Printing large manuscripts

ABekah · Oct 8, 2008

Someday soon I hope to have my novel ready to edit, and I work best when editing via hardcopy. Of course, hopefully I'll also someday need to print out my manuscript at the request of an agent. With that in mind, I was curious what you all do when printing a large manuscript.

Do you use your printer at home? It seems like that would be convenient, but also taxing on your printer if it is only meant for small jobs.

Do you take your memory stick to Kinkos, UPS or some other office store and print on one of their big machines?

Or do you have a magic orb that transforms your story into a perfectly printed masterpiece with the swoosh of a wand?

vixey · Oct 8, 2008

ABekah said:
Or do you have a magic orb that transforms your story into a perfectly printed masterpiece with the swoosh of a wand?

Wuh? I want one of those!

I have a laser printer so I can print several copies of my manuscript if I wanted (Oh, please, please, let that be the case some day!).

Some people use the memory stick, as you mentioned, and take it to Kinko's, Stapesl, Office Depot, etc. It get's pricey though.

There was another thread where this was discussed (I'll look for it) and the general consensus was it's cheaper to invest in a decent printer than to have several copies made at an office store.

ETA: Here's the link.

ABekah · Oct 8, 2008

Thanks for the link.

Erin · Oct 8, 2008

I also have a laser printer and print out several hard copies thru my edits. Instead of printing in regular manuscript format, I save paper by shrinking the font and setting line spacing at 1.5 instead of double-space. I also reuse the backside of the paper for the next draft! This all saves paper, but not necessarily toner.

ChaosTitan · Oct 8, 2008

Ditto Erin.

I have a laser printer, and if you can save up to invest in one, it's so worth it. I have a Brother, and the $85 toner lasts about 5000 pages. It came in handy when I was sending out fulls and partials.

I also prefer to do edits on hard copy. I'll shrink the font and line spaces to save paper (and oddly, it also helps catch those small formatting errors, like a missed hard-return, that you may not see in regular format).

Red-Green · Oct 8, 2008

[whispering] get a day job where they have a big laser printer and you have lots of time alone... [/whispering]

bramble · Oct 8, 2008

I'm with Redzilla- printing generally happens at work. But, did you guys know that you can print more than one page per sheet? For editing, I make margins small, use 1.5 spacing and print two pages per sheet, and then print double-sided, so I get 4 pages of text on one piece of paper. To get to the option, you can go to "Print..." and then click "2 pages per sheet" in the zoom box on the print screen.

*Disclaimer* This may only work for young...ahem...eyes.

Dale Emery · Oct 8, 2008

I haven't sent any large manuscripts anywhere, but I printed my 50k 2006 NaNo novel for editing. For that, I used Kinko's online printing service. Uploaded the novel as 3 PDF files, and printed each in a spiral binder.

Dale

Enzo · Oct 8, 2008

I have a terrible printer at home, anything that's more than 10 pages turns into a chore. So yes, I go to a copy shop for the big works.

Carmy · Oct 8, 2008

Several AW members say they order a book via Lulu.com. It's free if you ask for just one copy for yourself, I understand. Check out the POD forum, it may be mentioned there.

2Wheels · Oct 8, 2008

I use duplex printing (print both sides), go for narrow margins all round, downsize to 10 pt font, 1 or 1.5 spacing and print in draft mode. This does reasonably well for saving both paper and toner. I have to do my final edits on hard copy, because I never catch everything on the screen, no matter how hard I try!

Ziljon · Oct 8, 2008

I have a large format printer, so I can print in 11x17

laidback · Oct 9, 2008

I was the OP of the thread Vixey mentioned. Ultimately I got it printed for $18 at Kinko's.

I'm looking at buying the following laser printer (it's not too expensive and can print duplex): Lexmark E250d

Cybernaught · Oct 9, 2008

I take it to my university's library and print to my heart's content. Hey, I'm paying the computer fees in my tuition, so why not?

C.M. Daniels · Oct 9, 2008

I go the one-off Lulu method. I've got my one copy that I turn the color of blood, with the added benefit that it's bound and I don't lose pages. I can't beat the price since paper+plus ink cartridges make Lulu cheaper than printing things up at home.

Keyboard Hound · Oct 9, 2008

C.M. Daniels said:
I go the one-off Lulu method. I've got my one copy that I turn the color of blood, with the added benefit that it's bound and I don't lose pages. I can't beat the price since paper+plus ink cartridges make Lulu cheaper than printing things up at home.

How much does a Lulu copy usually run?

Karen Duvall · Oct 9, 2008

I use my local quick print shop and it costs about $18. I have them drill it so I can put it in a gigantic 3-ring binder. Works great! Better than using my wienie ink jet printer that uses $30 cartridges.

ishtar'sgate · Oct 9, 2008

I used my hpdeskjet and it worked fine. I set it on 'draft' so it wouldn't use so much ink and print faster.

Gillhoughly · Oct 9, 2008

For a hard copy drafts of finished chapters, I print 10 point Times Roman font in a double-column magazine format with .3 margins.

A hard copy works best for me to spot typos and check things in general. It cuts a 450p. MS down to about 120 pages or less.

I tape those pages up on a blank wall to mark my progress, and if I need to check something, it's easy to find.

For the finished MS I put the file into the required format and take the memory stick to a copy place.

My aging printer would take all day to do a 400 p. file, and replacing the cartridge costs more than paying for a copy.

I'm done in 10 minutes, can pack and ship, then treat myself to a good luck lunch afterward!

Siddow · Oct 9, 2008

I print at home, reducing margins and font size and line spacing. Then I put it all into a three-ring and toss it under the bed, lol.

I'm great at suckitude.

Ray Veen · Oct 9, 2008

I'm lucky in that I've been asked to email every MS request I've ever had (except one).

The only time I ever need to print my MS, is for beta, and yes, Lulu is the cheapest, easiest, most covenient, most attractive, and most fun way to do that.

My shortest book cost $7.50 per copy, my 500 page behemoth cost $14.50 per copy - and that includes shipping.

A word of warning: if you ever print using Lulu, be sure to click the 'keep this work private/available only to me' option, otherwise it'll be assigned an ISBN number and will legally be considered 'published'. You don't want to unwittingly squandor your first publication rights. If it is your intention to self-publish, then forget what I just said.

MisterEThoughts · Jan 22, 2009

You can get those ink kits. Check amazon for better prices.

Printing large manuscripts

ABekah

vixey

C'est la vie!

ABekah

Erin

Listening to my other selves

ChaosTitan

Around

Red-Green

KoalaKoalaKoala!

bramble

Dale Emery

is way off topic

Enzo

Carmy

2Wheels

Anachronista

Ziljon

Tortilla di Patate

laidback

Cybernaught

Decker

C.M. Daniels

Cinnamon, sit. Bad fish!

Keyboard Hound

Old kid. Tough skin!!

Karen Duvall

Chalice the Hatchet Knight

ishtar'sgate

living in the past

Gillhoughly

Grumpy writer and editor

Siddow

I'm super! Thanks for asking

Ray Veen

MECHANIZED

MisterEThoughts

Writer