Sunday, October 28, 2007

Publishing Resources









In class, we talked about self-publishing options and the importance of making your book look appealing without costing you a fortune.

If you're looking for colored vellum or fancy paper options, Paper Source, located across from Pearl on Chicago Ave. is a great place to start. Most of their papers are in the 8.5" x 11" range and can be run through computer printers. They also carry a wide range of rubber stamps, bookbinding supplies, and other useful things

There are several sites that can give you the basic gist of DIY screenprinting. Here are two of my favorites. I can also give you advice if you're having trouble:
USS Catastrophe Guide to Screenprinting for Comics
and
No Media Kings Guide to Printing Posters + Shirts
Head to Chicago Silkscreen on Milwaukee Ave. for all the supplies you'll need.

this Make: Magazine Video lacks some specifics, but is a great introduction to basic screenprinting (also shows you how to make a wolf jacket with light-up eyes!):



Print on Demand
Another option is to use a print-on-demand publisher like Lulu.com, which will allow you to print books as fancy as you like, but never pay for them. How does this work? You have to be fairly computer-savvy, but you just upload your work to the site, specify cover, paper, and layout options, and the company makes individual copies as people order them. They even have printing options specifically for comics!

The downside to this system is that it costs more to print than it would if you're printing in bulk, which means you'll need to charge more and earn less. If you want your book to be available for browsing in shops like Chicago Comics, you'll have to front the cash to print your own copies. Also, they'll try to convince you that you'll need their special "Comics Creator" software, which costs $30.