Cheap Book Printing: Check Your Layout
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.
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.
How can you get an economical page count? Check your margins. Sometimes just widening them by a touch or narrowing them a little can adjust your page count by 2-4 pages or more. That could be the difference between needing to print with an extra signature or not.
Adjust the leading (space between lines). A very small adjustment might be barely visible to the average reader, but it could result in dropping a few pages from your book — saving you money on your print run.
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.
Finally, check with your printer regarding the size of your book. If you are printing a non-standard-sized book, the printer probably has some paper waste on the press. That paper waste equals extra cost for you.
Don’t assume that the trim size you are using for your book will work just fine. Ask your printer’s sales rep for recommendations for your trim size. Maybe they will recommend that you drop your size by just 1/8″ or 1/4″. Wouldn’t it be worth it to do that to save money on the print run? Almost certainly!