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Topic: Printing a book? (Read 808 times)
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ridban
RootsChat Senior
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Posts: 310
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Can anyone suggest a programme (hopefully free?) or source of help to use for making a book.
My dad was persuaded to write about his war experiences. I've typed it up in Word - two pages to an A4 sheet, but the logistics of it all have defeated me. I planned to get in printed at the copy shop, double sided, and then bind it into a hard cover myself. However, I can't figure out how to do it, with the page numbering and all. 
Any suggestions for help much appreciated. This was supposed to be ready for Christmas.....LAST Christmas!
Thanks,
Linda
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rubyrose
RootsChat Senior
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Posts: 440
Mum - thanks to RC Restorers
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Hi Linda
Years ago I used to do a lot of design work and I used a software package called Pagemaker. It cost a lot back then so I imagine it is quite expensive nowadays too.
However, there is a way you can do this - I just hope I can explain it properly.
I am assuming that as you have typed two pages to an A4 sheet you are wanting a finished size for the book of A5.
Divide the number of pages you have, including cover and any contents or intro pages, by four. Take that number of A4 sheets and fold them in half. Then number them in the botton corners on each side of the paper, just bend them back as you go through the paper. So for a book with 12 pages, when you open out the folded pieces of A4, reading from lefthand side to right hand side you will have , page 12 and page 1, turn the sheet over and you will have page 2 and page 11 and so on.
Then all you have to do is cut in half your A4 sheets with the 2 pages typed up and glue them to the appropriate page and hey presto you should have a rough which can then be photocopied and stapled into a booklet. You will need a printshop with a saddle stitcher to do this.
I hope this makes sense, if it doesn't let me know and I'll try and explain it a bit better!
Cheers
Ruby
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trish251
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 8618
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Hi Linda
The issue relates to the imposition of the pages & I don't know how much ability word has to do this. You could manually work out which page has to be where & place them in this sequence, manually adjusting your page numbers but I am not very good at this - however Ruby has explained how the numbers work and how to create a blank book (I will remember this for my next effort  ) - rather than paste the pages onto the sheets, you could put them into the required sequence in your word document.
Alternatively you could approach a small commercial printer (many copy shops include this option) - it would be more expensive but most of them can take your document in word format & correctly impose the pages to produce your required document. Might be worth getting a quote.
Trish
Edit: there is a "booklet" option in word 2003 (and presumably later) This, I think will do the imposition, but I don't seem to have it in my version of word (very old  )
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Gadget
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 17528
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An alternative, if you have it, is Publisher which comes as part of the Office package. I used it once or twice for small booklets a while back. You can copy and paste from Word into Publisher and it will do the pagination for you and will produce a booklet in the form that Ruby has explained ready for printing off.
With this you can make a fancy cover page as well
Gadget
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Guy Etchells
RootsChat Veteran
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Posts: 900
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It is also worth checking computer magazines as the cover discs of these sometimes have freebie copies Pagemaker etc.
Cheers
Guy
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mike175
RootsChat Veteran
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Posts: 594
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Hi Linda,
I am also planning a bound book of my family history. I use Serif PagePlus which I imagine does much the same as Publisher, and originally came free as a cover disk on "Your Family Tree" magazine, although I have since upgraded to a later version. This works out the page numbering for double-sided, two pages per side printing, but the tricky part is working out the separate book signatures (the folded sections that stitch together to make the book). The only way I can find in PagePlus is to make each signature a separate booklet, a file of perhaps 32 pages which prints out onto 8 sheets, then the page numbering seems to work properly as you can adjust the starting number for each section. All a bit complicated, and you have to make sure the printer software doesn't conflict with the PagePlus settings . . . but I see Pagemaker is about £500 on Amazon!!! . . . 
There is more about the subject, and a couple of links to suppliers of materials, on an earlier thread: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,237538.msg1282424.html#msg1282424
There is a free version of PagePlus to download from their website: http://www.freeserifsoftware.com/software/PagePlus/default.asp
Good luck with the book.
Mike.
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lizdb
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 5119
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My brother and I "produced" a book of our Edmonds family story, back in 1998, and are just about to "produce " the supplement (because, as we all know, family history NEVER ends!)
We just typed it up in Word, with one page per sheet. You can then easilty number the pages (by clicking on, I think it is Inset then page numbers).
We had then bound together at a local copy/print shop. It was too thick (about 150 typed pages plus as many others inserted with illustrations/photos/certs/ etc) to use a twirly spring binder system (which would be good for something slimmer) but they did it very well with a glued on binding down the edge. Looks very professional and was not overly expensive, and is still intact 8 years later desite constantly being reffered to!
So - take heart , Linda - it does not need to be complicated nor expensive! And it is so exciting to see the result of all your work presented in such a way.
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« Last Edit: Thursday 15 November 07 14:52 GMT (UK) by lizdb »
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ridban
RootsChat Senior
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Posts: 310
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Thanks for all your fabulous suggestions. I just knew the answers would come on Rootschat.
I'm going to look at all the options and see what works best for me.
Thanks again.
Linda
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little meg
RootsChat Aristocrat
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Posts: 1911
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Hi Linda,
as the Lizdb, I too had a book printed by a local printing company.
We printed 200 books, this was 10 years ago (this month) 
We sold/donated all the books. My original copy is slowly falling apart, but I am constantly using it.
Now I go back to my original folder which was one that we sent to the printer.
We did each page on A4, one side only, left places for photos, but today it is easy to attach to a photo to a word doc.
162 pages in all.
The cover can be plain, with just coloured card and black print, or, at more expense, an illustration in colour etc.
We included a Title page, Publishing details page, contents, acknowledgements and Introduction. All these before the story started.
At the back we provided source and an index.
Illustrations through the book will always put the price higher, but if you talk to the printer, I believe if all the photos are together in the centre and not scattered throughout then it will reduce the price.
Illustrations refer to drawings, maps and photographs etc.
Hope this helps in some way.
Margaret
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Please scan all pics at 300-600 DPI for restoration purposes, thankyou.
Simpson-Kildwick,Yorkshire & Australia, Overend-Sutton, Kildwick,Yorkshire & Australia, Whitaker - Cononley/Yorkshire, Pickard - Silsden/Yorkshire, Howarth - Skipton/Yorkshire and Lancashire, Heaton-Yorkshire, Preston-Yorkshire, Myers-Yorkshire & Australia, Wild-Yorkshire & Australia. Storey-Middlesex/Australia
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Etude
RootsChat Extra
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Posts: 31
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Hi Linda,
With technology now, you should be able to go to a good quality copy shop, with your single sheets. They will double side, number, put a cover on, and make it either A4 or into an A5 booklet, if it is not too thick.
Try a few copy shops before you decide. But don't leave it too close to Christmas, their busy period.
We are retired, but my husband and I ran 8 such shops and family histories was a very large part of our business. Our children now run the businesses, and we are now free to travel to check on our own family history. If you have photos it will be cheaper to but them on a couple of pages in the middle, as has been suggested. But take in the photos individually do not stick to a page.
Cheers
Iris....South Australia.
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Guy Etchells
RootsChat Veteran
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Posts: 900
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I would suggest that if you want your book to last avoid Perfect Binding.It is ok for short term use (up to twenty or so years) but is not a long term binding.
Pages will start falling out in time (occasionally within a week).
I know it is more expensive but traditional methods using stitching are far better for long term use.
Cheers
Guy
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ridban
RootsChat Senior
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Posts: 310
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Thanks to all your advice, I have managed to produce my book myself on the computer.
Word worked out the page numbering, and I printed "manual duplex".
Then I stitched it together. Took me several attempts to work out how to do it, though.
But - here is the finished result! Not half bad, if I say so myself, for a first time!
I couldn't have done it without you!
Linda
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Suffolk: Walker, Scott, Alden Lincs & Leics: Lockton, Lovett Northants: Panter Cornwall: Cogar, Tremearne Canada & Ireland: Newman & Kingston USA & Canada: Covel(l) & Cole The Virtual Tour of Hampstead: www.thevirtualtourofhampstead.co.uk |
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dadsbook2.jpg