randy_byers (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
randy_byers) wrote2009-06-21 08:58 am
randy_byers) wrote2009-06-21 08:58 am
Entry tags:
Nursing the printer
It's time-consuming, this business of printing a fanzine at home. It's not something I can just set up and leave to run on its own. It requires almost constant interaction in the process. Part of that is because of how I decided to do it this time. When I printed the guts of the last Chunga, I used the duplex mechanism, but I printed all 275 copies of one two-sided sheet at a time, then we collated by hand later. The thought was that this would save computer processing time. For AmaZed and CorfluZed #4 I'm letting the printer do the collation too, which means I'm printing the guts of each copy all at once, then stapling that copy while I print the guts of the next one.
Since the covers are on different paper, I printed all of the front covers at once. I tried to do the same for the back cover, but the paper tray stopped working for that weight of paper for some reason, so now I print the guts and then print a back cover hand-fed, then add the front cover and staple it. Just to make things more complicated, I'm printing the guts in color and the back cover in grayscale. That's because when I printed Chunga I discovered that a little bit of color toner was being used on pages that were nothing but black text. There's no color on the final page or back cover of the regress report, so it can be printed in grayscale, saving some color toner.
What this all means is that I have to send a print command twice for each copy of the zine I print, and I have to make changes to the settings for each print command. This introduces more opportunity for errors, and I've made a few. (If you get an all grayscale copy, you'll know why.)
It's time-consuming. It's hard to focus on other things (like writing an LJ post, or working in the garden) while doing this. I'm only willing to do it this way because I'm only printing around a hundred copies.
I have no urge to play around with mimeo or other older printing technologies, but working at this level does make me think more about how each copy of the zine is an individual artifact that for instance is stapled slightly differently than all its twins. This does get me thinking about other ways individual copies can be made distinct. Rubber-stamping? Hand-coloring? Changes in paper color? Who knows, maybe I will end up getting into something like letter press printing once I no longer have the money to blow on toner. (Although actually the convention is paying for the toner for the regress report.)
Meanwhile I'm nursing the printer. And being reminded how much I love the taste of fresh raspberries and granola. Heaven! I love this time of year. Ah well, guess it's time to stuff a few envelopes.
Update: I did take a break, by the way, and went down to the Fremont Street Fair to hang out for a couple of hours with R. Twidner,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
holyoutlaw, and juliebata at the Seattle Art Car Blow-Out. Gave Art a wee bit o' the creature. He told good stories about the first days of fandom and fanzines. Loved the art car with the slogan, "Who profits from your self-loathing?" Now I've got my nose back to the grindstone. Ambient music on the speakers, cool evening air mixing with the stench of toner. Raspberries for dinner!
Since the covers are on different paper, I printed all of the front covers at once. I tried to do the same for the back cover, but the paper tray stopped working for that weight of paper for some reason, so now I print the guts and then print a back cover hand-fed, then add the front cover and staple it. Just to make things more complicated, I'm printing the guts in color and the back cover in grayscale. That's because when I printed Chunga I discovered that a little bit of color toner was being used on pages that were nothing but black text. There's no color on the final page or back cover of the regress report, so it can be printed in grayscale, saving some color toner.
What this all means is that I have to send a print command twice for each copy of the zine I print, and I have to make changes to the settings for each print command. This introduces more opportunity for errors, and I've made a few. (If you get an all grayscale copy, you'll know why.)
It's time-consuming. It's hard to focus on other things (like writing an LJ post, or working in the garden) while doing this. I'm only willing to do it this way because I'm only printing around a hundred copies.
I have no urge to play around with mimeo or other older printing technologies, but working at this level does make me think more about how each copy of the zine is an individual artifact that for instance is stapled slightly differently than all its twins. This does get me thinking about other ways individual copies can be made distinct. Rubber-stamping? Hand-coloring? Changes in paper color? Who knows, maybe I will end up getting into something like letter press printing once I no longer have the money to blow on toner. (Although actually the convention is paying for the toner for the regress report.)
Meanwhile I'm nursing the printer. And being reminded how much I love the taste of fresh raspberries and granola. Heaven! I love this time of year. Ah well, guess it's time to stuff a few envelopes.
Update: I did take a break, by the way, and went down to the Fremont Street Fair to hang out for a couple of hours with R. Twidner,
holyoutlaw, and juliebata at the Seattle Art Car Blow-Out. Gave Art a wee bit o' the creature. He told good stories about the first days of fandom and fanzines. Loved the art car with the slogan, "Who profits from your self-loathing?" Now I've got my nose back to the grindstone. Ambient music on the speakers, cool evening air mixing with the stench of toner. Raspberries for dinner!