Once I leave university I will not have the luxury of using the university’s printers to print my comics at a subsidised price. As I want to continue making comics, mainly writing, I will need to find a place that prints comics at a reasonable price and is good quality. Below is a list of Comic printing specialists that I have examined a price tested.
PDC Manchester (link) – http://www.pdc-manchester.co.uk/booklet_printing.shtml PDC is a printer that is based in Manchester, UK they offer a limited choice when it comes to printing as for booklets they have two categories A5 &A4. The page count and print number is also limited as the minimum run is 500 & the maximum of 5000 copies. A5 booklets have a page limit of 16 while the A4 has a limit of 8 pages. The cost of these ranges from £595 – £1120.
This is an ideal choice if you have a large following and low page count on your comics. For me however, there is not enough flexibility.
Doxzoo (Link) – http://doxzoo.com/?gclid=CjwKEAjw_uvHBRDUkumF0tLFp3cSJACAIHMYE7nskskHHAqtDqb-FWb0zM-iuw9ZUHGXyGKWodOoLBoC_hvw_wcB Doxzoo is based in London, UK and offers a range of printing options from stapled sheets of paper to hard back books. This site has a handy calculator so they can give you a quote on the type of document you want printing before you commit to anything.
For a booklet of 24 pages that are A5 and full color it will cost £3.24 per copy. This means that an order can become pretty expensive. They do offer a fast delivery service.
Here’s how much it would cost for me if I used the printers
Transplant – size: A5 – pages: 16 – copies: 20 – interiors: full color – cost: £45.80
Black Voyage – size: A5 – pages: 40 – copies: 20 – interiors: full color – cost: £102
Piper – size: A5 – pages: 12 – copies: 20 – interiors: full color – cost: £45.80
Comic printing UK (Link) – http://comicprintinguk.com/ Comic printing UK is the most well-known comic printing service. Unlike most printing services they do not offer a set price list as the price you get is designed specifically for your comic and printing needs. I have sent a submission for a quote but I’m yet to hear back.
Comic 2 print (Link) – http://comics2print.co.uk/ Comic 2 print is a site for indie creators who have short print runs. They offer three size print, A5, A4 and comic size and free delivery in the UK. They do have a minimum and maximum print order. 50 copies are the smallest number of copies you can print while 250 is the maximum number you can print from. There prices change in you want Black and White interiors or color and with page count.
Here’s how much it would cost for me if I used the printers
Transplant – size: A5 – pages: 16 – copies: 50 – interiors: full color – cost: £48
Black Voyage – size: A5 – pages: 40 – copies: 50 – interiors: full color – cost: £120
Piper – size: A5 – pages: 12 – copies: 50 – interiors: full color – cost: £48
Ka-Blam (Link) – http://ka-blam.com/printing/index.php?page=Calculator&op=1 Ka-blam is a US comic printing service that is used by quite a few indie creators. The have a loyal service base however they are quite pricy not just for consumers overseas but also Americans. You can print just one copy if you want a proof copy. They offer a reduction in price if you place an AD for Ka-Blam in your comic.
With Ka-Blam there is also an option to sell on Indy-planet which the other services do not offer.
Transplant – size: A5 – pages: 16 – copies: 1 – interiors: full color – Ka-blam ad: Yes – cost of issue: $2.31/ £1.80 – shipping: – $24.27/£18.94
Black Voyage – size: A5 – pages: 40 – copies: 1 – interiors: full color – cost of issue: $3.52/£2.75 – shipping: – $24.31/£18.97
Piper – size: A5 – pages: 12 – copies: 1 – interiors: full color – cost of issue: $2.12/ £1.65 – shipping: – $24.27/£18.94
http://chrisbaldie.com/post/89454204909/uk-comic-printers-list-so-each-week-at-drink-and – This site is also a list of 5 printers in the UK. They are not exclusive comic printers so do not have a guide for comic formats.
Conclusion – These are just a selection of Printers I have found as there are probably more out there. From the ones, I have found I will probably do a test with Ka-Blam, the print cost is low for the comics themselves but the printing is quite pricy. However, if the quality is good that shipping cost might not be an issue if I place a larger order.
If you know of any more let me know in the comments below.
Covenant of Arcana comics 