Books on print prod. paper, folding, binding, etc.

December 14, 2008 9:23 PM

Do you know any good books on print production? I was recently given the responsibility to obtain quotes and manage print jobs for my company. I need to understand paper types and weights, binding, print methods, folding, etc. so I can speak the language of printers.
posted by 4chrisd to Media & Arts (7 answers total)

Do you have a vendor you will be working with, or are you responsible for requesting bids from multiple vendors? If you have a printer already, your sales rep should be more than happy to stop by with some sample books for you, and explain weights, coatings, binding methods, etc. (And if your sales rep doesn't want to bother, find a new vendor!)

This Printing Encyclopedia is a great place for succinct, well-illustrated info. Read entries 1-30 in chronological order (based on the numbers in the first column) and you'll be pretty up to speed.
posted by junkbox at 10:41 PM on December 14, 2008 [1 favorite]

If you're new to this all, make an appointment with your biggest suppliers and let them walk you through the print shops. Every printer has specializations (amount of colours, print sizes etc etc), so they can tell you about that. A print shop visit puts all your book knowledge into perspective. I suggest basically the same for your paper suppliers. In my experience, print people are proud of their work and they love to tell about their trade. Good luck and have fun!
posted by ouke at 11:50 PM on December 14, 2008

Best answer: Pocket Pal.
posted by Etaoin Shrdlu at 6:24 AM on December 15, 2008

Seconding Pocket Pal. It saved my hide when I was a little print nublet and I needed to learn the basics of pretty much everything in less than 48 hours.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 7:00 AM on December 15, 2008

Nthing Pocket Pal...! It was a wonderful starting point for me almost 20 years ago; glad to hear it's still around...
posted by lgandme0717 at 7:03 AM on December 15, 2008

Has there ever been anything besides the Pocket Pal? I got kicked out of prepress ten years ago and I still have mine!
posted by wenestvedt at 7:04 AM on December 15, 2008

+1 pocket pal.

+1 print shop tour. Offset printing is one of those things that still to me seems like magic.
posted by chazlarson at 7:32 AM on December 15, 2008