Measurements are the bane of my existence

[eLfwriter]

Hello wonderful sages of the comic book and graphic novel forum!

I'm new to the comic community, but I've always wanted to try my hand at it, so here I am. There's LOTS of helpful information around here, but I just can't seem to find the answer to my burning question ...

Is there a standard or required size for the pages of a graphic novel? From what I've seen, I can make my panels any size and shape I feel like, but do the dimensions of the actual page NEED to be a certain measurement? Or do the publishers use their magic to resize and reshape after the fact?

... basically I just want to know if I should be drawing out my panels on huge bulletin board sized sheets of paper, regular old computer paper, special coil notebooks or ... am I free to choose whatever size of page I want?


eLfy, a perplexed comic noob in search of wise advisers before she plunges into this venture headfirst :tongue

[elae]

Graphic novels? Generally, no. Some specialized publishers have standard trim sizes (Tokyopop, etc), but most others seem to publish a range of sizes and shapes. So it really depends on which publishers you're considering.
The book my agent has out on submission is ~5 x 7 1/2, and the one I'm working on right now is 6 1/2 x 8. I came up with those numbers myself, looking at what's on my shelves and how I want the books to look.

Also keep in mind that you generally submit only a finished chapter or short sample, not the entire drawn book. If the publisher does have a specific size they want, you can adjust (or redraw) that portion, and produce the rest at the correct size.

One hint: draw larger than you want the pages to be, though :) Some people blow up their guidelines and print them out onto 11x17" pieces of paper-- when they scan them back in, they shrink them down. You don't have to go that large, but drawing bigger than print size is strongly recommended.

Also, be sure you understand what "trim" and "bleed" are!

[eLfwriter]

Thank you!! A whole range of sizes and shapes ... I feel free to be creative!

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

[jst5150]

This should help you immensely: http://store.comixpress.com/faq/technical.php

Trim: 6.625x10.25”
Live Area: 6x9”
Margins: Top: .5”, Bottom: .75”, Sides: .3125”
Bleed: 6.875x10.5”

ETA: Comic book pages are drawn on 11 x 17 boards and reduced (thought computer drawing is changing that). That may be a helpful start for you.

Welcome! We look forward to seeing more of you!

[eLfwriter]

Wow, thanks!! Great link.


There's a lot more work that goes into this process than you first think, isn't there? Lucky there are Helpful Sages to help us floundering newbies along! :)

[BigWords]

Just to confuse the issue, if you intend to provide computer rendered art you should use at least 500 pixels per inch for b&w or 1000 pixels per inch for color, so that the resolution isn't compromised in printing.

[Richard White]

IIRC, most non-digital comic artists work on 11x17 Bristol with 1/2" margins right, left, bottom and 1" margins top. When I get home, I'll drag out some of the comic art I've bought and see how close my memory is.

[eLfwriter]

Wait ... now there's PIXELS??!?! ACK! ... I think I'll keep with paper and ink. For some reason, a 1/2" sounds easier to do than 1000 pixels ... maybe that's just me


I knew if I asked the wise sages in this quarter that I'd get the answers I need! You guys are so helpful!

:D :D :D

[elae]

If you want to get these publishable, you're going to have to deal with pixels and DPI at some point, heh. Just how it works. Most publishers I've worked with have me upload the files to an FTP or send a CD-- no one wants the paper and ink pages. You have to scan and prep them yourself.

I've had publishers ask for 300 DPI, 600, and 1200, and a few others in between. It all depends on if it's black and white, grayscale or color.

I recommend checking out this blog:
http://comictool.blogspot.com/2009/08/sorry-about-corroded-silvering-in-hall.html
That entry in particular goes through part of the drawing/scanning process step-by-step, and there are plenty of other posts like it. Ignore the posts about knives and things, but there are lots of helpful tutorials (word balloons, etc).