I love seeing people bind their own RPG books and seeing how many different methods people have figured out. I've been saddle stitching my zines rather than stapling (I don't have a booklet stapler, but I do have a needle and thread). I've also seen people hole punch all the pages, fix them together with metal brads, then use binding tape or book cloth to cover the spine. So much variety.
Great job of walking through your workflow. I've bound some of my smaller RPG products with a cheap GoodWill 'Comb' binding machine, but I like the look of your hardbound larger books. I've considered the 13x19 Eco-Tank models (simply to save on the cost of ink), but not quite there yet. Lastly your comments regarding the types of ink were eye-opening and very valuable. Thank you.
Hi and thanks for your work showing us your experience. Question (sorry if you mentioned it), Why not use 3 ring binders for RPG books? I understand that is not nearly as good as a book binding. But was not sure what the draw backs are before I try it. I am totally new at this and happily overwhelmed by all the PDF options which would make being able to experience more games for less.
I'm looking at getting into some of this, maybe not quite as hardcore as you have, but I'm interested in turning a couple pdfs into real books. I appreciate you going into depth on this. I'm curious what the largest book you've printed is? I got the Call of Cthulhu humblebundle and the Keeper Rulebook is 449 pages and I'm wondering if there's anything specific to watch out for with a book that size.
Salutations Joe and community! Firstly, nice collection of games you got there-cool. Knowing nothing regarding D&D and the like it is still interesting to have someone walk us through their workflow in printing various books/documentation and how you organize them(as well as the trial and errors). Secondly-a question regarding the Canon tabloid inkjet printer. Even with aftermarket inks I do wonder if maybe using a high quality laser printer would have been a better option as far as cent(s) per page. At any rate Canon printers can be real workhorses. Speaking of printing and binding when you thought about binding these books would comb binding be too much trouble for what you are trying to accomplish? Thirdly you did mention having these in PDF form. Looking at all those books and errata I assume it would be too much of a hassle to run a campaign on a tablet compared to having all the books in front of you at one time? This video has been very informative and definitely deserves more likes👍 and more views. Great Job Joe and thanks a lot-cheers!
1) Thanks 2) Lasers give a nice glossy print, but a laser that can do tabloid size paper would have to be leased or bought for nearly $50,000. They are usually only used by large companies with hundreds of employees or who do a huge volume of prints (law firms, etc.) Their color mixes also aren't that great as they are typically not used for photo reproduction. 3) Comb or spiral-bound doesn't let you put it on the shelf with an easy-to-read label. Buying the paper that's ready for spiral binding is also very expensive and doesn't always come in a weight that makes a great print for an inkjet printer. It's more for a laser printer. 4) Some people like using tablets, but it's hard to have a bunch of tablets open to the page you want and have it sitting on the table or to make notes on them. It's entirely preference.
I have many, many, many clamps, but no time to do stitching. I tried to make it clear, these books are not meant to be herilooms, these are made to be quick solutions to a problem that can be cheaply and easily repaired or replaced. There are many channels and videos for people that want to do something more bespoke. I have no illusions that these are going to last forever. They're meant to be replaced when new versions come out.
this is exactly what I've been looking for, thank you so much!!
I love seeing people bind their own RPG books and seeing how many different methods people have figured out. I've been saddle stitching my zines rather than stapling (I don't have a booklet stapler, but I do have a needle and thread). I've also seen people hole punch all the pages, fix them together with metal brads, then use binding tape or book cloth to cover the spine. So much variety.
Thank you so much for sharing this. Was wondering how other folks out there are doing their printed PDFs.
Great job of walking through your workflow. I've bound some of my smaller RPG products with a cheap GoodWill 'Comb' binding machine, but I like the look of your hardbound larger books. I've considered the 13x19 Eco-Tank models (simply to save on the cost of ink), but not quite there yet. Lastly your comments regarding the types of ink were eye-opening and very valuable. Thank you.
Hi and thanks for your work showing us your experience. Question (sorry if you mentioned it), Why not use 3 ring binders for RPG books? I understand that is not nearly as good as a book binding. But was not sure what the draw backs are before I try it. I am totally new at this and happily overwhelmed by all the PDF options which would make being able to experience more games for less.
I'm looking at getting into some of this, maybe not quite as hardcore as you have, but I'm interested in turning a couple pdfs into real books. I appreciate you going into depth on this. I'm curious what the largest book you've printed is? I got the Call of Cthulhu humblebundle and the Keeper Rulebook is 449 pages and I'm wondering if there's anything specific to watch out for with a book that size.
Dude! Yay! I was hoping you would do this! Thank you.
Hope you enjoyed it!
Salutations Joe and community! Firstly, nice collection of games you got there-cool. Knowing nothing regarding D&D and the like it is still interesting to have someone walk us through their workflow in printing various books/documentation and how you organize them(as well as the trial and errors). Secondly-a question regarding the Canon tabloid inkjet printer. Even with aftermarket inks I do wonder if maybe using a high quality laser printer would have been a better option as far as cent(s) per page. At any rate Canon printers can be real workhorses. Speaking of printing and binding when you thought about binding these books would comb binding be too much trouble for what you are trying to accomplish? Thirdly you did mention having these in PDF form. Looking at all those books and errata I assume it would be too much of a hassle to run a campaign on a tablet compared to having all the books in front of you at one time? This video has been very informative and definitely deserves more likes👍 and more views. Great Job Joe and thanks a lot-cheers!
1) Thanks
2) Lasers give a nice glossy print, but a laser that can do tabloid size paper would have to be leased or bought for nearly $50,000. They are usually only used by large companies with hundreds of employees or who do a huge volume of prints (law firms, etc.) Their color mixes also aren't that great as they are typically not used for photo reproduction.
3) Comb or spiral-bound doesn't let you put it on the shelf with an easy-to-read label. Buying the paper that's ready for spiral binding is also very expensive and doesn't always come in a weight that makes a great print for an inkjet printer. It's more for a laser printer.
4) Some people like using tablets, but it's hard to have a bunch of tablets open to the page you want and have it sitting on the table or to make notes on them. It's entirely preference.
I feel sorry for you watching this. Learn Japanese stitching and get yourself some clamps.
I have many, many, many clamps, but no time to do stitching. I tried to make it clear, these books are not meant to be herilooms, these are made to be quick solutions to a problem that can be cheaply and easily repaired or replaced. There are many channels and videos for people that want to do something more bespoke. I have no illusions that these are going to last forever. They're meant to be replaced when new versions come out.