A 16 page signature with each page 8 1/2" X 11" run on a 23" X 35" sheet. The front side of the sheet has eight pages and the back side has eight as well.
A 32 page signature with each page 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" run on a 23" X 35" press sheet. The front side of the sheet has 16 pages and the back side has 16 as well. This is the same layout for a 6" X 9" book run on a 25" X 38" sheet.
Save Money with Efficient Page Counts
Customers frequently ask us how to save money on their projects. One of the best ways is to create documents that utilize paper efficiently. In this article we discuss methods of saving money on multiple-page projects by considering the page count.
Let's start by defining a page. Imagine you are reading the front page of a newspaper. You turn the page and are now on page 2. Both pages are part of a single sheet, or "signature." A signature is a press sheet whose pages are positioned so they can be printed, folded, and bound into a finished book. Printers often refer to 8- or 16-page signatures, meaning the press sheet has 8 or 16 pages printed on it.
The most common sizes for books or publications in the United States are 8 1/2" X 11", 5 1/2" X 8 1/2", and 6" X 9". These page sizes fit efficiently on the paper sizes produced in North America (23" X 35" and 25" X 38"). The charts below show how many pages fit economically on standard press sheets.
Projects that use the press sheet efficiently-using either a full press sheet, one-half of the sheet, or one-quarter of the sheet-save money by reducing the number of steps required to complete the job.
An 8 ½" X 11", 16-page project is very efficient because it uses the entire press sheet. If four pages are added to make it a 20-page booklet the presswork becomes less efficient and more costly. An additional press form would be required to print these four pages. Plate costs and set-up time on the press would increase. Two additional bindery operations would be required: cutting the four-page press sheet and setting up and folding the four-pager.
Now let's compare the additional costs for a 24 page to the 20 page versus the 16 page. The additional cost that arose when we went from 16 to 20 are about the same as going to 24 from 16. The fixed costs are spread out over more pages.
The chart below shows a sample job, 8 ½ X 11 and a quantity of 1,000. Note that the 32-page project is less expensive than the 28-page project. Because a 32-page book is comprised of an even number of 16-page signatures, there are fewer bindery operations and hence a cheaper cost.
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Pages
|
Plates
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Press Forms
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Bindery Operations
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Cost
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Cost/Page
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|
16
|
2
|
1
|
2
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$1,000
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$62.50
|
|
20
|
4
|
2
|
5
|
$1,320
|
$66.00
|
|
24
|
4
|
2
|
5
|
$1,450
|
$60.42
|
|
28
|
4
|
2
|
5
|
$1,630
|
$58.21
|
|
32
|
4
|
2
|
5
|
$1,590
|
$49.69
|
This theory holds true for any size book. A 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" book will be printed in 32-page signatures on a 23" X 35" sheet. A 6" X 9" book will also print in 32- page signatures, but on a 25" X 38" sheet. All other book sizes have optimum page counts for each signature.
Here is a guide for economical page counts:
If you want to save money, contact your printer as soon as you decide on a page size so we can advise you on efficient page counts. We aren't recommending you always change page counts to fit a press sheet, but it can be a factor in your decision-making process.
The bottom line
Use the chart of economical page counts above as a guide. If you are at the end of a book and find you can reasonably stuff the content into an economical page count, by all means do so. However in most cases it's not prudent to compromise aesthetics for economy. If you're not sure what to do ask your printer for pricing on books with varying page counts. That way you can make an informed decision.
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Page Size
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Economical Page Counts
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|
8 1/2 X 11
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16, 20, 24, 32, 36, 48, 52, 56, 64, 68, 72, 80, 84, 88, 96
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5 1/2 X 8 1/2
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8, 16, 32, 36, 40, 48, 64, 68, 72, 80, 96
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6 X 9
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8, 16, 32, 36, 40, 48, 64, 68, 72, 80, 96
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Copyright 2006, The Catalog Works, All rights reserved
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