Best places to print manuscripts for proof reading!!

Jonp95

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Hi,

Not sure if this the best place for this but i am looking for some sites that are not too expensive and that can be used to print off 4 copies of my manuscript, for proofreading in my family. I live in the UK so i'm not sure any places abroad will do it.

Thanks for any suggestions :hooray:
 

Woollybear

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I don't know about online, but I format the thing myself in Word:

Landscape layout
Two columns (and play with the margins so you can put it in a binder at the end)
12 point, Times, 1.15 spacing
Narrow tab for paragraph start
Title and page numbers in header/footer

--then I print single-sided at the local shop (~30 dollars) and have them slice the whole thing in two (to separate the columns) I collate at home into a small fat binder.

The printed side looks like a paperback format, the blank side gives me (or the reader) a nice place to write notes.
It would be hard to do this double-sided anyway because the page numbers don't work out--you'd have page four on the back side of page one, for example (and I haven't found the setting in word to address this) but having a blank page for notes adjacent to the printed page is useful anyway.

I'll follow the thread to see what other people have found online--that was a bust for me last year but maybe someone knows. I'm glad you asked.
 
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Gillhoughly

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Do you mean just ordinary MS pages, double spaced with margins, or formatted into bound book form like a softcover trade edition?

The latter can be had via CreateSpace, if they offer it in the UK. It's the print on demand branch of Amazon.

A regular manuscript can be copied at any printer, often from a thumb drive.
 

Marissa D

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It's generally easier to proofread in manuscript form, not bound.

CreateSpace is, alas, no more, having been swallowed by Amazon, and the new POD branch, KDP Print, is abysmal. If you absolutely have to have a bound copy, try Lulu.com (though I'm not positive they have a UK presence.)
 

sandree

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I figured it was cheaper to buy a Brother laser printer. I got one for about $99. It’s fast, prints 3,000 pages per toner cartiridge and you can print double sided if you want to. I think someone on here recommended it - I love it!
 

shadowsminder

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Do libraries in the UK offer printing? Some US libraries offer inexpensive printing without a page limit. (Others are more restrictive.)

You might luck out on good place by asking more experienced local writers where they go. Where I used to live, a wealthier arts supporter in my social circle would offer writers access to his printer and free ink. All I was supposed to bring was paper in case he ran out.
 

MaeZe

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Can't help you there but for people in King County WA, the library lets me print 75 pages a week. That's been very helpful.
 

Laer Carroll

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It's generally easier to proofread in manuscript form, not bound.

My experience is the opposite.

CreateSpace, having been swallowed by Amazon, and the new POD branch, KDP Print, is abysmal.

Not my experience. As far as I can tell the only difference is a name change.
 

ironmikezero

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Re: Create Space vs KDP Print - I've noticed some differences. I just finished examining a KDP proof and comparing it to a Create Space proof (same work, text correction, no changes to the cover).

The KDP (snail mail) packaging is an envelope w/one interior layer of adhered bubble wrap. The former CS packaging was stiff, snug-fit corrugated cardboard that protected the book quite well. The KDP doesn't do as well; one corner of the book had its pages bent/crumpled (dropped?).

The ISBN does not appear on the bar code of the KDP proof; it does appear on the bar code of the CS proof.

The CS proof was boldly marked PROOF on the final interior page; the cover, to include the spine and back cover, was clear of any PROOF markings.
That is not the case with the KDP proof. A semi-opaque band about 1/2" - 14mm in width, located about three-quarters up from the bottom edge of the cover, runs horizontally across the front cover, the spine, and the back cover, bearing the mantra "Not for Resale". This band obscures anything beneath it, including text (e.g., blurbs, etc.), making it difficult to proof the entire cover.

The interior text of both CS and KDP proofs are acceptable; changes/corrections are as intended.

Maybe I'm a little picky; but, I'm not a fan of the KDP packaging, nor the "Not for Resale" banner obscuring aspects of the cover.
 
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Laer Carroll

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Re: Create Space vs KDP Print - I've noticed some differences.
...
Maybe I'm a little picky; but, I'm not a fan of the KDP packaging, nor the "Not for Resale" banner obscuring aspects of the cover.

Thanks, Mike. Sounds like I'm going to IngramSpark just in time for my POD services.