Lately, a lot of people love designing things themselves — whether it's drawing, crafting, or even modifying cars. Because of my work, I've had the chance to meet tons of independent publishers, freelance writers, and illustrators. Since most of them aren't 100% full-time, they don't always have the time to dive deep into the technical side of printing. I totally get that. So, today, I thought I'd give a little crash course on something that might seem simple at first: 28-page saddle-stitched comic books. Sounds easy, right? Well, there's actually a lot of technical challenges behind it.
Don't believe me? Okay, here's a question for you: Most comic books are pretty vibrant, right? And many authors and artists love using dark colors — especially black — to set the mood, right? You've probably noticed that comic books usually have those black color bands on the edges, right? If you answered "yes" to all of these, then let me ask you something else: Have you ever noticed that some comic books don't flip as smoothly as you'd like? Sometimes you even have to use both hands to get the pages open because they're kind of sticking together. And have you ever caught that strange, unexplained smell while reading? Or when the pages are filled with dark colors, do you struggle to see the details under certain lighting?
That's probably because the printer behind that comic book didn't really understand the unique needs of comic printing. They might just be a regular quick-turnaround commercial printer, where the machines are set up for the most generic, cost-effective production. But we do things differently. We adjust our processes based on the unique needs of each project. Here's how we handle those issues:
- We add UV coating during the printing process to prevent pages from sticking together and to help the ink dry faster.
- Our UV coating is water-based, so it doesn't give off any strange smells and is more environmentally friendly.
- We use a UV drying system for paper collection, so the finished comic feels smooth to the touch and doesn't have glaring reflections.
And guess what? We offer all these extras for free. We don't charge anything extra because we know how much time, effort, and money goes into creating a comic book. Our goal is to help you bring your vision to life. It's a small wish of ours: Your content is amazing, your book feels great, and it sells fast. Then, you come back to us for the second, third, and fourth print runs, or maybe even for a collector's edition or limited hardcover… That's been our approach at Call2Print for the past 32 years.
We're not the cheapest, but we're here to do things the right way and help you succeed. Let's make your dream project come to life!