FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Updated and Current as of AUGUST 03, 2008 Note: Our FAX MACHINE is down. Please email your proof approval forms. Contact us if this is not an option.   | ABOUT US | PREPARING YOUR FILES | PROOFING | SHIPPING | | DOWNLOAD PRINTING ORDER FORM | DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE |   ABOUT US   When contacting us via e-mail make sure your subject and message body contains YOUR NAME and the NAME OF YOUR BOOK. This way we can easily recognize your e-mail and immediately remember your project.   Q: What's the difference between you printing my book as opposed to publishing it? A: What we are offering is a printing service that anyone who wants to see their work in book/comic form can pay for and utilize. We print your book exactly the way you supply it to us and the final products are shipped to you. We do not sell the books that we print through Dream Weaver Press nor do we put any of our logos on your book.   Q: Is there a discount for giving you ad space in my books? A: We are unable to accomodate such requests at this time.   Q: Can you print Text-Only novels? A: Our printing service is for any type of book you want perfect bound regardless of content.   Q: I have an odd sized book. Is that okay? A: As long as the measurements of your book is no larger that 8.5x11 we can cut down your book to any size you need at no additional cost. For Custom Size orders please specify size wanted IN INCHES when ordering or we will default to comic book size for your book.   Q: Do you print over 500 books? A: In order to keep our printing convienent and affordable, we no longer offer runs of over 500.   Q: Do you print in color? A: Our service is for Black and White interiors with full Color covers ONLY.   Q: What stock do you use? A: For the color covers we print on 10-point glossy cardstock. For the black and white interior we print on 28-pound Hammermill White.   Q: Do the prices include the covers? A: All of our prices include the full color cover.   Q: Do the page counts include the covers? A: Page counts refer to the inside pages only.   Q: Can you print on the inside cover/inside back cover? A: We are unable to print ANYTHING on the inside front and back cover due to quality issues. All our covers are ONE SIDE ONLY.   Q: Can you print less than 32 pages? A: 32 pages is the absolute least amount of pages we will consider perfect binding.   Q: Do you have limitations on book content? A: As long as your content is not illegal, what you put in your books is your business. Note however that we reserve the right to refuse to print books for ANY reason, content nonwithstanding.   Q: Can you print fanzines / fan books? A: Yes we can. As stated above, we do not pull any editorial control on any of the books that are sent to us for printing.   Q: Can you handle complete bleeds on the pages? A: Linework and grayscale can be bled to edge without a problem however if your work leans heavily on the black side, there is a tendency for fading or spotting (this is typical with many offset printers). Magazine size books with bleeds may be cut smaller to accomodate the printing quirks of the machine.   Q: Can I get my books stapled instead of perfect bound? A: We can offer stapled books on a limited basis. Please email for more information.   Q: What is perfect binding anyway? A: Perfect binding is the standard method of binding for paperback books, trade paperbacks, graphic novels, manga, etc.   Q: How durable is your binding? A: Our binding consists of the cover and pages glued together on one edge. This format is able to withstand regular NON-ABUSIVE usage. Cracking the spine will break the glue and cause pages to fall out.   Q: Are there any "hidden" charges I should know about? A: Our prices are exactly what you see on the chart. The only other charge that will be added on your order is shipping but you will pay only what we pay for shipping (no padded "handling" charges or fees). We don't like surprises either.   Q: How does payment work? A: Once you receive our e-mail with your final total, you will be required to send payment for the COMPLETE AMOUNT with your files. If you receive your proof before paying you will be required to pay the complete amount at the time of your signing and sending us your proof approval form. These terms are non-negotiable. You can pay with check, money order, or Paypal (best). Make checks / money orders payable to:   JD Calderon Dream Weaver Press FDR Station, P.O. Box 671 New York, NY 10150   Q: How about Credit Cards? A: We accept credit card orders through Paypal.   Q: How long does the process take? A: If paying by Paypal or money order, work will begin at the time of your files' arrival. If paying by personal check, work will begin once the check clears. In about 2 weeks you will receive a proof which you are required to look over. After your proof is approved and you fax/mail back your approval form you will get your final order within 4 weeks.   Q: Isn't 6 weeks a bit long for printing? A: 6 weeks is our worst-case-scenario maximum estimated time frame. Depending on the size of your order you may actually get your books in less time.   Q: I need a really fast turnaround. Can you do that? A: All deadlines must be approved by us before sending us your order. Although we have printed and shipped books on short notice, it is at our discretion and there is no guarantee we will be able to accommodate you. Also note that your shipping costs may be higher to account for faster delivery.   Q: Can I get your phone number to call you directly? A: If you absolutely need to speak with us directly, e-mail us your phone number and JD will contact you as soon as possible.   Q: If I can't get your number how can I be sure you guys are legit? A: We are licensed in the State of New York under Dream Weaver Press.   Q: So how do I get started? A: First off, READ THE FAQ and make sure you understand everything outlined. I have attempted to make these instructions as clear-cut and concise as possible so there is no reason for anyone to e-mail us with a question already outlined here in full-detail. Look over our information and price chart, DOWNLOAD AND FILL OUT OUR PRINTING ORDER FORM and e-mail us with your specifications.   You will receive an e-mail back with your final total and approximate shipping cost. When you are ready with your files, CONTACT US so that we know to expect your files. If you sending us your files digitally, you can scan in the form and e-mail it to us.   CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR PRINTING ORDER FORM - YOUR ORDER WILL NOT BE PROCESSED WITHOUT IT AND YOUR SCHEDULE WILL BE DELAYED AS A RESULT!   PLEASE MAKE SURE TO GIVE A REAL DEADLINE ("ASAP" IS NOT A DATE!) FOR YOUR FINAL ORDER REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU NEED A DEADLINE OR NOT. This will help us schedule our queue as effieciently as possible.   We do not have the time to send out reminder e-mails or chase you down for your files. If we do not hear from you and you haven't paid for your job, we are going to assume you are no longer interested and move on to whomever is next in the queue. If you do not contact us or send us your files and payment in the specified timeframe, you forfeit your placement in the printing queue and any negotiated deadline.   Remember - The final responsibility to your books belongs to YOU.   PREPARING YOUR FILES   Q: What are you looking for in an order? A: Your book must be sent to us ready to print with no editing time on our part. We do not offer editorial services, proofreading, typesetting, or any services related to the creation of your book. We may adjust the layout slightly for maximum printing efficiency but in the end how your book prints is COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON HOW YOU SET UP YOUR FILES.   Q: Do you automatically put in some kind of credit or ad in the books you print? A: No, we do not. If you do print your books with us, please concider giving us a printing credit in your copyright info page:   Printed in the USA by Dream Weaver Press www.dreamweaverpress.com   Q: Can you scan my pages and put the book together for me? A: We do not offer this service nor do we have any contact with anyone who does.   Q: What programs do you accept? A: The required digital format is a PDF file made in the full version of Adobe Acrobat. This guarantees all of our machines can read your file.   All Adobe products (PhotoShop, Illustrator, PageMaker, InDesign) are able to save files as PDF files. It is easier for us to get and prepare 32 (or whatever number of pages you choose) individual PDFs than one giant source file which we have to convert to PDF anyway.   If you have Adobe Acrobat, by using the Document>Insert Pages option, you can insert all of those individual PDFs into one large PDF (Best). Of course, if you do have Adobe Acrobat (full version) you can convert any file into a PDF. Make sure ALL OF YOUR PAGES ARE THE SAME SIZE and your file should consist of INDIVIDUAL PAGES - DO NOT SAVE YOUR PDFs AS SPREADS - YOUR FILE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED! Also make sure your file is Press Optimized and EMBED ALL FONTS.   When printing to create a PDF make sure that your output setting on all your programs is on ASCII ONLY.   If you are not using any Adobe products and are completely unable to provide us with PDF files, you can send us your pages as individual TIFF files which we can put together and convert to PDF on our end.   Q: Do you accept Quark / InDesign files? A: We accept PDF files ONLY. Every Quark-X-Press file we have received inevitably had missing components that delayed their printing which caused us to demand PDF files anyway. If for some reason you are COMPLETELY UNABLE to supply us with a PDF, we will accept TIFF files ONLY.   Q: What sizes do the books need to be? A: First off, please familiarize yourself with a few terms: The BLEED is an extra 1/4 of an inch (.25) added to the final size on each side to accommodate any text or images that run over the edge. This area WILL BE CUT OFF The TRIM size is the final, cut size of the finished printed piece. The TRIM AREA is the .25 right before the TRIM. DON'T place any critical images or text INSIDE the TRIM area. They RISK getting cut off. SAFETY is the .25 before the TRIM AREA. This is the best MAXIMUM live area for important graphics LIVE AREA is the entire area of the page where all your graphics/text are featured. For best results keep your word balloons and text in this area.   Digest size books: TRIM is 8.5x5.5 with a .25 TRIM AREA, a .25 SAFETY and a .25 BLEED Magazine size books: TRIM is 8.5x11 with a .25 TRIM AREA, a .25 SAFETY and a .25 BLEED Comic Size books: TRIM is 6.5x10.25 with a .25 TRIM AREA, a .25 SAFETY and a .25 BLEED Odd Size books: TRIM is whatever the size you want the books to be with a .25 TRIM AREA, a .25 SAFETY and a .25 BLEED For Text only pages: Keep all text within the LIVE AREA. (Text looks better with a wider margin away from the edge) For color covers and bleed pages: Add .25 TRIM AREA and a .25 BLEED except on the edges that meet the spine as this area will not see any cutting - although please keep in mind where the spine will FOLD and adjust graphics and text accordingly.   It is recommended that an extra .25 be added to the side that gets bound to avoid text/artwork being "swallowed" by the spine.   Final trim size MAY BE SLIGHTLY SMALLER than specified which is why the TRIM AREA area is so important. WE WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CUT TEXT/GRAPHICS AS A RESULT OF IGNORING THE ABOVE INSTRUCTIONS.   CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF SHOWING HOW TO LAYOUT YOUR BOOKS FOR PRINTING   Q: I don't know anything about any of these programs. Can you walk me through making my files? A: I am unable, nor have the time to give direct, personal training sessions. I have worked hard to make this F.A.Q. as complete as possible however If you are still unable to put together your files yourself, please consider purchasing one of the many useful tutorial books out there or find a friend who can help you.   Q: How will I know how much space to leave for the spine of the book? A: The following measurements are good for all size books. Do not have your text fill the entire spine from top to bottom. Leave some space to accommodate the spine folding or your parts of your text will fold over. Watch out for the book trim area as well.   32pgs 48pgs 64pgs 80pgs 96pgs 128pgs 152pgs 200pgs .093 .125 .188 .218 .25 .375 .438 .5   Q: I have a book with a page count not on your chart. How do I figure out the spine? A: The way I did the measurements is to literally measure the thickness of each book as they came out of the printer. You can put together your files normally and adjust your spine if needed once you get your proof.   Q: What resolutions should the images be? A: For Black and White linework SCANNED and saved as a flattened BMP or TIFF file - 600dpi. For Color and Grayscale - 300dpi.   If you are using Adobe Illustrator to put together your files, please make sure your resolution under File>Document Setup>Printing & Exporting reflects the above requirement.   I have recently noticed that Adobe Illustrator does not allow for exporting as lineart - only grayscale, RGB and CMYK. To avoid "jaggies" that occur with grayscale lineart, I save my files as EPS and convert the files to bitmap with 50% threshold in Photoshop. From there I can resave the file as a PDF or TIFF file.   Q: Can I send you my files at a higher resolution? A: DO NOT set your resolution higher than listed thinking it will give you better quality. You will bloat your file size and I will only reset your files to the resolution I need them at. Also, watch the size of your completed files! I have had customers send their files where the pages are set up 30 inches tall!   Your PDF files should fit on ONE CD (NOT DVD) unless you are providing the source files and images. If your PDFs needs multiple CDs, takes up the ENTIRE cd (approx. 700 megs), or you need to use a DVD CD, then your file most likely is too large for me to prepare properly. You WILL be contacted if there is a problem with your files.   I reserve the right to refuse working on your files if too much time is needed to set them up for printing (your files should take me no more than 15-30 minutes to prepare). Everything is explained in this F.A.Q. If your files reflect that you have not read nor implemented what I have written here your files will be returned and your place in the printing queue forfeited.   Q: Do I need to send you a sample of the book? A: For best results, print your sample from the ACTUAL FILE YOU ARE SENDING US and make sure the quality is approximately how you want it. As different printers may interpret your digital files differently, there is no guarantee that our printer will give you the EXACT quality of your sample (especially from inkjets!). We are not responsible for how our machines ultimately print your files if there is nothing wrong with our machines.   DO NOT SEND US ORIGINAL FILES AS THEY WILL NOT BE RETURNED AND WE WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM.   Q: What kind of Media and platform do you accept? A: We accept CDs for PC and Macs.   Q: Do you have an FTP site I can upload my files to? A: We do not have a FTP site however you can arrange to have your work hosted, send us the link, and we will download your files. Zip up your files, especially if sending us native file formats with separate images and fonts. It's easier for us to keep track of one big download as opposed to many little ones.   Q: Can I e-mail my files to you? A: Depends on the file but e-mail us first BEFORE sending us anything. Unknown or unsolicited e-mails with attachments will be deleted. We are unable to receive entire projects via e-mail but we can accept covers or individual pages as long as it doesn't exceed 5 megs.   PROOFING   Q: Can I waive my proof and get my books faster? A: We REQUIRE that ALL books be proofed and approved before printing begins. We have had too many problems with "blind runs" and will no longer offer this convienience.   Q: What if I only want a reprint of a previously done book? A: We must insist on sending you a proof only to make sure that the quality is still to your standards.   Q: I've gotten the proof and I want to make changes. Now what? A: Your proof is put together according to your provided sample and the digital file you send us. If you decide you want to make changes to your own layout, a second proof will be $25.00. Of course, this will add 1 to 2 weeks to the entire process and may affect any previously agreed-to deadline.   WE WILL NO LONGER "SWAP OUT" or REPLACE PAGES. IF YOU HAVE ANY CHANGES TO YOUR BOOK, NO MATTER HOW MINOR, A NEW, COMPLETE FILE MUST BE SUBMITTED OR YOUR BOOK WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE QUEUE.   Q: Why does my artwork look "pixilated"? A: If your artwork looks pixilated - which means the black lines are jagged or fuzzy looking, it means most likely that your artwork was scanned/saved and/or converted to grayscale somewhere along the layout or PDF conversion process. There is nothing I can do on my end to fix this problem. Make sure your settings are exactly how I need them to be as listed above.   Q: But it looked clear when I printed out my sample! A: As stated above, different printers will create different results. And if you are using an inkjet printer, the results will always look "better" because of the way the liquid ink is put on the paper. Also, did you print from the file you are sending us or from the file you were working on before PDFing? Make sure your Acrobat settings are correct for your file! I have printed enough books to realize that this problem is created ENTIRELY in the production phase. I don't have this problem with my own books and I print almost exclusively with lineart.   Remember: SCAN your linework AS LINEWORK at 600 DPI - DO NOT CONVERT YOUR ARTWORK TO grayscale AFTER SCANNING. Also DO NOT SCAN YOUR LINEART AT grayscale TO CONVERT IT LATER TO LINEART.   RAISING THE DPI OF A LOW RESOLUTION FILE WILL NOT IMPROVE THE PRINT QUALITY OF YOUR ARTWORK!   Q: But it's STILL PIXILATED! A: If your art is still printing pixilated it is because your files were GRAYSCALE at one point. When your file is sent to the machine, the machine converts your artwork into TIFF like images. Whatever is not straight black and while will be turned into dots. If there is even a HINT of greyscale, the machine will turn the greys into dots and voila - jagged edges.   There is nothing I can do on my end to fix this problem!   The only other option is to send us your pages as TIFF files so that I can convert them myself. Sometimes this fixes the problem or at least improves the page quality.   How the machine prints your file is ultimately how you are going to get your book. It is completely up to you if you want to continue using our services at this point.   Q: I printed with another company and got better results. What gives? A: Again, different printers will create different results, and if you dealt with one of the larger companies like Brenner or Morgan, then most likely your book was printed on an actual press - something we DO NOT do. Offset printers will always give you better results but that is also reflected in their costs.   Q: Why are my word balloons getting cut off? A: Because most likely your word balloons fell into the TRIM AREA/BLEED.   Q: Why didn’t I get my bleeds? A: Because most likely your file was prepared without a BLEED area.   Q: Okay, I've gotten the proof and I love what I see. Now what? A: If everything is to your standards, sign the proof approval form and fax/email it back to us. Your can also scan and e-mail the form. The proof that we sent you is yours to keep as we have an identical proof for our own records. After we receive your approval, you will receive your complete order within 4 weeks.   PROOFS ARE ONLY AN APPROXIMATION AS TO WHAT YOUR COMPLETE ORDER WILL LOOK LIKE.   Although we will make sure your job resembles your proof as closely as possible, there will be slight variations in print quality, image positioning and final cut size.   Because of the amount of usage and maintenence our machines see in the time between you recieving your proof and us running the complete order, WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THAT YOUR FINAL ORDER WILL LOOK EXACTLY LIKE YOUR PROOF.   If you have received your proof before being asked to pay, you will be required to pay your job IN FULL at the time of sending us your proof approval form. Delay in sending us either your proof approval form or your payment will result in a delay in your book printing.   If you have prepaid your order and decide at this stage you do not wish to continue, you will be refunded in the same manner you have paid. ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS AFTER PRINTING STARTS.   Q: I've made changes and approved the proof for printing however I found more mistakes and need to replace more pages. A: Once your proof is approved, your book immediately goes to print. A proof is supplied so that you can go over everything and clean up your file as needed. ANY CHANGES TO YOUR FILE REQUIRES A NEW, COMPLETE FILE TO BE SUBMITTED. Once you approve, your file is run AS IS. Any additional requests for changes AFTER your proof approval CANNOT BE MADE and you are still responsible for the finished product.   LOOK OVER YOUR PROOF CAREFULLY FOR ANY MISTAKES ESPECIALLY IN SPELLING! ALSO MAKE SURE TO LOOK OVER YOUR COVER! ABSOLUTELY NO CHANGES CAN BE MADE AFTER PRINTING STARTS!   SHIPPING   Q: Can you break up my order and send books to Diamond (or any other distributor) instead of sending the whole order to me? A: Yes we can but contact us first to make arrangements. We can also send books to your convention hotel if needed. Be aware that your shipping costs may be higher as a result. We are not responsible for lost or misdirected packages due to faulty addresses given by the customer. Make sure to double-check your info!   Q: How will you ship my order? A: Your final order will be shipped via FEDEX GROUND and averages about 3 - 5 days unless arrangements are made for their faster services. Remember that Fedex will not ship to PO boxes. MAKE SURE YOU SEND US AN ACTUAL MAILING ADDRESS - NOT A PO BOX! Fedex also REQUIRES phone numbers, ESPECIALLY for INTERNATIONAL Orders.   Q: Do I get a tracking number? A: Always make sure to supply us with an e-mail address. As the lables are made, FEDEX will automatically send tracking numbers via e-mail. If you haven't recieved your tracking number, contact us and we will send it to you.   Q: My deadline passed and I haven't recieved my books. A: We make every attempt to meet your deadlines and ship accordingly. We will also contact you if there is a problem with meeting your deadline. However, if we did not contact you about problems and you have not recieved your books by or on your deadline, CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY.   Q: Fedex lost my box. What do I do? A: On rare occasions, FEDEX has been known to lose boxes. If you see this has happened to you, YOU must file a claim. We will supply you with any paperwork you may need however the final responsibility of getting your money back from FEDEX lies with you.   MAKE SURE YOU WRITE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS CLEARLY AND MAKE SURE IT IS CORRECT. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST OR MISDIRECTED ORDERS.   Q: I received my order and noticed a problem. What do I do? A: Your order has been prepared, printed and packed with every care given to quality by the best of our ability. As with every commercial printer, there is no guarantee that every book in your order will be "perfect" or "mint condition" - in fact, NO printer will guarantee such a thing.   What you may encounter in your order which is concidered NORMAL:   • Books that are cut slightly larger or smaller. • Slight shifting in interiors or covers. • Minor printing flaws such as blemishes or specks. • Slight shifting in the darkness/lightness of interior/cover printing. • Glue or binder clamp creases in spines. • Small dings, scratches or creases from handling.   We will NOT concider any of the above as reasons for replacing or rerunning your order.   We try our best to keep those at a minimum and to offset mistakes, a slight overage is printed (you might receive 120 books instead of 100) to make up for any "problem" books.   Once you receive your books you have TWO WEEKS after point of delivery to report any problems. Should your print job contain consistant and blantant printing/binding errors and/or defects, we will rerun and ship the job at no charge.   Dream Weaver Press reserves the exclusive right to judge what a manufacturing error and defect is.   NO RETURNS OR REPLACEMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE TWO WEEKS HAS EXPIRED.   Q: I have some more questions that are not covered on this FAQ. Can I contact you directly? A: Absolutely. You can e-mail additional questions.   Interested? Email us with your specs.     We reserve the right to refuse any and all work for ANY REASON. We also reserve the right to make additions/deletions to our F.A.Q. and policies at any time without obligation to any previous version.