Making Paper Copies of PDF and eBook format literature

Crazy Finn

So, there are many outfits - qPress, Balquhidder Music, to cite a few - that make their materials available in a digital format.

That's great, there's no shipping and I'm sure it cuts down on costs for them, in some ways.

However, I don't really use tablets and the like to read music. I have an iPad mini, but it's really too small for this and I don't like sitting in front of my computer to play stuff, often. I'm not going to spend $800+ on a larger tablet just to practice a $25 trumpet book. So, I'll probably be a bit old fashioned and want to print out a paper copy of any materials I obtain.

I suppose I could do this myself (I've pondered getting a machine for spiral or comb binding and the like, but I'm not sure that the cost justifies how often I'd need or use it). However, I was curious if anyone used some sort of service - local or via the internet - to create a nice, bound edition for their own use from a digital format.

Also, obviously, this is easily done from a PDF. Anyone done it from a whatever format iTunes uses for their eBooks? Is that doable?
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trpthrld · Heavyweight Member Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 4808

A ream of printing paper (500 sheets) is what...$6? (give or take).

A 75-page method or etude book will use 38 sheets (printed on both sides).

Wear and tear on your printer + ink...and the electricity to run said printer...

Staples will coil-bind it with plastic covers for...maybe $5?

Then there's gas & mileage on your car for the trip to Staples.

I think you'll be well under $6 total investment.
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Don Herman rev2 · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2016 7:23 pm Post subject:

I tried the digital route with J.W. Pepper for some jazz band charts recently. Turns out you do not get a PDF, you get a license to print. Once. Of course, my Internet connection is rarely error-free, and glitched in the middle of the printing process. After the third try, having to call for a new key each time, I gave up and ordered the hardcopy. And so I had to pay more, and got charged $8 shipping on a $24 order. Grrr... So be careful what you get when you go digital; I was expecting a PDF or something to print and got nothing but aggravation. Previous experiences with other companies were much more positive.
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timothyquinlan · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2016 7:33 pm Post subject:

Hi guys, I run qPress, and generally I think most customers use the digital editions on their tablets. The purchase does allow one print, but it works on the honour system instead of a forced single print like mentioned above from other outfits. I do agree, though, that printing a proper book is actually not the cheapest way to get a book and it will be of lower quality than a professionally bound edition.

People often ask me for print editions, and I have relented in the past, but I am in talks with setting up international distribution of print books for people who would rather have them. Give me a a few weeks and I will report back. It is possible that it won't be something people have to do for themselves anymore with qPress books.

Also, if I was going to print some books for myself I would just print them up and 3 hole punch them in a binder. I love playing from a binder, it is perfectly flat and easy to turn pages, very cheap and convenient too. That my thought on it (short of book binding, that is)

Don Herman rev2 · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2016 8:00 pm Post subject:

I print on heavier paper then the usual multipurpose paper I use for generic printing and copying (cheap enough in bulk) and use a decent laser printer so the quality is pretty high. sometimes I use matte paper with a slight color (ivory/tan) tint to make it more legible to me (the heavy bright-white paper is almost too glossy/shiny under lights, at least to me). And also three-hole punch and stick them in a binder.
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"After silence, that which best expresses the inexpressible, is music" - Aldous Huxley

starkadder · Heavyweight Member Joined: 01 May 2008 Posts: 542

Use the option "Print to File" as a PDF and save a copy in your archive. You will always be able to print out a back-up.

dstdenis · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2016 8:22 pm Post subject:

I prefer using PDFs on a large tablet, but sometimes it makes more sense to use paper copies. For example, outdoor concerts where tablets aren't usable in direct sunlight.

I had this done recently, and I merged the files into one large PDF and uploaded it to Fedex Kinkos to be printed on a laser printer at a nearby center. Better and maybe cheaper than printing it at home on an inkjet printer. (Ink cartridges are expensive.) I didn't have it punched or bound, but they offer those services too.
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Drklobz · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 2:42 pm Post subject:

I know some publishers try to put a lock on their digital versions to try to cut back on piracy, but there's a work-around for almost all formats.

For my books, I offer digital formats that you can print on your own or the printed and spiral bound version for those that don't want to print it out themselves. While the digital option is still what people purchase the most I still have some demand for the printed ones.
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RandyTX · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 3:00 pm Post subject:

These "locks" on printing more than one copy can be completely bypassed on a Mac, using the native (OS-supported) PDF functionality in OS X.

When you go to print, a dialog window pops up, and one of the options in that window is to print to a PDF file, instead of the printer itself. Pick a filename (a new one) and you're done. You suffer nothing in image quality, but remove any password or printing restrictions and can use it however you like afterward.

The other option is to screenshot entire pages (which should be doable on just about any other OS) and print them individually, but that can be a pain with large documents.
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cheiden · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2016 4:38 pm Post subject:

I've bought sheet music online a few time and I seem to recall that it blocked all attempts to print to PDF. I'm fairly computer savvy and couldn't find a workaround.
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starkadder · Heavyweight Member Joined: 01 May 2008 Posts: 542

Bill Dishman · Heavyweight Member Joined: 06 Feb 2003 Posts: 1174

I just copy the pdf file to a flash drive and go to the local print shop. Select the cover stock, paper quality and type of binding. I have them print the title page on the cover stock and the book on 2-sided good quality paper. They do the work and have it ready the same day usually. Not too expensive.

Bill Dishman
Gainesville, Florida