How to Print Manuals, Guides, Compendiums and Booklets

By J.D. Solomon
JDS Strategic Communications

Need to produce a few hundred copies (or more) of a user's guide or a compendium of related documents? Your best solution will likely be xerographic reproduction - high-speed, high-volume photocopying to produce bound documents. It's far faster and much less expensive than traditional printing.

This is not the kind of photocopying you'd want to do on your office machine or even at a quick copy operation like Kinkos. You're going to need to use a printer that specializes in bound document reproduction. Here's what you need to know:

First, think black-and-white. This is photocopying, and adding color to your pages would be very expensive. Make sure any charts and photos in your documents would reproduce cleanly in shades of gray.

Next, think about how you want your document bound. Your choices are:

• Saddle-stitched - The pages are printed sheets on 11 x 17" paper, which are folded in half (to form 8½ x 11" pages) and stapled in the fold. Saddle-stitched binding is an economical solution for booklets with page counts of up to about 60. (At higher page counts, they won't close neatly.) Key disadvantages are that they won't lay flat on a desk or stand securely on a shelf. Also, saddle-stitched documents require that the page count be a multiple of four.

• Perfect binding - In this system, 8½ x 11" pages are glued on their edges to create a spine. It's a good system for high page counts. Perfect-bound documents will stand neatly on a shelf, with the spine imprint showing. However, they will not lay flat on a desk when open. In addition, perfect-binding is expensive and not all printers have the equipment to do it in-house.

• Ring binder - This is the traditional three-ring binder. It's a good solution when pages might need to be added or removed from the document. They stand neatly on shelves with a spine showing and they lay flat when opened. They can also be tabbed for easy organization. Disadvantages: Heavy and expensive to ship; pages often tear and fall out.

• Wire spiral binding - Documents bound in this system will lay flat on a desk, even when folded against itself. They'll also stand properly on a shelf, although there is no spine to print on. Pages are generally secure. May not be economical for large print runs.

• Plastic comb binding - Cheap and impractical; don't bother.

Next step: deciding on a cover. There are a variety of options, but many people simply use a lightweight card stock. The title and other cover text can be imprinted xerographically or, for a fancier look, with a color printing process. (If you are using perfect binding, don't forget to include text for the spine.) Printers typically offer several paper colors, but be sure to request a sample before making a selection. (I learned this lesson the hard way after ordering "salmon" and getting hot pink. I guess the printer meant raw salmon, not cooked salmon.)

Get quotes for different quantities. Unlike printing, there is not a big per-piece price break as you increase quantities with xerographic reproduction, but there will be some savings with larger orders. Don't forget to consider storage implications, especially if your documents have high page counts. (Some printers will store your documents for a modest fee.)

Other items to consider:

Ask your printer about paper stock. You want a stock that's opaque enough so the text on one side won't bleed through and be visible on the other side. On the other hand, you don't want a stock that will add unnecessary weight to the document. Your printer should be able to make a good recommendation.

If you're going to use a ring-binder, be sure to order the best type for your project. The printer can guide you on the best size and ring shape. You'll need to decide on color and whether you want cover and spine inserts and inside pockets. You'll also need to tell the printer how many tabbed dividers you want, and if they will need to be imprinted.

Double-check your pagination, which can get a little tricky. Remember that in most bound documents, odd-numbered pages, and the first pages of chapters or sections, should be on the right, and even-numbered pages on the left. If the last page of a chapter is an odd-numbered page, you'll need to insert a blank, numbered page after it so the next chapter can begin on an odd-numbered page. Don't forget to add a blank page after the title page and table of contents, also.

Understand your shipping terms. You're going to get a lot of heavy boxes delivered to your office. Unless you simply want them left at your front door, be sure to specify an "inside delivery." Tell your printer exactly where you want them stored. You may pay more for the delivery, but it will still cost less than a worker's compensation claim for a back injury.

Recap - Here's what must be spelled out prior to starting the job:

• Total page count, including blanks
• Type of binding
• Type of cover
• Quantities
• Paper stock
• Shipping
• Price