Where to print entire manuscript?

nessam · Jun 23, 2012

Okay, I am at the point where I've edited my MS so many times I'm going cross-eyed. After this last revision I need to read it on paper. As it is sitting somewhere around 106k I don't want to print it at home.

Where should I have it printed that has a fairly quick turn around time and is fairly cheap?

-I don't want the Indy publishers that have a minimum order this is for editing only.

Thanks

kattbee · Jun 23, 2012

Staples. But I'm sure the cheapest place to print it is indeed at home.

Ketzel · Jun 23, 2012

Where are you located? Is there something like Copy-Kwik or Copy-Cop there? Or Staples with a copy center? That's probably the fastest, cheapest way to get your manuscript into a hard copy.

lorna_w · Jun 23, 2012

Since you'll probably want to print it more than once, or print the next one, or need to print an excerpt for an agent some day, it's probably cheaper to buy a cheap printer. Or find a kind friend, buy three reams of paper and ink/toner, leave them the extra.

Williebee · Jun 23, 2012

This is just for you to read, right?

Know anybody who has an office job with a big copier/printer?

(Buy the paper. Make sure the office doesn't monitor print jobs.)

BTW -- I have purchased the paper, walked into my insurance agent's office, and said "Hey, can I print this? You can have the left over paper." It worked, and I had the fun of a couple saying "ooo, you're an author???"

OR, more honest - take it to the local copy/office supply place.

IF you want, you can use word processing software to format it so that it looks like a book, albeit with really large margins because of the 8.5 X 11 paper. But you might just want it printed out, front/back, with double spaces so you can mark it up as needed.

Good luck!

Deleted member 42 · Jun 23, 2012

kattbee said:
Staples. But I'm sure the cheapest place to print it is indeed at home.

Not if she has an inkjet printer.

Staples, kinkos, or a local copy shop.

Ask if there's a reduced rate if you bring your own paper.

Kerosene · Jun 23, 2012

I think I was quoted $50 for some print shop in town. (Loose, black on cheap, 400 pages)
Might be less somewhere else.

A $50 printer, with $20 of ink might push out a 100K word work.

Yeah, it's expensive.

King says to let the words rest for 3 months and there are thousands of practitioners here that stick to this method. I do, and I look back over my writing and it's like reading someone's else's after about 3 months.
Just get to work on something else as you wait.

nessam · Jun 23, 2012

To answer a few questions:

Yes it is just for me to edit

I have a printer at home but at $35 for a single black ink cartridge that I'm not sure would print the whole MS that would get quite pricey

I have waited in between revisions as this is the last on computer work up before just doing a read on paper.

I have to submit to an editor in two weeks. I pitched and have a request for a full. -Now someone wants to look at it I can't seem to get it good enough

The print version should be the last look over which I also need to read aloud and record

I am in Dayton so I know there are Staples and Kinkos I can price out

kattbee · Jun 23, 2012

If you have an ink-jet printer make sure to set it on fast-draft quality to save on ink. If you are going out to buy a printer, compare replacement ink/toner cartridge prices as well as printer prices before choosing.

CrastersBabies · Jun 23, 2012

On your own printer (or even one at a company you pay like staples), fast draft/toner-saving quality. Also, you can do 2-pages per sheet and 2-sides per page and that will save you tons.

dangerousbill · Jun 23, 2012

nessam said:
Okay, I am at the point where I've edited my MS so many times I'm going cross-eyed. After this last revision I need to read it on paper. As it is sitting somewhere around 106k I don't want to print it at home.

1. Any pack and ship, copy shop or office supply store. Call them first, but most accept the ms on a thumb drive or cd.

2. I generally do some cursory formatting and upload it to lulu.com where I can have it printed as an actual trade paper book. This makes a good last step in editing, where you can see it in something close to its final form. You can keep it private, so it doesn't go into the lulu online catalog, nor is it accessible to anyone other than yourself. (If I'm correct, Createspace puts everything in the catalog.)

As an example, I had a 326 page book done in proof for about $12 plus $4 shipping, comparable to printing on letter size paper.

EDIT: If you have a two week deadline, option 2 won't be quick enough.

kaitie · Jun 23, 2012

I found a great laser printer on clearance once, and while the cartridge is about $70 (I get them refurbished for much cheaper), I can print something like 2000 pages on a single cartridge. Haven't had to change it in a year!

If you're a writer who does a lot of printing, I'd definitely recommend looking into it. Don't spend $200 on the printer, but you can often get one clearance or from a display for a good price if you look around. You wouldn't have to worry about printing whenever your heart desires, and they print incredibly fast as well.

Jamesaritchie · Jun 23, 2012

A good inkjet is infinitely cheaper than any of the other sources I've found. Ink jets have come a long way, and I can print 2,000 pages with one thirty-five dollar cartridge. Considerably more on fast print, but I've never checked to see how many. This works out to something under two cents per page, which is cheaper than most laser printers.

But you aren't going to do this with a forty dollar printer, or even a one hundred dollar printer.

Around here, at least, fifteen cents per page is the cheapest anyone will print anything. I suspect this may be a bit cheaper elsewhere.

If you do have a cheap printer, it's best to go to one of the office supply stores, or any other print shop. Even if your printer will do the job as cheap, or cheaper, you can wear out a forty dollar printer fast. The convenience along is worth the price of having someone else do it for you.

VoireyLinger · Jun 23, 2012

Most office supply stores have printing services. I use Office Depot or Staples.

I have all major print jobs done there, and since it's business related, the receipt goes in my annual expense file.

Chasing the Horizon · Jun 23, 2012

I can get at least an entire MS (usually more like 1.5 MSs) out of a $25.00 ink cartridge. I'm not sure if this is the absolute cheapest way, but it sure is the most convenient, and it's far from prohibitively expensive. And I don't even print on fast-draft mode (because I don't like how the results look).

blacbird · Jun 23, 2012

I bought a nice small laser printer a couple of years ago, on sale, for $100. Turned out I also needed to buy a connector cable separatedly, which cost around $20. It produces excellent-quality copy. A toner cartridge costs 2-3X the cost of an ink-jet cartridge, but lasts at least 5X as long, so you can do the math. I also have an ink-jet, attached to another computer, but that's mainly for when I need color copy.

It doesn't take too many trips to the local print shop (especially if you count expense and time of travel) to completely offset the cost of printing at home, even if you have to buy a new printer. I run my own business, and am always surprised at how few people seem to do this kind of simple cost/benefit evaluation for things like this.

caw

Determination · Jun 23, 2012

Fast/draft on my printer at home. The convenience is worth the cost, which is only one black ink cartridge and one stack of paper.

Al Stevens · Jun 23, 2012

Starting from scratch, I'd buy the cheapest Kindle, port the ms to .mobi, and read it on e-ink. Do that a couple times and you're money ahead. You can note your corrections on paper, or, if you buy a Kindle with a keyboard, do the markup in the device.

I don't use paper for anything now if I can avoid it. And I reject the notion that you see errors on real paper that you miss on e-ink.

BradCarsten · Jun 23, 2012

you can also sometimes find refurbished/ generic / continuous-ink cartridges that are literally a tenth of the price.

BenPanced · Jun 23, 2012

Most copy places even offer the option to upload directly from home and pick up the print job the next day. I did that through Office Depot when I needed five copies of a manuscript.

AllieKat · Jun 23, 2012

I like to edit on my laptop better than paper, but understand that doesn't always work for everyone.

However, I'm finding that reading a manuscript put on my Kindle works really, really well. It's like reading a book. You can catch a lot of mistakes and it's so much less time-consuming than printing everything out.

PeterD · Jun 23, 2012

I love the Track Changes feature. An hour spent getting to grips with how the feature works, and how to view your text without change, with changes, and post change, might be worthwhile.

Jersey Chick · Jun 23, 2012

I love my HP Deskjet. I've had it for close to 10 years, it's very basic (black ink only), and I can print out 10-15 drafts (roughly 300 pp per draft, give or take) per toner cartridge. The toner runs about $100/cartridge, but I only buy one (maybe two if I'm have a super-productive period) a year so it's worthwhile. I don't remember what I paid for the printer, but I'm cheap so I know it was under $300 - it's entirely possible it was less that $200, but I can't remember.

I've never tried editing on my Kindle, but might be worth it, since I hate having to go back and key in the edits (especially the first round edits. Holy hell, there is so much red ink it isn't funny.)

WriteMinded · Jun 23, 2012

I got a great little laser printer (not color) a couple years back for $50. I buy the cartridges online for about $30.00. I print a lot. Chapters and chapters and chapters and my whole 145k MS more at least three times and someone else's 80K novel. Plus loads of stuff that has nothing to do with writing. I'm only on my second cartridge.

Susan Coffin · Jun 23, 2012

I have a three in one (copy, fax, scan) printer with the ink running around $20.00 a cartridge for both color and black. I print ALL drafts on fast draft on black ink only and fast draft. I change my color ink maybe once a year and my black twice a year. I think one black cartridge prints about 1500-2000 pages. All I know is I print a lot and rarely change my ink.

It all depends on cost effectiveness for you.

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