Hi, my name is David Rimer and I head up to Sales and Marketing here at Shwaiq Media Printing Company and today we are going to talk about all the elements that go into getting a printing bit as well as provide you with some helpful hints so we can make sure and get you the very best deal for yourself and also guard you against all those evil printers out there. Number 1. Final Trim Size. This is not to be confused with the final size of your graphic files but the actual final size after your magazine is stitched or bound and the dimensions are given in width by height. The best way to remember that is the height is the side that it's bound on where the staples or the bound is or the binding is. So it's 8 and 3, 8's by 10 and 7, 8's magazine is bound on the 10 and 7, 8's side. The reason that's important to know is sometimes people want to landscape magazine and a landscape magazine is bound on the short side. So when you talk to your printer make sure you tell them it's 10 and 7, 8's by 8 and 3, 8's. It's very, very important to know that we've had these mistakes happen in the past, people get a bit and it's not what they're looking for. So make sure you're very familiar with those terms. Number 2. Page Count. Now this seems very obvious but I'm telling you this has been a huge source of miscommunication between me and certain clients in the past. And the reason for that is sometimes people think that Page Count is a sheet of paper and sometimes they think it's just one of the single sheets within a magazine. But in actuality, all printers in the world count Page Counts just like we do and the magazine stand does. So the front cover is page 1, the inside front cover is page 2, page 3, the backside of that is page 4. It's very important that you understand this because in the past sometimes people have really needed a 64 page bit. Instead they've asked for 32 pages and they get this low bit that isn't real. So make sure you understand this and communicate it correctly to your printer. Alright, number 3. Paper. Paper is broken into weight, grade and stock. And we'll first talk about weight. Paper weights range from anywhere from as low as 38 pound. That's the kind of paper that sometimes you see in like a time magazine. Really thin paper. It's most commonly used on super high run magazines and catalogs. It's not readily available and it doesn't run very well in most presses but for those huge million, two million, five million runs, that's the kind of paper it is. And it goes up from there to 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80 and 100 pound text weight papers and cover weights go to 8, 10, 12, 14 point weights. Paper grade. It's graded on a score of 1 to 5. One being the very widest and brightest and five being the least brightest and has a little bit more of a grayish tone and ground wood in it. Number 4, number 5 are more similar to each other and number 1, 2 and 3 are on more of the wider scale. Paper stock. There are various types of paper stocks but we'll just concentrate on the three main and most common. They're dull, matte and gloss. Glossy is the one that is more common in the new stands. It's a lot more glossy and shiny. Matte has a smoother finish and the best way to describe dull, it's right in between a matte and a gloss. Number 4, quantity. It is what it is. Tell your printer how many you need. Binding style. There's four main types of binder. You have your saddle stitch which is the staples. You have your perfect binding which has the square edge background mainly used for higher page count jobs. You have coil or spiral binding. Those are good for cookbooks or manuals or any kind of book that needs to lay flat and you also have your case binding. Those are more traditional Harry Potter type books that you find in Barnes & Noble. Coatings for your cover. The main three types of coatings you have gloss UV, matte UV and varnish. The best way to describe gloss UV is that extra shiny you see it on the new stands a lot. Matte UV has a smoother finish. You sometimes might want to do that if you have an elegant magazine and you have varnish coating. The best way to describe varnish is it's a less shiny, less coated gloss UV coated magazine. Shipping. When you're getting your shipping quote, make sure you don't just give them the zip code of where it ships. Give them all the details. If there's a residential delivery, if there's not a dock and it needs a lift gate, make sure you let them know those things. If you needed inboxes or strapped, all those details are very important to make sure you get the most accurate quote possible. All right, here are some helpful hints that I'd like to share with you from my last 16 years of being in this industry. A lot of printing companies have certain page counts that they're a lot more competitive at. For instance, multiples of 16 are very cost competitive. So if you have a self-covered magazine, meaning you have the same exact kind of paper throughout the whole thing, and you're asking for a quote of 12 or 28 pages, and your printer does not suggest looking at 16 or 32, hang up the phone immediately because they do not have your best interest at heart. Always request samples ahead of time. Most of the time, you'll be able to substitute one paper for another and save some money and not lose your quality. For instance, 45 pounds feels like 50 pounds. 60 pounds kind of feels like 70 pounds. 8 point can often replace 10 point, but again, it comes down to your preference that I highly, highly suggest you get samples, make sure you feel and touch them for yourself so you can choose the best option for you and hopefully save a few bucks in the long way. People always do judge books by their cover, and that hasn't changed with magazine printing. So my suggestion is always invest in your cover over the inside pages. Sometimes you can downgrade just a slight bit on the inside and upgrade your cover. Overall, people think it's a better looking and a higher quality magazine, and you paid less. It's a win-win. Some final trim sizes are more cost competitive for certain printers than others. For instance, digest size, 5 and 3.8 by 8 and 3.8, or standard 8 and 3.8 by 10 and 7.8 are very cost competitive sizes. One other size that's very competitive for most printers is a 9 by 10 and 7.8 size if you're looking for something that's a little bit more thick. Those are some of the sizes that I highly recommend you look at because most printers are a little bit more competitive at those sizes. Alright, that concludes the elements behind getting a printing bit. We hope you found this information helpful, and if you are interested in getting some more information from our company, we'd love to show you what we can do. You can either visit our website or you can click here for free samples and information.