Vogelein -- Information on Printers

Although you can get your comic printed at any local print shop, there are four major players in the comic printing industry. These four companies combined print over 90% of the American comics in shops today. If you're thinking about getting a comic or graphic novel printed professionally, I highly recommend that you call each of these four printers first and get quotes from all of them before looking locally.

There are benefits to working with a local crew, however, there are even bigger benefits to working with people who print comics all the time, know the drill and are used to dealing with new artists with lots of questions. Not every printer is used to dealing with a book comprised entirely of artwork, so check with these guys first.

Traditional Offset Printers

Malloy Incorporated - These guys are relative newcomers to the graphic novel business, but they did a fantastic job on my most recent printing. Fast turnaround, great-looking product, and super-friendly helpful staff add up to my personal recommendation. Jim Ottaviani has worked with them for many years and swears by their quality and customer service, and Jeff Smith has his books printed here, too.

5411 Jackson Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103-1865
(800) 722-3231 (toll free)
Brenner Printing and Mailing
1234 Triplett
San Antonio, Texas 78216
(210) 349-4024
(877) 349-4024
fax (210) 349-1501
Morgan Printing
402 Hill Avenue
Grafton, ND 58237
(701) 352-0640
Imprimerie Lebonfon
2523, Chomedey Blvd.
Chomedey, Laval (Quebec)
H7T 2R2
Toll Free : 866-970-4100
Phone : 514-907-4793
Fax : 450-686-8660
Email : ventes@lebonfon.com

Note: Preney Print and Litho has gone out of business.

Alternatives to Traditional Printing

If you want to try publishing on a much smaller scale, there are several routes you can take:

Print-On-Demand.

Many new companies are able to take your book and only print as many books as people order. Here are some companies that are doing Print-On-Demand (POD):

Ka-Blam -- These guys make really good-looking short-run books, in both black-and-white and full color. I've been really impressed with the examples I've seen.
Malloy Incorporated is now doing short-run digital books, and they're really good looking. I don't know much about pricing, but the samples I've personally seen are practically indistinguishable from offset. Email or call them for an estimate.
Monolith Press -- they did Wil Wheaton's Dancing Barefoot
Booksurge -- Donna Barr is using this company for her new Stinz novels.
First Books -- A friend of mine has a book of poetry published through them.
Lulu.com -- prices and sizes are here.
Comixpress.com -- I've heard a lot about these guys, most of it good. The only problem with them seems to be getting your book on their schedule. Very popular, it seems.

Preorders

When I published the Graphic Novel, I was very poor, and couldn't afford to have it professionally printed. So, in the spirit of any good do-it-yourselfer, I came up with ways to raise enough money. I put all my original art from the series up for sale, and started taking Preorders. What this means is that I asked people to shell out for something that didn't exist yet, with the promise that I'd deliver on time. Now, by doing this, I set my reputation on the line. Y'see, over the last twenty years or so, there have been a whole lot of comics creators who took money from people in advance -- and then never finished their book. I am the victim of more than one of these nefarious authors. So, I set myself a very realistic goal, one that I knew I could use to beat this negative record and prove to my fans that I could follow through on promises I made.

When I asked for preorders, I already had the book ready to ship to printers, and all I needed was the money to do so. I only asked for the cost of the book and shipping. And, to sweeten the deal, I offered a free personalized sketch -- of the person's choice -- in the front of each preordered copy, free shipping, and delivery two months before the books were to hit stores.

So, I held my breath and stuck out my hand, asking for charity. The amazing thing is that after the first three weeks, I had to turn off the faucet because I got too many orders! i stopped at about a hundred preorders, and about ten sales of original artwork so that I could guarantee everyone's book would ship on time. It was a lot of work, but I got all the preorders drawn in and shipped out within a reasonable amount of time -- and kept my reputation intact.

Minicomics

Minicomics are wonderful. I strongly recommend that anyone who wants to get into making comics make some minicomics first. They're a fabulous, inexpensive way to get used to drawing an issue of a comic book -- it can be a whole issue with one long story, or you can gather together many short stories into one book. Minicomics are how almost everyone gets their start -- even the biggest names made minis at one time or another. You can make a hundred copies of your minicomic for about $30.00 at Kinko's, and sell them for fifty cents each -- which will fund your next minicomic. You can also give them away to the pros at comicons, so you can start getting your name out.



	Information on Printers
	Self-Publishing Resources: Essays - Links - Audio - Handouts - Printer Info
Home News News Blog Appearances JanerBlog (16+) Appearances Handouts Contact Jane Contracts Jane's Bio About Vögelein Characters The Story People Who Helped Reviews Fan Art Online Store For Librarians Appearances Handouts Contact Jane Contracts Jane's Bio For Retailers Self-Publishing Info Essays Links Audio Handouts Printer Info Contact Jane Copyright Info Vögelein Elsewhere Clockwork Game ComicSpace Deviant Art JanerBlog (16+) LiveJournal MySpace	Although you can get your comic printed at any local print shop, there are four major players in the comic printing industry. These four companies combined print over 90% of the American comics in shops today. If you're thinking about getting a comic or graphic novel printed professionally, I highly recommend that you call each of these four printers first and get quotes from all of them before looking locally. There are benefits to working with a local crew, however, there are even bigger benefits to working with people who print comics all the time, know the drill and are used to dealing with new artists with lots of questions. Not every printer is used to dealing with a book comprised entirely of artwork, so check with these guys first. Traditional Offset Printers Malloy Incorporated - These guys are relative newcomers to the graphic novel business, but they did a fantastic job on my most recent printing. Fast turnaround, great-looking product, and super-friendly helpful staff add up to my personal recommendation. Jim Ottaviani has worked with them for many years and swears by their quality and customer service, and Jeff Smith has his books printed here, too. 5411 Jackson Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103-1865 (800) 722-3231 (toll free) Brenner Printing and Mailing 1234 Triplett San Antonio, Texas 78216 (210) 349-4024 (877) 349-4024 fax (210) 349-1501 Morgan Printing 402 Hill Avenue Grafton, ND 58237 (701) 352-0640 Imprimerie Lebonfon 2523, Chomedey Blvd. Chomedey, Laval (Quebec) H7T 2R2 Toll Free : 866-970-4100 Phone : 514-907-4793 Fax : 450-686-8660 Email : ventes@lebonfon.com Note: Preney Print and Litho has gone out of business. Alternatives to Traditional Printing If you want to try publishing on a much smaller scale, there are several routes you can take: Print-On-Demand. Many new companies are able to take your book and only print as many books as people order. Here are some companies that are doing Print-On-Demand (POD): Ka-Blam -- These guys make really good-looking short-run books, in both black-and-white and full color. I've been really impressed with the examples I've seen. Malloy Incorporated is now doing short-run digital books, and they're really good looking. I don't know much about pricing, but the samples I've personally seen are practically indistinguishable from offset. Email or call them for an estimate. Monolith Press -- they did Wil Wheaton's Dancing Barefoot Booksurge -- Donna Barr is using this company for her new Stinz novels. First Books -- A friend of mine has a book of poetry published through them. Lulu.com -- prices and sizes are here. Comixpress.com -- I've heard a lot about these guys, most of it good. The only problem with them seems to be getting your book on their schedule. Very popular, it seems. Preorders When I published the Graphic Novel, I was very poor, and couldn't afford to have it professionally printed. So, in the spirit of any good do-it-yourselfer, I came up with ways to raise enough money. I put all my original art from the series up for sale, and started taking Preorders. What this means is that I asked people to shell out for something that didn't exist yet, with the promise that I'd deliver on time. Now, by doing this, I set my reputation on the line. Y'see, over the last twenty years or so, there have been a whole lot of comics creators who took money from people in advance -- and then never finished their book. I am the victim of more than one of these nefarious authors. So, I set myself a very realistic goal, one that I knew I could use to beat this negative record and prove to my fans that I could follow through on promises I made. When I asked for preorders, I already had the book ready to ship to printers, and all I needed was the money to do so. I only asked for the cost of the book and shipping. And, to sweeten the deal, I offered a free personalized sketch -- of the person's choice -- in the front of each preordered copy, free shipping, and delivery two months before the books were to hit stores. So, I held my breath and stuck out my hand, asking for charity. The amazing thing is that after the first three weeks, I had to turn off the faucet because I got too many orders! i stopped at about a hundred preorders, and about ten sales of original artwork so that I could guarantee everyone's book would ship on time. It was a lot of work, but I got all the preorders drawn in and shipped out within a reasonable amount of time -- and kept my reputation intact. Minicomics Minicomics are wonderful. I strongly recommend that anyone who wants to get into making comics make some minicomics first. They're a fabulous, inexpensive way to get used to drawing an issue of a comic book -- it can be a whole issue with one long story, or you can gather together many short stories into one book. Minicomics are how almost everyone gets their start -- even the biggest names made minis at one time or another. You can make a hundred copies of your minicomic for about $30.00 at Kinko's, and sell them for fifty cents each -- which will fund your next minicomic. You can also give them away to the pros at comicons, so you can start getting your name out.