Why use EPS files for digital bar codes?

Publisher Services provides barcode files in .eps format. The reason we do this is to make sure that your bar codes are high enough resolution for printing.


Why can't we provide a .jpg or .tif image? There are two types of computer graphics – raster and vector. The raster graphic is composed of pixels, and vector graphic is composed of drawing paths. It is important to understand the difference between these two types when creating barcode graphic images.

Raster Images
A bitmap is basically an array of pixels with values indicating the color. The bitmap sizes are defined in pixels. BMP, TIF, GIF, JPG, PNG and most other graphics formats are raster graphics. Since the sizes are measured in pixels, the print dimension depends on the resolution of the printer.


Vector Graphics
A vector graphic contains the drawing instructions other than the color value in pixels. For both Mac and Windows platforms, EPS is the most widely used vector graphic format. A critical feature about our EPS files is that the dimension measures are completely based on the output resolution of a printer. To use EPS, you need to have a printer with postscript enabled.

Posted in: , , , , , on Thursday, May 21, 2009 at at 8:57 AM

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Google Book Search and You


Originally, Google Books Search was performed under a project known as the Library Project, where books from public libraries were digtized and made available for search. While this does not impact all of our clients, Google has recently proposed a settlement between Google Book Search and the publisher/author subclass. Basically, the argument was this: If Google indexes my book and displays it for free (and search-enabled), isn't this the same as taking my copyrighted work?


The settlement now creates two groups - Book Search and Partner Program. With Book Search, Google scans and indexes books the same as they have done before, usually without contacting rightsholders. These books are primarily in libraries. A book that belongs to a member of the Partner Program, however, cannot be indexed without the permission of one or more rightsholders.


Another thing that the settlement talks about is revenue and royalties. If your book was scanned as part of the "Library Project" phase of Google Book Search without your permission, then you may be owed royalties, and may be eligible to collect royalties later. To see if your book can be claimed, Google lists the following:


Click on "claim books and inserts" at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com/. See the question "How can I find out if my books and Inserts have already been digitized?" in the Google Book Settlement Help Center at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com/help/bin/answer.py?answer=134644. If you have ONIX files, also see the information on "How to Identify and Claim Books Using an ONIX File" at http://www.googlebooksettlement.com/help/bin/answer.py?answer=128054#onix.


The settlement is not approved yet, and until it is, Google will not display any book content, and after the settlement, some book content currently displayed under "Snippet View" will no longer be available in the US.


This is one reason why it's important to register your copyright as soon as possible. Even if your book is made available to search with Google Book Search, your work is still protected from plagiarism and/or unauthorized reproduction. Publisher Services can help you with registering - http://www.publisherservices-us.com/copyright.htm


To find more information about the settlement, you can visit http://www.googlebooksettlement.com/

Posted in: , , , on Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at at 8:47 AM

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Image Advice


All publishers will have to think of a way to jazz up their covers/books to make it more inviting for the reader. In doing so you’ll have to add some sort of graphics like figures, photos, drawings, cartoons, or illustrations.


File Formats/Resolution

The most common and widely accepted image files are: .PSD (Adobe Photoshop), .TIF, .EPS, .JPEG, .PDF (Adobe Acrobat file), .AI (Adobe Illustrator file).


Regardless of what file format you are working with it is a must you keep a high resolution, which is to say 300 pixels per inch (aka dpi) or greater. An image is not high resolution if it was originally a low resolution and then resized to force the resolution to 300 dpi. These techniques will not improve the quality of your image – and may make it poorer. Printing low resolution images does make a difference and it will show.


If you want to incorporate your own image that exists only in hard copy, try scanning them, but make sure they are scanned at 1200 dpi. If you are uncertain of your scanning capabilities, have the scanning professionally done.


Finding Images- Image Rights/Credits

Popular stock image sources: shutterstock.com, gettyimages.com, veer.com.


Just like most artwork, images are copyrighted. You can’t use an image that’s not in a public domain unless you get permission. Don’t try to scan images from other publications without getting the right to use the image from the copyright holders. If an image you wish to use is in a public domain you can use it without getting permission but always make sure to credit the original source of the particular image. One way to credit you source is to include a credit section at the back of your book that lists the images by page with corresponding credit information. Another approach is using a source line for each image, usually close to the presentation of the image in the text. When you gain rights to use an image, the rights holder will inform you how to credit the image.


Purchasing a “royalty free” photo means you can pretty much do anything with it. On the other hand, you have “rights managed” photos that are notably pricey to purchase and come with firm usage rules and restrictions. Keep all records of information you receive regarding the use of an image when you acquire permission.


By taking these steps you should end up with stunning printed images and a happy printer!

Posted in: , , , , on Friday, May 8, 2009 at at 12:20 PM

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The importance of proofing!



Proofing is often a very overlooked step in the book printing process. This isn't to say that it's not important - it's probably the most important step of printing.

Publisher Services' book printing uses two levels of proofing - the soft proof and the hard proof. The soft proof is made up of a print-ready PDF, which will be the same file we will use to print your book. It's important to carefully read over your entire proof, several times even, because at this point, you can make edits and changes to your book with no cost.

The hard proof is an actual copy of your book - Publisher Services provides a fully bound book for your review. Even though changes at this point will require a reformatting fee (which is standard for all printers), it's important to look through the book very finely as well to make sure the printing is correct. Some questions to ask yourself about your hard proof are:

  • Are all the fonts rendered properly?
  • Is the color on the cover correct?
  • Is the cover text readable?
  • Do the pages line up the way I want them?

Remember, your printer provides proofs for a reason - to save you money and make your product look as good as it can - so make sure to take advantage of them!

Posted in: , , on at at 10:52 AM

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Book Covers: UV Coating or Lamination


Although slightly more expensive than laminating for quantities under 1,000, uv coating provides a hgher finish quality. Lamination is done with heat/pressure and comes in gloss and matte finish. It is extremely durable. One word of caution for anyone considering matte lamination: this lamination is very soft and can scuff easily. The UV coating process gives an extremely high gloss hard finish that is chemical and abrasion resistant. UV coatings are solvent free and emit no VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

Posted in: , , , on at at 9:46 AM

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Creative Way to Market Your Books - Classified Ads


I was recently at a networking group and spoke with someone who writes history books. He told me that he has had great success placing classified ads in some history and war publications. The ads only cost him a few dollars a month and they directed prospects to his website to encourage direct sales. Obviously, this strategy only works if your subject matter is specific and covered by other publications. However, he made a list of all related industries and found some interest. In his case, he started placing low cost ads in gun collector magazines and saw increased demand. Has anyone else tried this idea?

Posted in: , , on at at 9:43 AM

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Establishing a Selling Price For Your Book


One question which commonly is asked of our customer service staff is "What should I set the price for my book?". There is obviously no right answer to that question because there are a multitude of factors which need to be considered when determining a realistic selling price. To help lead new self-publishers in the right direction, I will discuss the most important issue.

*Profit Motive Not every author intends to make a profit on the sale of their books. The end product and the journey to create a book is often the primary motivation for many of our customers. When factoring in all the time which is required to launch a book release (content, production, and marketing), very few publishers will ever see a penny of profit.


*Costs Before a self-publisher can even consider the selling price of a book, they must adequately account for all the costs of their endeavor. Aside from the actual printing expense, other significant costs include; editorial, cover design, copy editing, proof reading, marketing, and postage. As mentioned above, profit motive is also something which needs to be factored into cost. Publishers who intend to make any significant profit will need to make an investment in inventory to lower production costs.

*Distribution Method At Publisher Services, we heavily promote self distribution for new independent publishers because the traditional distribution model erodes too much profit. Publishers who sell through wholesalers, distributors, and book sellers (Barnes and Noble) typically give up 45-55% of the sales price for the volume exposure. In addition, returns need to also be factored as a cost when selling through these models. Our background stems from the printing industry, and it was very common for publishers to price their book 6-8 times printing costs when selling through the traditional channels. Selling direct enables self-publisher the benefit of actually realizing a profit. Many of our clients sell books through seminar or via their own website.

* Target Market & Size of Book Book publishers need to realistically access the market which plan to sell their books. Every market has value range which the book price needs to fall within. It is prudent to due some market analysis to determine this range and substance of competitive books. Factors such as page count and color pages should also be reviewed.

Every book project is different and requires an individual approach to determining a selling price. This decision should not be made quickly and all the above mentioned factors should be considered.

Posted in: , , , , , on at at 8:01 AM

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