the cheapest quote unless you have absolute confidence in the printer.

Going to Lightning Print and asking them to explain everything is a BIG mistake.

I know folks who work for LPI. They have told me that since they are flooded with print requests from people who haven't the slightest ideas about production, they're not very receptive to questions.

Apparently the standard gripe-behind-the-scenes is "we're not running a how-to seminar for commercial printing". So, hitting them with a bunch of questions will red-flag you as an amateur, and your service will DEFINITELY suffer. (Note: I have no direct proof of this, but I have also been given the impression that rates are inflated for those flagged as amateurs, to cover the additional "costs" of hand-holding)

Best advice: Come up with a list of specific questions, and ask them of someone that you know has gone through this before.

GMS

Cynthia,

Man... I remember that feeling. When I went to get quotes, I hit www.printindustry.com and filled out the form thinking, "Is this right? What does this mean?" A few web searches later and I had a pretty good understanding about what's going on.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at jason@key20.com and I'll answer what I can. Actually going through the printing process (and touring the facility that was to produce the book) cleared up a lot of things for me.

Ron and Gareth (and anyone else that is confused about Lighting Printing vs. Lighting Print),

She's not going to Lighting Print (LPI), the on-demand printer. She's going to a local copy shop called Lighting Printing (with better than average printing services.)