Part 8
The Mechanicals are done.
Now what?
How many copies?—The minimum number, naturally, is one per chapter member, plus a few extras.
Okay, how many extras?—Every editor should have a minimal mailing list. Who should it include? Society headquarters in Kenosha (Attn.: Publications Editor), selected district officers (the president, the district communications officer, the district bulletin editor, at least;) the editor of PROBE’s PROBEmoter, community agencies and media, chapter friends, future/former members. The list may be limited only by the editor’s postage budget. The first few shown here should be musts.
And don’t forget to put aside a copy for your chapter’s archive.
What’s the cost?—Aye, there’s the rub! It’s something every bulletin editor must work out on his own turf. Some general guidelines:
Printing costs may vary widely in the same town. There’s a reason. Some job printers are accustomed to orders for thousands of copies and won’t want to bother with an order for 200. They will quote a price accordingly. Other printers can work in a small job, using paper left over from a large one. Their quote is apt to be more attractive. Still other print shops are hungry for any kind of work and will give good quotes. It pays to shop around.
Don’t overlook copy (as opposed to print) shops. They may not offer the range of other services found in print shops, but their prices often compare quite favorably for straight duplicating.
Printing choices—The days of gelatin and spirit duplicators (pesky stencils and lurid purple ink) are over. Gone, too, are the faithful mimeograph machines. All relegated to the junk heap by the ubiquitous photocopy machines. No one’s sorry to see them go. Today the choices for commercial reproduction services are pretty well limited to:
Photocopy—Photocopy machines have come a long way since the days of the cranky old machine in the corner of the office storeroom. Today’s machines provide excellent copies, may operate at high speed, automatically feed stacked originals, print both sides, fold, collate, staple and handle originals as large as 11 x 17 inches.
Their advantage is the lack of set-up costs inherent to offset printing and their ability to provide instant test copies from your mechanicals. Their disadvantage is high initial acquisition cost, which must be recovered through the operator’s printing prices. As a rule, small printing jobs (to 200 or 300 copies) can be handled cheaper and faster in a photocopy shop. Again, shop around. Most copy shops will give telephone quotes.
Photo-offset printing—As the name implies, printing is done from photographic images of your mechanicals. It is often done on presses which may print both sides of several sheets at one time, feeding paper stock from large rolls, much like newspaper presses. Much of the expense for this type of printing involves photographing your mechanicals, then press set-up and clean-up time. Clean- up costs can be high if special colored inks are ordered. Paper is a minor commodity to offset printers. Thus, a press run of 200 copies may cost little more than one of 100 copies. Some printers offer colored paper at no extra cost. If colored paper is used, avoid dark or garish hues, and don't overlook opportunities to use seasonal or holiday colors.
Time-savers—Most print shops and many photocopy shops offer services that are a boon to the customer. Among them are collating, folding, stapling, staking (shearing page edges for even appearance) perforating and binding. Costs for these services will vary, but usually don’t exceed one or two cents per page.
Know your printer—Establish good rapport with your printer. He can provide valuable advice and bail you out of potentially disastrous situations. A cordial attitude and a couple of free passes to your annual show can work wonders
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