The process of printing your book

Perhaps the most exciting part of making a graphic novel/ comic book is printing it. It can also be the most nerve-racking as you will have to cough up a pretty penny depending on the quality and quantity of your books.

Here are some things to keep in mind before printing your books. First and foremost, your pages need to have bleed included. This is generally 0.125" on each edge of the page. So if your book is going to be printed as an 8x10, then your canvas while illustrating should be 8.25x10.25". Make sure to keep important aspects of the page away from the bleed lines as they will get cut. Next is adding page numbers. I avoided them in my first volume but have added them in my newest volume. Odd numbered pages indicate the page number on the right side of the page and even numbered pages have their page numbers on the left side of the page. You can avoid confusion by placing page numbers at the center of your pages. Your first page of the story will most often begin on page 3 or 5. Page 1 is usually a cover page and the second page is a table of contents page. Last important thing to remember is to have your pages brightened. If you work on the ipad, then you need to keep this in mind even more. It might look great on the screen, but once you print it, you'll be struggling to make out darker aspects of the page. I had this issue with my first kickstarter hardcover books. The quality was great, but the pages were far too dark.

Where should you get your books printed? Well, Printsquare is a Korean printing company with incredible prices. The more your order, the cheaper your books will be. You get a vast array of choices too. My second softcover printing version of KON vol.1 was done with them. If you live in eastern Asia or in the USA, then they're perhaps the best choice for you. If you're in the East coast of USA and Canada like myself, then Copywell might be the better choice for you. Slightly more expensive than Printsquare, but less travel time for shipping to East coasters like myself. However, always do your own research first. Some of you may not mind packaging and shipping books yourself. Some of you might prefer fulfillment stations like Fulfillrite where your products are packages and shipped for you at a small fee. Decide on what will work best for you and move from there. Maybe make a couple sample copies and take them to your local comic shops. Work on a deal that will help you sell more books and take some weight off of you in terms of printing cost.

Now that I'm once again looking to print more books, I'm back to contacting a bunch of print shops and talking deals. It's more work than I'd like, but it's all worth it in the end when I get to hold my lastest creation in my hands, and eventually have you do the same.