Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

PerTurgon · Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:58 am Post subject: Binder conundrum. Help pleas!

Hello. Im about to buy my self some PDF format SW books sins they arnt available in print. I hate....HATE reading of the computer screen plus im one of those old farts that hate having a lap top at the table when gaming. Its distracting and i think one kinda loses the feel of a PEN AND PAPER game using computers. ANYWAY, sins i have to get some books in PDF im going to print them out and have them in binders. What type of binder ring should i use? What size for 80 pages, 120 pages etc? I know this might sound a bit OCDish but i hate having a binder not full and the papers wobling inside the binder. Hope anyone thinks like me and have some advise. Smile

Takeda · Heroic Joined: 28 Apr 2009 Posts: 1363

go for the 120, put two pages together back to back in a plastic sheeth so you read them like a book. The extra room will be for notes and addendums.
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Amaril · Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 12:51 pm Post subject:

A half-inch binder should do.
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Takeda · Heroic Joined: 28 Apr 2009 Posts: 1363

Or do what I did. I printed them out two-sided in booklet form ... then clamped them together, drilled holes through the booklet and self-bound the book using heavy-duty black nylon thread. I used cardstock for the cover ...

It's been a few years of heavy use and they show almost no wear. They don't lie as flat but that's the only complaint.
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jpk · Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 12:54 pm Post subject:

You don't have to put them in binders. You could have the printed pages perfect bound (basically, a modern softcover book). You could also get a tape binding, which is very similar. Contact your a local print shop or office supply chain with printing services and ask them what they've got available.

If you want to go that route and don't have anything local, there are places on the internet that will take your PDF, print it, and bind it for you. Most PDFs have a print permission such that you could have that done, effectively producing a single copy of the print version.

If price or availability leave you looking at the binder, though, I'd just take my printed copies with me when I went to buy the binders to see what I liked and how well it fit. If you're really fussy, take in the same size stack of blank paper you can try, just in case you end up chewing it to shreds.

Amaril · Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 12:57 pm Post subject:

If the book is an Explorer's Edition or digest sized, you can print them in booklet format (two per page, front and back), cut them, and punch holes to fit them into a 5.5x8.5 binder. I used those a lot for extra reference copies of the Companions at the table. I've only found these smaller binders in 1" thickness, so you can either put more than one book in a binder or get used to having pages "wobling inside the binder."
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PerTurgon · Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 1:29 pm Post subject:

Thanks for all the info. Il check out at a book store close by. Live in norway so we use CM etc but i will convert it and check it out. My printer can print on both sides of the paper so a 160 page book will turn out to 80 pages. Il figure it out. Really wanting to buy the Fantasy companion for inspiration when im making my own setting. Wink

TheLoremaster · Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 2:58 pm Post subject:

You may also want to look into alternate bindings. I coil-bind all my printed PDFs at the local FedEx Office store. It's pretty cheap, usually less than $5, and the results are very attractive and easy to use. Worth looking into.
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PerTurgon · Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:48 pm Post subject:

Thats an exelent idea TheLoremaster. Now i just need to find out what "Coil Binding" translates to in norwegian and im sure to finde someone in my town who does it Smile

Jonah Hex · Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:59 pm Post subject:

Cerlox binding is an option as well; significantly cheaper than coil. The only real downside is that you can't fold it all the way back like coil. I use it for some larger books since I game with the manager of a print shop so it's free - unfortunately they don't do coil.

Dirty Ernie · Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 6:42 pm Post subject:

I print my PDFs two-sided (parchment paper for pirate-y and barbarian-ish stuff, ivory-colored for pulpy tomes Cool

), punch, and throw 'em into these old-school report covers.

They have the feel of a big paperback book (bound tight), come in different colors, and will take as many pages as you want.

The downside is trying to find the one you want when they're shelved, as there's no spine, and they don't lay flat. Wink

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jpk · Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 12:03 am Post subject:

You know you can trim down a piece of paper to be as wide as the book is think plus enough space to bring it in for binding on the front and back, and then you've got yourself a spine, right? You can even print it with art and bits from the book, depending on the software you've got at hand.

OSIAdept · Heroic Joined: 19 Oct 2007 Posts: 1555

I had the SW Dx printed and spiral bound (twice once for me and another as a gift for my friend) for less than 30
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BluSponge · Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:57 am Post subject: Re: Binder conundrum. Help pleas!

jcayer · Seasoned Joined: 20 Aug 2010 Posts: 137

Here is another vote for spiral binding at fedex/kinkos. It also includes a clear cover and solid black or blue vinyl back. For less than $5, you can't beat it.

I love being about to just flip it open, and fold the back over.

PerTurgon · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 5:29 pm Post subject:

Iv been searchin my butt of trying to find someone around here who does spiral binding and iv e-mailed a couple of printers to see what they say. Being in norway and everything is expensive im now calculating the cost my own printer ink, buying a binder etc vs the cost to get it printet and binded. So hoping for a soon answer from the companies iv mailed. Being now its 200kr for the ink cartredge pr book ish and 40kr pr binder all totals at 40$ all converted. So im hoping for a cheaper solution from the printers Smile

Sucks living in a country with lots of money. The goverment instantly figures out EVERYONE in the country has the same amount of money so the prices winde up like they are. Influasions a bitch :/

Vinzent · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:40 pm Post subject:

Printing and binding yourself generally costs more than just buying the book here, but as you said these are out of print.

Still, you might keep your eyes out for game stores that still have a stock of the books on their shelves, used bookstores that carry rpgs, etc. You might get lucky.

Which books are you trying to print?
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PerTurgon · Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 6:29 am Post subject:

Amongs the books im wanting to get on PDF are Fantasy Compaignen. Tryed to find it on a store online but all is back ordered, and have been for over a year it seems.

Vinzent · Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 4:24 pm Post subject:

I have seen this on the shelves of my flgs. Have you tried physical game stores?
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PerTurgon · Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:54 am Post subject:

Jepp. Thing is SW and pinnacle games in general arent populare around where i live. I think when the old Deadlands books wore out they stayed at our flgs for so many years with out being bought a friend of mine got ALL of the waisted west and weird west 50 to 80% of from the store... And i will have to at that the f in flgs is exagurated when it comes to my local store. Not friendly at all, more in to it for the money really. Theyr shelves have the "populare" games like D&D 4th etc. Pluss sadly the people that play RPGs in my town that play anything else then populare games are my group of friends and we arent enough people to be considered as a stady group of inncome. So if you want to buy it and send it to me go right a head and il pay hehehe Razz

Other then that il have to do what iv been planing with the printing etc. Iv found one store online that has a BUNCH of the books i want, only thing that sucks is that when i order from them it almost cost the same to get it sent as the books them selves sins they need to be sent over the atlantic. Sad