How to go about printing comics - which services to pick?

[monotone_ink]

For those who are or have printed their comics - what printing services did you use? Which ones do you reccomend for a first timer, and additionally, what other details should I consider before deciding to print? (image sizes/resolutions/dpi, number of pages, etc.) Most of my work is pretty linework heavy with some occasionally small details, so I'm kind of worried about picking the wrong printers.

[joannekwan]

For black and white with line work, definitely export your print-ready files at 600 dpi. And depending on the printer, you might have to convert the image file to bitmap. I had to do so to get the crispest lines possible when printing through CreateSpace. I like CreateSpace because it's print-on-demand, so you only pay for however many copies you want, and can sell them too. It's also pretty cheap imo; my 128 paged b&w book costs me only $2.38 per copy.

Some printers however will only accept 400 dpi or lower, I know PrintNinja is like this.
If you're unsure, best to just contact the printers and ask.

Also check if the printer has default book sizes, because most commercial printers have a few sizes to choose from. Custom sizes are usually not available or cost a premium. Layout your pages according to those dimensions through a program like InDesign, or just create a new canvas in your drawing program of choice at those dimensions, and drag and drop your artwork onto there.

[monotone_ink]

Thanks for the useful reply.

In terms of exporting at 600 dpi, I've been told that working at that scale can take up a lot of space, especially with the consideration that my future work may have a lot of grey scale in it. Is it advisable to work at a lower dpi (350) and then upscale it to 600 dpi for printing?

[joannekwan]

Usually if I know for certain a black and white piece will be for print, I will work at 600.

But my original files for that comic I printed with CreateSpace were at 300. I felt like kicking myself for not working at a higher res so I had to upscale them. Digitally you could see the blurriness, especially at 100% zoom, but in print it looked great. So in the end it worked out okay. However most of my lines in that project were very thick. I'm not sure how badly upscaling can affect really fine lines like yours. I would do a test, even with just a regular printer, maybe at a copy shop, just to see.

[monotone_ink]

Alright, so for comics that require crystal clear lines, go for 600 dpi.

What about comics that don't have as much detail, but still have a focus on line? Say, something similiar to this page I drew 2 years ago:

Or something like this:

For works that have a lot of value variation like these, would 600 dpi be killing my computer in terms of processing power and storage space? Would 350 dpi be sufficient for things like this?

[sarrowsmith10]

I use http://readycomics.com and they are fabulous. They have templates on their website to help you format your work correctly. They don't have min orders, but do give discounts for bulk ordering. They print on nice high quality paper and UV coat the covers. However, they aren't a print on demand company, so don't expect those types of services (they won't print one book at a time).

I've worked with a number of printers. My advice would be find out the standard sizes they print, and format your work that way. Ready Comics takes books 6.625"x10.25" at 300dpi (as well as standard manga sizes). I make my pages exactly in this format from the very start. I don't work in higher dpi because it will crash my computer. Working in 600 dpi is nice and all, but sometimes your image will loose a lot of detail when you scale down. Same with working in low dpi and scaling up, your image will be pixelated. You really should just work in the right format from the beginning if possible. Find a printer you like, and ask them for page specs that they would recommend.

[Shanny8]

I use Ka-Blam(http://ka-blam.com/main/) and Greko Printing/Comixwellspring(http://www.grekoprinting-comixwellspring.com/). With Ka-Blam, you can print as little as 1 or as many as you need; with Greko, the minimum is 25. Both are POD(print on demand)- I like Greko coz their cover stock is a little thicker than Ka-Blam; I use them to print all my larger deluxe size(more than standard 20-24 page) material.

Ka-Blam has a [comic page] template on their site that you can download to size your pages to make sure they're print ready. You want to make sure that all the lettering is inside the safe area, so it isnt trimmed off during printing. I use their template for my material for Greko as well...Ka-Blam takes TIFF & PDF files; Greko takes PDF only.

And as @joannekwan stated, if you're sending black & white art, you want to make sure the res is 600 dpi(or higher) for the best print quality.

[joannekwan]

Multiple values should be fine at 300 dpi, especially if there are values butting up against lines.

[scarlet_wings_kaili]

Also keep in mine that most of the time, your page count will have to be in multiples of 4. I actually use a local printer to print black and white because sometimes they can be cheaper b/c of no shipping charges. Local for colour is usually hella expensive thou :o Definitely do you're research and find one that works the best for you