Despite the prominence of computers, smartphones, and internet-based content, printed magazines are still readily available and have not disappeared from the face of the planet. In fact, many magazines offer both print and web versions of their monthly publications. Plus, new magazines are being launched all of the time. If you’re thinking about launching your own print magazine, here are few things you should consider before diving into the deep end of content development, design, and layout. These are topics that will help you determine the expenses of printing your magazine whether you’re considering a monthly, bi-monthly, or a quarterly publication schedule.
What Size or Dimension to Make the Magazine?
While magazines can be printed in almost any size/dimension you desire, most commercial printers will specify certain sizes as standard. These standard sizes will be less expensive to produce than a custom size that falls outside the range of the printer’s standard offerings. Knowing up front the dimensions of your intended magazine, means the design process can proceed in an orderly way without concern about having to make last minute adjustments that could eat up valuable time and incur additional expense/cost.
How Many Pages?
The nature or intent of your magazine will help determine how many pages of content you want to present with each publication. Clearly, more pages equals more paper equals higher printing costs. In addition, knowing the number of pages in your magazine will help answer the next question.
What Kind of Binding?
Saddle-stitch and perfect binding are the two most common binding methods for magazines. If the page count of your magazine is less than sixty-four, saddle-stitch binding is the preferred or recommended option. For higher page counts, perfect binding is the recommended choice. Saddle-stitch binding is generally less expensive than perfect binding and may be the optimal choice for a first-time publication.
How Will I Distribute the Magazine?
Most successful print magazines are sent/mailed to recipients via paid subscriptions and offered for sale at bookstores, drugstores, grocery stores, newsstands, etc. For a new magazine looking to grow an audience, initial print runs will likely be limited and decisions will have to be made about when, where, and how the magazine will be available. Having a good idea of how a magazine will reach its intended audience will help answer the next question.
How Many Magazines to Print?
Most successful print magazines are sent/mailed to recipients via paid subscriptions and offered for sale at bookstores, drugstores, grocery stores, newsstands, etc. For a new magazine looking to grow an audience, initial print runs will likely be limited and decisions will have to be made about when, where, and how the magazine will be available. The quantity of magazines to be printed will also determine what type of press is to be used in production. Popular, nationally distributed magazines with a 100,000 or more subscribers are typically printed on web-offset presses capable of producing large quantities in a short period of time. First-time, smaller print runs are most likely to be printed on a sheet-fed press.
How Many Colors and Bleeds?
Will your magazine feature full-color images on the cover and inside pages? Do you envision a full-color cover with a few interior pages printed in full color with others in black ink? What about two spot colors? How many pages will have images that bleed to the edges? Just the cover and inside cover pages or all pages of the magazine? Typically, limiting the ink colors to one or two will be less expensive to print, but full-color printing is highly affordable these days and may not be an insurmountable obstacle when printing your first magazine.
What Paper Stock to Use?
Mass-produced magazines typically use a combination of a light, thin paper stock for interior pages with a somewhat heavier stock for the cover. This is particularly true for magazines printed on weekly basis (e.g., Time, People, Us, Entertainment Weekly, etc.) where longevity and durability are not important factors.
The choice of paper stock to use can be driven by a number of factors besides the cost of the paper itself: 1) A high-gloss cover stock may better match the image your publication wishes to convey to its intended demographic. For example, a magazine featuring profiles of wealthy collectors of automobiles is less likely to succeed if printed on thin, matte-finish stock; 2) Non-coated, recycled paper stock would be a more appropriate choice for a publication addressing environmental issues or concerns. 3) Postage costs for mailing issues to subscribers are affected by the weight of the magazine. Hence, the choice of paper stocks for cover and interior pages may be driven by this concern; 4) For a magazine intended to be published on a quarterly basis, it may be desirous to apply a finish coating (e.g., a gloss aqueous or high-gloss UV) for enhanced color and increased durability of your magazine.
If you have any questions about Magazine Printing, give us a call at 330-597-8560. We’re happy to help you get the most out of your printing project.
Photo by May Gauthier
