Panel layout Mobile or Desktop

windikite 2016-01-06 06:31:42 UTC #1

I am currently reviving my manga, however I am at a crossroads; I know that formatting my pages to be specifically for mobile can lead to a higher mobile fanbase as it is easier to read, however if I ever want to print my manga it would be a huge problem. It would be hugely space-inefficient and be pretty boring layout-wise. Any thoughts?

AnnaLandin 2016-01-06 07:01:29 UTC #2

Do what makes you most comfortable, honestly.

I draw my comic in a traditional page-by-page format, simply because I want to collect it into print at some point. However, if I was doing a gag-comic instead of an adventure story, I would seriously consider doing a vertical strip format. It's all about what works best for the story, and what you feel best working in.

Preparing stuff for print is a lot of work even when you do make it page-by-page, but it is less work than cutting and pasting and re-arranging a whole lot of stuff.

keii4ii 2016-01-06 07:12:30 UTC #3

Yeah, do what you wanna do. Though I will add that vertical scroll is not just for mobile. It also reads smoothly on desktop -- just, yeah, not for print.

My comic uses the vertical scroll format. At first, I tried to create a vertical scroll comic that would also print alright by designing print-sized pages that were simply connected to each other at tops and bottoms. This is a viable solution; I know at least one creator who has done this successfully, although her comic is horizontal, not vertical. HOWEVER, I personally found it too hard to accomplish both. It essentially doubled page size limitations, and my storytelling suffered. I scrapped everything from that attempt and started anew.

I'll probably hate myself when I decide to print it (for at-convention promotional purposes), but for now, I feel my comic flows very well, visually.

zerofruits 2016-01-06 08:35:15 UTC #4

I agree, do what you're most comfortable with and how the storyflow feels better for you.

I do my comic in a vertical (korean-ish) webtoon format, which is more focussed on mobile reading (but it works for desktop too, since you just scroll down). Vertical doesn't necessarily mean panel below panel, you can still add a variety of boxes and layouts

But even if you decide to keep the manga page layout, I'm sure no one would mind. As long as the reading flow and direction make sense, people will like it!

windikite 2016-01-06 09:20:35 UTC #5

Thanks, I did always envision it being page by page, and it is easier to print. I also really like making the pages flow, and that wouldn't be as possible as drawing panels specifically for the page.

keii4ii:

Yeah, do what you wanna do. Though I will add that vertical scroll is not just for mobile. It also reads smoothly on desktop -- just, yeah, not for print.

My comic uses the vertical scroll format. At first, I tried to create a vertical scroll comic that would also print alright by designing print-sized pages that were simply connected to each other at tops and bottoms. This is a viable solution; I know at least one creator who has done this successfully, although her comic is horizontal, not vertical. HOWEVER, I personally found it too hard to accomplish both. It essentially doubled page size limitations, and my storytelling suffered. I scrapped everything from that attempt and started anew.

I'll probably hate myself when I decide to print it (for at-convention promotional purposes), but for now, I feel my comic flows very well, visually.

Yeah I think that you either make it for page-by-page printing or not, though while it is still possible it adds a lot of unnecessary stress and work.

I'm partial to agree now, I just needed other people helping me solidify my opinion, so thank you all. I did think I was pretty good with structuring my pages and flowing from panel to panel so it's probably the best decision as it adds another dimension to the storytelling. Kudos, maybe you'll see it around. c:

meatmaiden 2016-01-06 09:38:35 UTC #6

I do mine page by page because I hope to print it someday. Not only that but I'm trying to make sure the composition on each page is good, so I can't imagine cutting it up and making it vertical. It'd just be... Weird and hard.

To make it easier to read, I make the font big, and try and make sure there's not too much text on each page. It means I have to draw more, but I don't mind because I've always preferred less wordy comics. Death Note style walls of text are just really unattractive to me, and I don't want to strain my readers. So I break it up with more images, and bigger text.

I hope this helped! ^^

somvi 2016-01-06 10:13:42 UTC #7

One thing I can recommend is figuring out your print size. If it's close to trade paperback (5x7") or A5, chances are that an entire page is still readable on mobile devices (assuming you use sizes that translate to 2-3mm). Any larger format is pretty much illegible on full view (part of the reason comixology does that guided view thing)
So if you make your webcomic with this in mind, when the time comes to print at least you won't have to re-letter much. Then you can spend more time editing pages, adding spreads, bleeds, color, etc.