i know what it's like to spend sleepless weeks, and thousands of dollars in [not just tuition but] course fees. the rush around finals is more detrimental than some of the hardest drugs-- especially for those of you majoring in graphic design.
but please try and use your brain.
almost every one of you wants a perfect bound book-- they're classy, wire-free, and look like a REAL BOOK. but there are some things you should know before coming into my work.
i've compiled some of those things into three rules and a lot of me bitching.
if your book is not a minimum of 1/4 inch in thickness, we cannot perfect bind it. it's not that we don't want to: it simply cannot be done. during the process of gluing your cover and spine to your book-guts, the machine is required to apply pressure to all sides of the project. most people are not interested in perfect binding a 25-page book, so the machine is not designed to do so. it makes sense when you think about it.
i know, your professor wants the book perfect bound with NO EXCEPTION.
if your book is too thin, we can saddle stitch it, and it'll look like a standard magazine. or we can coil bind it, wire bind it, velo bind it, or even tape bind it. but we cannot perfect bind it, so do not ask us if we're sure and do not stare at us with blank eyes.
what does this mean? make sure your book is at least 45 sheets in length. 45 sheets-- not 45 pages. there is a difference and if you aren't aware of what that difference is, you should drop out of your graphic design major right now.
there are many ways around this problem. i've seen a fair amount of books with blank pages inserted throughout, or at one end. i've also seen artists reduce the dimensions of their pages so more sheets are required. they look nice when they're done with thought-- and, more importantly, they can be perfect bound.
you should have crop marks on every page-- and, for perfect binding, every page should be set up as a single-page pdf, not a spread. a spread is only helpful if you plan to french-fold, or saddle-stitch your book. in those types of bindings, your first sheet is made up of your first and last page. in a perfect bound book, the pages are in order and double-sided.
also, your bleeds need to be a minimum of 1/4 inch as well or the binding will cover part of your design.
these are simple facts that will save you and me a lot of time. and i don't need to save time: i'm at work ten hours a day no matter what. but it is frustrating, and you do need to save time because you're going through finals.
or you could let us do the work for you and we'll tack on another $70 per hour of labor-- it all depends on how much you like eating ramen.
most of the time we can't: it'll jam our printers because your stock is almost always textured. your best bet is to call the store before arriving with a ream of linen. but, even if we could use your stock, it's just a bit rude to come in with your own. if we can use it, we probably already have it and what you're doing is like going into an independent cafe with a starbucks coffee to get some sugar packets.
i didn't know most of what i just wrote before i had this job and don't expect you to know it automatically. but i ask that you treat your art as you would a job-- not as "just a school project"-- because every time an uncaring, lazy artist is seen the idea that creating art is not a REAL JOB is furthered.
you're giving artists a bad name. i work in the financial district and the majority of our customers are financial folk. they come at us with the same last-minute rush-jobs that you do-- and you're both picky as all hell-- except they know what is required of them for us to do the job. they're professional about it; they're timely in their responses, and precise with their files.
when you don't even try to take this seriously, the whole art-world looks a little bit dumber.
i know you're still a student, but please, please do your research before coming into our store and quietly degrading the name of artists.
and good luck with finals-- you're almost through it.
frustratedly,
president wishnack
p.s. this goes for you, too, california college of the arts students.
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